Daily news summary
TOP 09 compiles list of freedom restrictions imposed by government
The opposition TOP 09 has accused the government of gradually limiting people’s rights and freedoms in favour of the state. The centre-right party has compiled a list of 16 government measures that have either been passed as laws or are in the process of being debated which it says restrict people’s freedom and increase their dependence on the state. The list includes the introduction of electronic cash registers, the requirement that some entities must submit VAT control statements or the recently approved law which would force supermarkets and shopping malls to close on three public holidays.
Bulgarian competition watchdog accuses Energo Pro of abusing dominant position on market
Bulgaria's competition watchdog has accused the Czech power distributor Energo Pro of abusing its dominant position in the electricity market. The Commission for Protection of Competition said that Energo Pro's refusal to sign a long-term contract to purchase electricity generated from renewable sources at a price set by Bulgaria's energy regulator was unjustified. Earlier this week the commission also accused the local unit of the Czech power utility CEZ of abusing its dominant position and acting against the interests of consumers.
President Zeman appoints new members of the Czech National Bank
President Miloš Zeman appointed two new members of the Czech National Bank on Tuesday. The appointees are Vojtěch Benda and Tomas Nidetzke who will replace the governor of the central bank Miroslav Singer and bank board member Kamil Janáček. Miroslav Singer’s second six-year term in office expires at the end of June and he cannot be appointed for a third term. The president’s spokesman said earlier that Mr. Zeman would appoint a new governor on May 25th. It is widely expected that the post will go to current central bank board member Jiří Rusnok.
Activists against pig farm at Lety call on EU to stop subsidizing it
Activists striving for the removal of a pig farm at Lety, south Bohemia, built on the site of a former Romany internment camp, have appealed on the EU to stop subsidizing the farm. Miroslav Brož, from the civic association Konexe, said this would be a simple solution to a drawn-out problem that had been an embarrassment to the country for years. Brož claims that without EU funding the farm would soon be forced into bankruptcy. Several Czech governments pledged to remove the pig farm from Lety, but failed to find money for a buyout. Some 1,300 Czech Romanies passed through the camp between 1940 and 1943; round 330 of them died there, while another 500 were deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
EU agriculture ministers debating quality of food products
EU agriculture ministers are meeting in Brussels to debate the different quality of food products sold around the block. The meeting comes at Prague’s request and relates to the fact that the same brand products sold in supra-national chains are of a different quality in different EU member states. Other member states have also confirmed the same finding. The Czech consumers association has repeatedly criticized the fact that ketchup of a certain brand sold in the Czech Republic contains less tomatoes than the same product sold in Germany, that sausages contain less meat and jams less fruit. The arguments of the producers concerned that this is due to differing tastes around the block have been rejected as unacceptable.
Anti-Semitism displays largely on internet sites
The number of anti-Semitic sentiments monitored by the Jewish community in 2015 remains at the same level as the previous year, with displays of anti-Semitism appearing largely on internet sites, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. The federation registered 221 anti-Semitic sentiments in the course of 2015, but noted that many incidents very likely go unreported. Although the Jewish community in the Czech Republic has not been the target of a terrorist attack the threat is nevertheless perceived as serious, according to the federation’s secretary Tomas Kraus. The Federation of Jewish Communities has been monitoring anti-Semitic sentiments in Czech society for the past two decades.
Pig breeding in severe crisis
Pig breeding in southern Moravia is reported to be down by 11 percent in the first quarter, according to the Czech Statistics Office. Pig breeding has suffered a serious setback due to severe competition within the EU, low meat prices and the Russian embargo. Pig farms around the country have been reducing animal numbers and are now only able to cover half of the country’s port consumption.
37 percent of Czechs cheated on partner
Thirty-seven percent of Czech men and women say they have cheated on their partners at some point during the relationship, according to a poll conducted by STEM/MARK. Half of those who cheated say it was a one-off fling, the others had a parallel relationship. One in 25 respondents who admitted to being unfaithful had several relationships going at the same time. Nine percent of respondents said they had tried group sex.
Czechs edge Switzerland 5:4 at the Ice Hockey World Championships to clinch berth in the quarterfinals against the United States
The Czech national hockey team edged Switzerland in their final preliminary group match at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia on Tuesday. The final score was 5-4. The Czechs had led 2-1 after the first two periods but the Swiss roared back in the 3rd to make a match of it. The Czechs face the United States in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.
In seven matches in the preliminary round, the Czechs lost only once (in a penalty shootout against Denmark) and felled powerhouse teams such as Russia and Sweden. Fans, iDnes reported, have launched an online petition for coach Vladimír Vůjtek to stay on after the end of the championship; he is to be succeeded in the post by current assistant coach Josef Jandač.
Tennis: Rosol reaches second round at Geneva Open
Czech tennis player Lukáš Rosol has reached the second round at the Geneva Open. On Monday, he defeated Spaniard Robert Ortega in straight sets: the final score was 6:3, 6:4. He faces the tournament fourth seed John Isner, ranked 17th in the world rankings, next.
