http://radio.cz/en/article/156727 A daily in-depth look at current events in the Czech Republic. en Fri, 24 May 2013 14:40:41 +0200 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:40:41 +0200 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS   http://radio.cz      http://radio.cz/assets/imgs/radiopraha-rss.png   200   200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/article/156727 Police in Brno have said an American man wanted in connection with the murder of a Czech family in Brno had been arrested after stepping off a flight from Vienna to Washington D.C. Twenty-year-old Kevin Dahlgren was being sought by police in both the Czech Republic and abroad after four bodies were discovered in the house in Brno where he was staying. According to Czech media reports, the victims were relatives. Fri, 24 May 2013 14:40:41 +0200 urn:uuid:dea0732e-c39a-5722-8d73-a7f099df0c81 http://radio.cz/en/article/156698 Members of the Prague assembly on Thursday dismissed Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda as well as two other Civic Democrat councillors in a vote Thursday that sees the Civic Democrats head into the opposition for the first time in more than 20 years. The collapse of the council at City Hall was prompted earlier this week by TOP 09, whose members said they could no longer work with their partners on key issues. The now former mayor charged that that was only an excuse for the party to shift gears ahead of next year’s elections. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:37 +0200 urn:uuid:7b3c270e-92d5-50be-baeb-e802d2d1ee19 http://radio.cz/en/article/156700 A Czech brewery is taking the country’s leading consumer magazine to court over tests which detected high levels of mould in one of its brews. The Svijany brewery questions the accuracy of the findings, as additional testing did not find increased levels of mycotoxins in its beer. In an email leaked to the press, the brewery’s manager also says that government subsidies for the magazine should be cut. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:37 +0200 urn:uuid:e493e27b-d3d2-5516-a694-adf27511dda1 http://radio.cz/en/article/156679 A controversy sparked by the Czech president’s reluctance to appoint a university professor seems to have been resolved. Miloš Zeman’s refusal to confer the title on Martin C. Putna, a literary historian and vocal critic of his, caused an outcry in the academic community and beyond. However on Wednesday, the president and the education minister struck a deal: Mr Putna will after all be appointed professor. But he will receive his decree from the minister rather than from the head of state himself. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:50 +0200 urn:uuid:2c298817-612e-50a6-935b-850b7005ee2c http://radio.cz/en/article/156680 Talks are continuing at Prague City Hall between former coalition partners the Civic Democrats and TOP 09. On Monday, the latter withdrew from their coalition agreement, citing concerns over the administration of key areas, including financing, as well as problematic projects such as the overpriced Blanka tunnel. TOP 09 have since offered the Civ Dems a new agreement, one that, however, offers the latter fewer seats on the council and sees them lose the post of mayor. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:50 +0200 urn:uuid:f09b6e0a-0209-53fc-9bbf-965506925d52 http://radio.cz/en/article/156650 After last year’s methanol affair in the Czech Republic, the police redoubled efforts in uncovering bootleg liquor. A week ago, it was confirmed Tuesday, they found three secret sites and uncovered close to one million litres of undeclared alcohol. Earlier searches at different warehouses around the country missed the hidden chambers as they were sealed underground beneath metre-thick concrete. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:04 +0200 urn:uuid:dcbc0fbc-d023-5f90-aa5e-771b0995db49 http://radio.cz/en/article/156651 One of the Czech Republic’s best known soccer clubs has just escaped bankruptcy and expulsion from the first division. In fact, for a brief period on Monday it appeared it really was curtains for Baník Ostrava. But how have the 2004 league champions found themselves in such dire straits? And what does the future hold for the club? Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:04 +0200 urn:uuid:985b8d51-758d-5e5b-9a2e-bdc39034eeb2 http://radio.cz/en/article/156632 The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, has caused an outcry by saying he will not confer the title of professor on a Charles University academic. Czech heads of state normally just rubberstamp such decisions, and Mr. Zeman’s position on the appointment of Martin C. Putna is wholly unprecedented. The president has not been entirely clear on the reasons – but says he objected to a placard the academic carried in a gay pride march. