News
Filip is suing Kalousek
Communist party deputy-chairman Vojtech Filip is suing the leader of the Christian Democrats Miroslav Kalousek for slander. Filip filed a lawsuit against the Christian Democrat leader after he called the Communist party "a criminal organization". Kalousek says he will not retract the statement and is prepared to ask Parliament to strip him of his immunity in order to allow court proceedings to go ahead. The Christian Democrat leader said he would be only too happy to have communist crimes finally discussed in court.
38 percent Czechs would not mind having the Communists in government
An opinion poll conducted by the STEM agency indicates that 38 percent of Czechs would not mind having the Communist party in government. The respondents who expressed this view said that since the Communist party had not been banned after the 1989 revolution it was necessary to accept its presence on the Czech political scene.
PM will not dismiss Emmerova
The Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek says he is prepared to meet with doctors to discuss their problems but he will not be pressured into dismissing the Health Minister Milada Emmerova. GPs, specialists and some dentists have announced that they will be going on a one day strike next Thursday in protest of the poor payment morale of some insurance companies. Doctors say the present system of financing is untenable since long delays in payments are threatening their livelihood. They blame the Health Minister Milada Emmerova for their present problems, saying she is incapable of implementing effective reforms.
Chancellor Schroeder to visit Prague on Friday
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will make a one day visit to Prague on Friday at the invitation of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek. The two leaders are expected to discuss domestic issues, EU matters ahead of the EU summit in Great Britain next month and bilateral relations. The German Chancellor and the Czech Prime Minister are said to be good friends and the Czech media have more than once described Mr. Schroeder as the Czech leader's role model.
Weather:
Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy to overcast with day temperatures between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius.
