• Former party head Milos Zeman quits Social Democrats
    03/21/2007

    Former chairman Milos Zeman has announced he is quitting the Social Democratic Party. The Czech Press Agency reported that Mr Zeman made the decision after learning that current leader Jiri Paroubek had initiated criminal proceedings against him over a case in which a lawyer is suing the party over unpaid fees. For his part, Mr Paroubek said Mr Zeman's resignation was a desperate attempt to influence a party conference next weekend.

    Mr Zeman lead the Social Democrats for eight years and helped make the party one of the strongest forces in Czech politics. He was prime minister from 1998 to 2002.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bursik tells Cunek to answer corruption charges or quit by Friday
    03/21/2007

    Environment Minister Martin Bursik says he will demand the resignation of Jiri Cunek if he does not answer corruption charges by Friday. Mr Bursik said an investigation into alleged bribe-taking by the deputy prime minister and minister for regional development was having a negative impact on the government. But Minister Bursik said the two posts should remain open and be returned to Mr Cunek if he clears his name.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Chamber approves dissolution of IT Ministry, four years after creation
    03/21/2007

    The Chamber of Deputies has approved the dissolution of the Ministry of Information Technology. Its tasks will be taken over by the Interior, Industry and Regional Development Ministries, if the move is approved by the Senate and the president. Interior Minister Ivan Langer said the Information Technology Ministry should cease to exist in the middle of this year. It was created by the last government in 2003.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech president sends views on climate change to US House of Representatives
    03/21/2007

    The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, sent a letter containing his views on climate change to the US House of Representatives, ahead of a committee level debate on the issue. In a reply to questions put to him by members of the House, Mr Klaus said "ambitious environmentalism" has replaced communism as the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Problems of police chief Husak could damage force, says Minister Langer
    03/21/2007

    The minister of the interior, Ivan Langer, says problems surrounding the head of the Czech police, Vladislav Husak, could reflect badly on the force. Mr Langer said he would talk to the police chief this week, but did not reply when asked if he was planning to dismiss him. Mr Husak has been accused of leaking sensitive police information.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Poll: Civic Democrats would win elections
    03/21/2007

    The main party in the governing coalition the Civic Democrats would come first in fresh elections with almost 35 percent, suggests a poll conducted in the middle of this month by the CVVM agency. The opposition Social Democrats would come second with 29 percent of votes, followed by another opposition party the Communists on 15 percent, the poll indicates.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Three-day conference on Charter 77 begins in Prague
    03/21/2007

    A three-day conference on the Charter 77 protest movement has just begun in Prague. Entitled "Charter 77 - From Human Rights Advocacy to Democratic Revolution 1977 - 1989", the conference is being attended by a number of former dissidents. They include former Czech president Vaclav Havel and current European Affairs minister Alexandr Vondra, as well as the Polish journalist Adam Michnik.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Newspaper survey: quality of life highest in Pardubice
    03/21/2007

    The town of Pardubice in east Bohemia is the best place to live in the Czech Republic, according to an extensive survey carried out by the daily Mlada fronta Dnes. It used 50 indicators - including unemployment rates, property prices and air pollution - to gauge the quality of life throughout the country. Prague came third overall, though it was first when purely economic factors were considered.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • City of Brno confirms that Tugenhadt Villa is to remain in its ownership
    03/20/2007

    The municipal assembly of Brno voted on Tuesday to keep the UNESCO-listed Tugendhat Villa in its possession. The city had initially wanted to return the villa to the descendants of its pre-War owners via the state, but have had to reverse the decision because the state refused to take it. The city cannot give it back to the claimants directly as it then would be liable to a gift tax amounting to millions of Czech crowns. The villa was designed by renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1928. Its original Jewish owners, Greta and Fritz Tugendhat, lived in the villa until 1938 when their family fled the country from the Nazis. The villa was confiscated by the state as Nazi property in 1945.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • President Klaus responds to US Congress questions on climate change
    03/20/2007

    Czech president Václav Klaus has responded to questions from American congressmen concerning climate change. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives energy and commerce committee had invited President Klaus to give his views on climate issues such as global warming ahead of a public hearing on the subject on Wednesday. Mr Klaus has repeatedly stated that he does not believe human activity has any major impact on our planet's climate and that environmental campaigners were guided by political not scientific considerations. A spokesman for Mr Klaus told the Czech Press Agency that the president would make his answers public after Wednesday's congress hearing, which should include contributions from former US Vice-President Al Gore among others.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

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