Compact archive September 5, 2007

After the survey about peace rate in various countries in the world, the Economist Intelligence Unit now focused on the current state of democracy worldwide in 165 independent states and two territories for the year 2006. States are divided into four groups according to the state of democracy: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes.

Countries are ranked in five main categories and that is electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.

The Czech Republic was ranked 18th in the group of full democratic countries. It got the highest (=best) points in electoral process and pluralism, the lowest in government functioning. The Czech Republic was ranked better than such large democratic states as the Great Britain or France. For the detailed results of the survey click here.

It’s said that the performance has been seen by 50 million people in more than 40 countries and it’s still very popular. We’re talking about the Lord of the Dance, a music show, that comes back to the Czech Republic for the fourth time.

The show will be performed in Liberec, Hradec Kralove, Frydek-Mistek, Brno, Prague and Ceske Budejovice between 12th and 18th March 2008. “We haven’t even started the tour campaign yet and there is already a high demand for the tickets,” said Jana Kratka from the organizing agency JV.

Two years ago it was presumed that the Lord of the Dance wouldn’t come back to the Czech Republic any more. It was caused by a dispute between Michael Flatley and the organizing agency of the Celtic Tiger. Michael Flatley cancelled the show in Strahov for security reasons and left with a prepaid deposit. The organizing agency was about to file a lawsuit.

The Prague Information Service (PIS) started to offer a new service for Prague tourists – GPS tourist guide. It’s meant mainly for individual visitors of the city.

Thanks to the GPS navigation, tourists can plan their own route, find out their position easily and get to the final destination without problems. The guide also informs about tourist attractions and monuments in the city with their history, up-to-date cultural programme, Prague restaurants and many others.

The GPS tourist guide can be borrowed in the tourist office in Rytirska street for 600 CZK. The guide have to be returned the same day. Information can be read or listened to in English language only. This service is just in the testing phase. If there is a big demand for these electronic tourist guides, PIS will add other language versions.

Today Prague will be one of about 100 cities organizing a special event whose aim is to draw attention to the humans rights abuses in the Communist China. Human rights torch, inspired by the Olympic Games torch, will arrived from Germany to Prague today in the afternoon.

The human rights torch relay will start in front of the monument in Narodni street at 16:00. The member of Parliament Marek Benda will accept the torch from the hands of Miss Sin-Sia Tiang, the victiom of torture by the Communist regime. The torch relay will continue to the Old Town Square, nam. Jana Palacha, Charles Bridge, Kampa, the Memorial of the Victims of Communism, Lesser Town Square, Nerudova street, Hradcanske square, Prague Castle and the Chinese Embassy.

Between 17:00 and 17:40 there will be an official ceremony in the Old Town Square. The programme will continue with a concert of Czech musicians. You can also participate at the a candlelit vigil in front of the Chinese Embassy from 18:30 to 20:00. Czech marathon runners will bring the torch on a 230-km journey to Brno. The whole event is organized under the auspices of the Minister of Environment Martin Bursik.

Now it is black on white. Yesterday the Mayer of Prague Pavel Bem together with the President of the Czech Olympic Team Milan Jirasek signed the official application for organizing the Olympic Game 2016 in Prague.

The application in Czech, English and French languages (click here for the English version) is travelling now to the seat of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne. Prague will become a so called candidate city. The preparations for yesterday’s signature already started in 2001.

The final list of candidate cities will be known on 13th September. It’s known now that besides Prague the list will bear such cities as Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokio, Madrid, Baku or Doha.