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:56:08 +0200 urn:uuid:75c2ad38-7c85-5f91-96a8-8f960b0a234e http://radio.cz/en/article/156585 Earlier this week, hockey fans hoped that the Czech national team had finally found its legs in a 7-0 drubbing of Norway. But that was as good as things would get. Although the Czechs avoided the embarrassment of an early exit and made the quarterfinal, they again faced tournament’s biggest surprise this year, the Swiss, and were defeated. Fri, 17 May 2013 15:52:59 +0200 urn:uuid:b3a9aba2-219d-536a-a9e7-edd2cf1608e0 http://radio.cz/en/article/156553 The organisers of a martial arts show in Prague have bowed to pressure from the media and sponsors and cancelled an appearance by a Hungarian fighter who’s covered from head to toe in Nazi tattoos. Attila Petrovszki, a Mixed Martial Arts fighter from Hungary, had been due to appear at the event - his tattoos covered in a T-shirt - on Friday; now organisers are looking for a replacement. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:35:21 +0200 urn:uuid:a30d136e-9735-5d5e-829c-9bf49f15f939 http://radio.cz/en/article/156556 This weekend we’ll be celebrating 90 years since the first regular radio broadcasts in Czechoslovakia, and we’ll be bringing you a special programme. David Vaughan has been working with a group of Prague journalism students, to discover some of the forgotten gems hidden in the radio archive. He tells us more about Saturday’s special programme. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:35:21 +0200 urn:uuid:67be8e0d-49fe-5e9f-97fc-7fb2031c9308 http://radio.cz/en/article/156525 According to a report annually compiled by the Jewish community in Prague, the number of anti-Semitic statements made on Czech internet in 2012 increased three-fold compared to the previous year. More direct actions targeting Jews, however, did not see a significant rise around the Czech Republic. Wed, 15 May 2013 15:31:55 +0200 urn:uuid:0c393a56-ba3d-5a89-a336-abf848f02bc7 http://radio.cz/en/article/156528 On Tuesday, the Czech hockey team faced a key challenge at the Ice Hockey World Championship: either defeat Norway or head home early. Aided by talented reinforcements from the NHL, the Czechs did the former: they won and they did so with style. Wed, 15 May 2013 15:31:55 +0200 urn:uuid:d6a84591-00d1-56ee-b138-900c6aa0a215 http://radio.cz/en/article/156509 Given the growing number of salesmen who abuse the trust of elderly people in their own homes and force them into highly disadvantageous contracts, many Czech towns and cities are taking matters into their own hands and banning door-to-door sales altogether in order to protect their citizens. While door-to-door salespeople are threatening to take the matter to court, the inhabitants of these towns have welcomed the move. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:05 +0200 urn:uuid:01577a16-6eea-58d8-bdc4-a98bf66481ba http://radio.cz/en/article/156510 The 68th annual Prague Spring International Music Festival began on Sunday with Bedřich Smetana’s Má Vlast (My Country) at Prague’s Municipal House and is continuing with high-profile events until the beginning of June. This week alone visitors will be able to attend the finale of the Prague Spring International Music Competition, The Giacomo Variations featuring American actor John Malkovich and a performance by Czech violin virtuoso Josef Špaček to name only a few of the many events. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:05 +0200 urn:uuid:eb26b21c-fa94-5e0b-b70e-cbaac2c16c35 http://radio.cz/en/article/156478 A Swiss court on Monday began hearing a major Czech privatization case. Six former managers of the Czech coal company MUS face accusations of money laundering and other crimes they allegedly committed during the privatization of the firm in the 1990s. The complicated case has been running for years, and is also prosecuted in the Czech Republic. Mon, 13 May 2013 15:04:03 +0200 urn:uuid:891e204c-2271-5375-9b44-41053f6bbea5 http://radio.cz/en/article/156432 Tens of thousands of people are expected to queue for hours to view the Czech crown jewels, which have just gone on display at Prague Castle’s Vladislav Hall. The priceless collection, which includes the St. Wenceslas crown, is being shown for the first time in five years – but only for a 10-day period. Fri, 10 May 2013 14:44:10 +0200 urn:uuid:48cef37b-2aae-5c43-b2de-517708af3f53 http://radio.cz/en/article/156410 The Czech Republic has been heavily criticised in recent years for allowing corruption to flourish – particularly for refusing to abolish anonymous stock certificates known as bearer shares. Anti-corruption campaigners say these unregistered paper shares are of great value to corrupt businessmen, dirty politicians and crooked officials, especially in doling out lucrative public tenders. Now however, their days are numbered. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:39:57 +0200 urn:uuid:c1950cb0-45e2-535e-87ea-9f17d7cf6368 http://radio.cz/en/article/156411 An elementary school in Prague now bears the name of the Czech-born former mayor of Chicago, Antonín Čermák. The renaming ceremony in his honour took place on Thursday, the 140th anniversary of his birth, and was attended, among other guests, by Čermák’s grandson. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:39:57 +0200 urn:uuid:28c66cb9-6bc9-5bae-9fa9-c7105bf3e20f http://radio.cz/en/article/156373 The large-scale regional exhibition taking place in two South Bohemian and two Upper Austrian cities hit the first snag within days of the grand opening. Part of the exhibit in the small town of Vyšší Brod, which is dedicated to the houses of worship in the region, sparked intense criticism for displaying works dating back to darker days in history. Tue, 07 May 2013 15:54:41 +0200 urn:uuid:4c2132ec-de3e-5368-b9b5-727e2620db6d