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Current AffairsAsbestos concerns rise as affected schools close
The city hall in České Budějovice closed three primary schools in a
housing estate this week after health workers discovered the presence of
carcinogenic asbestos. While teachers attempt to create alternative plans
for the several hundred students, asbestos concerns have returned to the
public awareness nationwide, and health officials warn that many more
public buildings may carry the same risks. More
Current AffairsMinister Schwarzenberg accuses power giant ČEZ of secretly funding political parties
Foreign Minister, and coalition TOP 09 party leader Karel Schwarzenberg has
accused the state-controlled electricity firm ČEZ of bankrolling Czech
political parties. In an interview for the news-website aktualne.cz this
week, Mr Schwarzenberg said it was “a public secret” that ČEZ had
financed parties – except his own group, TOP 09. The serious accusations
– presented with no evidence or further details – were dismissed by
politicians across the board – with the notable exception of František
Bublan, a Social Democrat MP, and former Interior Minister and head of the
Czech intelligence service. But commentator Erik Best believes Mr
Schwarzenberg might have had his very own reasons for speaking out. More
Current AffairsExtremist groups aim to benefit from social unrest in North Bohemia
The security situation in parts of North Bohemia, where tension between the
Roma and non-Roma communities has been rising for weeks, failed to improve
at the weekend – just the opposite. An illegal demonstration against the
Roma community again tested police, who on Saturday blocked almost 1,000
participants from making their way to a local Roma settlement. Allegedly
organised by a neo-Nazi group, the protest is seen as evidence that
extremist groups are trying to exploit the deteriorating situation for
their own ends. More
Current AffairsCzech Nuclear Safety Institute: EU-approved stress tests should not present a problem
After weeks of debate the European Union on Wednesday agreed on the
criteria for conducting "stress tests" on the bloc's 143 nuclear
power plants. The tests which aim to avert an accident like that at Japan's
Fukushima plant, will check nuclear plants’ preparedness in dealing with
natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding, as well as for man-made
failures such as airplane crashes and explosions. We called Petr Brandejs,
deputy head of the Czech Institute for Nuclear Safety to find out how the
Czech Republic’s two nuclear power plants –Temelín and Dukovany would
face up to the challenge. More
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