Section Archive Current Affairs
Prague tortoise was thought to be “twin” of Pinta tortoise Lonesome George
The death of Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta island giant
tortoise recently saddened legions of nature and reptile lovers around the
world. His unexpected demise in a reservation on the Galapagos Islands came
at the estimated age of 100 years or more. For quite some time, tortoise
experts believed that George might not be as ‘lonesome’ as previously
assumed: a Prague Zoo tortoise bore such close resemblance to George that
even reptile experts thought he might too be a member of the Pinta species. More
PM unexpectedly fires popular justice minister
President Václav Klaus dismissed Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil on
Wednesday following a surprisingly rapid recommendation by the country’s
prime minister, Petr Nečas. The sacking of one of the most popular Czech
politicians came a day after the government discussed budget plans for next
year. Mr Nečas said that the minister had been sacked for failing to meet
austerity targets. Critics, though, charge there is another reason the
politician was shown the door. More
European Commission weighs in on Šumava logging
The European Commission has asked the Czech government to halt logging in
the Šumava National Park. Czech authorities resumed felling bark-beetle
infested trees in Šumava this week to prevent the spreading of the beetle
infestation. But the European Commissioner for the Environment says logging
should cease until the government justifies the move. More
Legal assessment on Parkanová case sparks fresh political controversy
Former defense minister Vlasta Parkanová, who has come under suspicion of
abusing her position in an overpriced military aircraft deal, has a loyal
defender in Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek. The finance minister, who
previously served in the same cabinet in which Mrs Parkanová had the
defense portfolio, has called her possible prosecution unconstitutional. He
is basing his criticism on a statement from the Czech Institute of State
and Law. More
Eight Czechs killed in bus crash in Croatia
For 51 Czech passengers aboard a bus chartered by the Brno travel agency
Atlas Adria, a summer holiday turned into a nightmare on Saturday. En route
to the popular Croatian holiday destination Makarska Riviera, the bus
swerved off the road and overturned. Eight passengers were killed in the
accident and more than 40 injured. Some have since returned to the Czech
Republic via military aircraft. More
Czechs end EURO 2012 campaign after quarter-final loss to Portugal
The Czech national football team lost 1:0 to Portugal in the quarterfinals
of EURO 2012 in Warsaw on Thursday and was knocked out of the tournament.
In the game, the Czechs delivered their best performance at the
championships but failed to stop Portugal’s star Ronaldo from sending
them home. Thursday’s match was also the Czech striker Milan Baroš’s
last appearance for the national side. More
Prague’s Week of Freedom dominated by support for Pussy Riot
The Week of Freedom, a project established in Prague last year on the
twentieth anniversary of the withdrawal of Russian troops from
Czechoslovakia is both a celebration of the return of democracy to the
Czech lands and a means of highlighting common values. This year’s event
centres around freedom of speech and has been dominated by support for the
jailed members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot. More
Czech police bust massive marihuana grow op with sealed-in gardener
Czech police have busted the largest marihuana grow operation ever
discovered in the country. Last month, officers from the national anti-drug
unit found nearly 6,000 cannabis plants at four different sites in western
Bohemia, and arrested 13 members of a Czech-Vietnamese gang, the police
said on Thursday. The police also detained a Vietnamese man who was sealed
in at one of the facilities and forced to care for the plants. More
Middleman denies enormous profits on controversial CASA deal
The Omnipol company, which is at the centre of a scandal involving
allegedly overpriced military transport planes, has defended itself, saying
its profits from the deal were normal and amounted to far less than police
and the media have asserted. Meanwhile, a parliament committee has begun
examining the evidence to determine whether to give up MP and former
defence minister Vlasta Parkanová, who the police want to prosecute over
the deal. More
“Czechs abroad” project to award prize to greatest Czech living abroad
Who is the greatest Czech living abroad? As part of the “Czechs abroad”
project, the Foreign Ministry, together with Czech Radio and Czech TV, is
finding the answer to that question. The ambitious initiative also seeks to
paint a more vivid picture of those Czechs who do not live in their native
country – through reports, conferences and discussions. Sarah Borufka has
more. More
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