News

Interior Minister says investigation into alleged bribe of MP will 'intensify'

Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan has said that, contrary to reports in the Czech press, the investigation into whether or not Freedom Union MP Zdenek Koristka was offered a bribe to vote against the government in a confidence will continue and even "intensify." Some Czech media reported on Tuesday that the police investigation would likely be dropped due to a lack of evidence. Mr Koristka alleges that an adviser to Civic Democrat chairman Miroslav Topolanek offered him a bribe of 10 million crowns, the equivalent of about 300,000 euros, to vote against the government coalition of which he is a member.

Every other Czech 'rather' dissatisfied with democratic system -- poll

Every other Czech citizen is "rather" dissatisfied with how democracy is functioning in the Czech Republic, according to a the results of a poll conducted in June by the Centre for Public Opinion Research but released on Tuesday. One out of every five Czechs polled said they were "totally" dissatisfied with Czech democracy while only one per cent of respondents said they were "totally" satisfied.

Swiss court of arbitration allows Czech Republic's CZK 263bn case against Nomura to proceed

In a preliminary judgement related to the collapse of the IPB bank, a court of arbitration in Zurich, Switzerland has ruled in favour of the Czech Republic as a complainant against the Japanese investment bank Nomura, a spokesman from the Czech Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday. The Czech Republic is seeking damages from Nomura for up to 263 billion crowns in the Swiss court, claiming the Japanese firm contributed to the fall of the IPB bank and benefited from transaction prior to its collapse. Nomura, meanwhile, is suing the Czech Republic in a London court for 40 billion crowns and claims the Czech state failed to protect its investment.

Health ministry, state insurer offer some 200 survivors of terrorist attacks in Russia recuperative stay on Adriatic coast

The Czech Ministry of Health and the state-owned health insurance company, VZP, have, respectively, offered to provide nearly 200 survivors of the recent terrorist attacks in Beslan, Russia transportation to the Adriatic coast and accommodation there. The Czech government had earlier in the week outlined a plan in which three Czech ministries would coordinate a recuperative stay in the Czech Republic for the traumatised Russian children from Ossetia, with the interior ministry providing the facilities, the foreign ministry covering the finances and the health ministry providing psychological counselling and care.

Weather

Wednesday should be cool and cloudy, with daytime highs of 18 degrees Celsius.