Last week 41/2006

Václa Havel celebrated his seventieth birthday. WWII hero František Fajtl passed away. Residents of Mydlovar in South Bohemia succeeded with their protests against plans to construct a huge waste incinerator there.

Mirek Topolánek’s government failed to gain the confidence of Parliament, and President Václav Klaus announced he would wait to swear in a new premier until after the senate and communal elections. A library with Roma literature was opened in Ostrava-Vítkovice.

Media reported the price of gas would drop. Businessman Tomáš Pitr did not begin his five-year prison term because of back problems. “That intervention caused indignation with some of the police force, but others point out that he acted in line with regulations,” remarked police trade union chairman Milan Štěpánek, explaining why he organized a collection to support to Tomáš Čermák, who was dismissed after beating Green Party member Kateřina Jacques at a demonstration. A previously unnamed street behind Haštalské náměstí in Prague 1 was named Ve Stínadlech. Tatra Kopřivnice changed owners when Blue River acquired its shares. The European Union imposed duty on Chinese shoe imports. The Constitutional Court dismissed Coupon Privatization Center ex-director Jaroslav Lizner’s request from for a new trial on corruption, for which he was sentenced to six years in prison. “Dear Mr. Minister, if you weren’t the minister, what you are doing – obstructing the investigation – if you weren’t the minister, they’d be considering taking you into custody!” Social Democratic deputy Lubomír Zaorálek shouted at Interior Minister Ivan Langer (Civic Democrats – ODS) during a Chamber of Deputies security council meeting on the dismissal of the leadership of the Interior Ministry Inspection. According to meteorologists, frosts should sweeten our mornings. Photographer Oldřich Karásek died in a car accident in Uganda. After Cyril Svoboda announced that members of his Christian Democratic Party (KDU-ČSL) had rescued the party’s honor by refusing to govern with the Social Democrats (ČSSD) with the support of the Communist Party (KSČM), he proposed supporting a ČSSD cabinet with Communist backing, only to subsequently declare, “never with the Communists.” The bypass around Plzeň was opened for good. Statistics showed that in the last three months the police revoked the most driving licenses in the Moravia-Silesia Region and the least in the Pardubice Region. The footprint of Jára Cimrman’s right foot was detected in Brussels. “We have introduced enough fundamental measures to reduce room for corruption,” Prague Councilor Rudolf Blažek (ODS) disclosed to the daily MF Dnes. In a public debate with candidates for Prague City Assembly, it came to light that Prague City Hall’s anti-corruption commission led by Lord Mayor Pavel Bém has only met once this year. The film Doblba! was released on DVD. According to experts, the Šumava aka the Bohemian Forest has managed to deal with the bark beetle infestation by itself. The Chinese ambassdor protested the upcoming visit of the Dali Lama, who is supposedly trying to shatter China. At the age of 42, Dominik Hašek commenced another season in the NHL, where is tending goal for Detroit. The Topolánek family telenovela continued in the media and the latest episode carried the name My Husband Ruthlessly Lied to Us. It was confirmed that beautiful woman are born in Slovakia when Taťána Kuchařová, now a Czech citizen, was crowned Miss World. Renowned sociologist Zygmunt Bauman came to Prague to accept the Vision 97 Foundation Prize. “I believe the For Klánovice Forest civic organization will even see reason, and that reason will prevail. And if that reason does prevail, there will be a beautiful golf course here,” Jiří Křížek told Czech Television; Křížek is asking permission to cut down two-hundred hectares of the Klánovice Forest in the Central Bohemian Region so people won’t have to “trip over roots.” Microsoft began verifying the legality of Windows XP software used by more than one and a half million users in the Czech Republic; the verification process takes place when downloading automatic updates. The golden eagles which re-appeared nearby Vsetín two months ago after the species’ two-hundred year absence in the country are flourishing so far. According to a public opinion poll, Czechs feel the level of unemployment is too high. Oldřich Hlad of Prague Observatories and Planetariums won the Czech Astronomical Society prize Littera Astronomica for his contribution towards popularizing astronomy. Social Democrats from Horní Jiřetín will not run a candidate in the communal elections to protest their party’s desire to destroy the municipality for the sake of coal mining.