• Employers, unions walk out of talks with government
    09/15/2005

    Talks between representatives of the government, the trade unions and employers broke down on Thursday when the latter two groups walked out, saying they were dissatisfied with the government's approach to joint negotiations. The unions and employers say they received documents at the last minute, or after they had already been approved by the government. They have called for an extraordinary meeting of the tripartite, which they want Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek to attend.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Kavan fined for failing to show up for court hearing over false assistant
    09/15/2005

    Jan Kavan, a former foreign minister, has been fined 30,000 crowns (over 1,000 US dollars) for failing to show up for a hearing at a Prague district court. He had been due to give evidence in the case of Lukas Kohout, who pretended to be Mr Kavan's assistant and flew around the world on government planes. If found guilty, Mr Kohout faces up to eight years in prison.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Senate votes to make Good Friday state holiday
    09/15/2005

    The Senate has approved a new bill under which Good Friday would be made a state holiday. One of the bill's backers Senator Martin Mejstrik said the Czech Republic was still a Christian country and should mark Good Friday. Neighbouring Slovakia made it a state holiday after the two countries split in 1993.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Local branch call for Gross to resign as head of Social Democrats slammed by PM
    09/15/2005

    A call by the Bruntal branch of the Social Democrats for Stanislav Gross to resign as chairman has been described as harmful to the whole party by the prime minister, Jiri Paroubek. Mr Gross - who preceded Mr Paroubek as premier - has come under pressure over corruption allegations, but says he has no intention of stepping down.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • President Klaus ends state visit to Israel
    09/15/2005

    The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, has ended a state visit to Israel. Mr Klaus's trip concluded with a tour of the old city of Jerusalem and a visit to the Wailing Wall. While in Israel the president described the country's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as a groundbreaking peace initiative.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Town to remove Gottwald from list of honorary citizens
    09/15/2005

    Sternberk in north Moravia is set to remove Communist-era president Klement Gottwald from a list of people given honorary citizenship of the town. Some local people have been calling for the change since the list was published earlier this year. Gottwald was in office from 1948 to 1953, and died just nine day's after attending Stalin's funeral.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • New film Something Like Happiness receives Czech premiere
    09/15/2005

    The new film Stesti (Something Like Happiness) received its Czech premiere in Prague on Wednesday night, hours after director Bohdan Slama returned from showing the movie at the Toronto Film Festival. It is a low-key film about three young friends who live in the same run-down block of flats.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Sparta Prague take one point from first Champions League game
    09/15/2005

    Sparta drew 1:1 with Ajax Amsterdam in Prague on Wednesday night in their first game in this season's Champions League. The Czech side took the lead through substitute Miroslav Matusovic on 66 minutes, and looked set to take all three points until Ajax equalised in time added on. Sparta's next Champions League game is away to Swiss club Thun in two weeks' time.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prime Minister and Finance Minister in disagreement over Nomura arbitration case
    09/14/2005

    Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Finance Minister Bohumil Sobotka are in disagreement over how to proceed with a controversial arbitration case that could cost the state 40 billion crowns (over 1.5 billion US dollars). A London court is currently handling a complaint against the Czech Republic filed by the Japanese investment bank, Nomura. Nomura claims that the Czech government failed to protect its investment when it ordered the enforced administration of the ailing IPB bank, in which Nomura had shares, and its subsequent sale to a rival Czech banking institution, CSOB five years ago. Nomura is demanding 40 billion Czech crowns in compensation.

    From information received by the Czech intelligence services, Prime Minister Paroubek fears the state could lose the case and would like it to try to come to an agreement with Nomura. Mr Sobotka believes that any such agreement would violate state guarantees promised to CSOB in 2000.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Egypt to receive obsolete ammunition from Czech defence ministry
    09/14/2005

    The Government has approved a defence ministry proposal to give Egypt 550 tonnes of ammunition that is no longer being used by the Czech Army. This saves the state 50 million crowns (a little over 2 million US dollars); the cost of its ecological disposal. Egypt asked for the ammunition in April and will cover all transport costs.

    The Czech Army has 20,000 tonnes of redundant ammunition that should either be sold or given away; 46,000 tonnes will be disposed of ecologically. Only one third of the ammunition has so far been disposed of. Afghanistan and Georgia have received several thousand tonnes, while Iraq is also considered a potential candidate.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

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