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Current AffairsFormer president Havel enters CzechTek fray
The CzechTek saga continues to stir the usually calm waters of Czech
politics in the summer season. Former president Vaclav Havel has now
entered the fray, after he was asked to act as mediator between the Czech
government and organisers of the techno party which was violently
dispersed by riot police at the weekend. But not everyone is happy with
the initiative.
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Talking PointNostalgia reigns at RFE/RL as broadcaster prepares for moving day
Radio Free Europe was established by the Congress of the United States to
broadcast news and current affairs programs to Eastern European countries
behind the Iron Curtain. A few years later it was followed by Radio
Liberty broadcasting to the nations inside the Soviet Union. Even though
broadcasts to most countries of Central Europe were stopped several years
ago, RFE/RL still brings news to 19 countries in 28 languages including
Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan.
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Current AffairsRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to move from Prague centre
Radio Free Europe, which many Czechs listened to surreptitiously in the
Communist era, moved from Munich to Prague in the early 1990s, at the
invitation of then president Vaclav Havel. Though security was stepped up
at its headquarters after 9/11, Czech politicians say its current location
at the top of Wenceslas Square poses a threat to the general population.
Now Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has finally found a new, safer
location - in a new building in the Prague 10 district of Hagibor.
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Current AffairsUkraine's accession to EU supported by Civic Democrats
Earlier this week the opposition Civic Democratic Party organized an
international conference to support Ukraine's ambitions to join the
European Union. The event was attended by the Ukrainian Deputy Prime
Minister Roman Bezsmertny and a number of other politicians mostly from
right of centre political parties from across Central Europe, including
the former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. More
Current AffairsThe French "No" through a Czech lens
After weeks of anticipation this was the result that the heads of the
European Union feared most: a resounding "No" by one of the
union's founding members, France, rejecting the constitution. Pundits say
the French had many different reasons for voting against, including
disillusionment with the country's president. But the fact is following
Sunday the future of the treaty - and European integration as a whole - is
in doubt.
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Current AffairsCzech Communists mark May Day high in the polls
Until sixteen years ago the 1st of May was celebrated in grandiose style,
with huge parades on Letna - the large open park to the north of Prague
Castle. To this day Czech communists - mostly in their 60s and 70s - still
gather here every year to hear Communist leaders speak. Music plays,
sausages are sold, and supporters cheer on a famous actress or two as she
pledges support. Though, it's a far cry from the old days - fewer
visitors, and the odd heckler or two - in days of yore they would have
been quickly swept away by men in green uniforms - much of the rhetoric
has stayed the same. The head of the Communist Party, Miroslav Grebenicek,
was the main speaker on Sunday, railing against capitalism in
characteristic form. More
Current AffairsCzech government approves referendum bill
The Czech government on Wednesday approved a referendum bill that would
allow the public to decide about fundamental issues relating to the
country's internal and foreign policy. If it gets through parliament, it
will open the door to a referendum on the EU Constitution.
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Czechs TodayStanislav Gross - the youngest prime minister in Europe
Born in Prague in 1969, Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross trained
briefly as a train driver before entering politics in the early 1990s
after completing his military service. Since then he has enjoyed a
spectacularly successful career, which resulted in him becoming the
country's youngest ever premier last year at just 34 years of age. More
Current AffairsPrime Minister tight-lipped about who helped to pay for his luxury flat
The Czech Prime Minister and head of the Social Democratic Party Stanislav
Gross has found himself in a predicament that has broken many a
politician's back in the democratic world. He is either unable or
unwilling to explain the source of the money with which he bought a luxury
flat in Prague.
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Current AffairsAdvancing the dream of November 17
There is much to be done. That was the unanimous verdict of academics,
politicians and former dissidents who met Wednesday to reflect on the
legacy of the Velvet Revolution. But precisely what work remains for the
Czech Republic's continuing democratization was a matter for debate.
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