• EC poll: Many Czechs having reservations about giving up Czech crown for euro
    06/25/2006

    More than half of the Czech population is not happy about giving up its currency for the euro, results of a poll commissioned by the European Commission suggest. In the poll on attitudes on the euro in EU member states outside the euro-zone, 52 percent of respondents also said the adoption of the euro would benefit their country. Most Czechs, an EC report says, expect the country to have adopted the euro by 2010.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Leaders of emerging coalition agree on programme, ministerial posts
    06/24/2006

    The leaders of a proposed centre-right government of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and the Greens have agreed on a coalition programme and the distribution of ministerial posts. The right-of-centre Civic Democrats, which won most votes in the general election earlier this month, will hold ten seats in the cabinet, including the premiership. The two other parties will hold three seats each. Civic Democrat leader Mirek Topolanek is slated to be the next prime minister; the head of the Greens, Martin Bursik, could be the country's next Environment Minister, and the leader of the Christian Democrats, Miroslav Kalousek, the Agriculture Minister.

    While a new post of Minister without portfolio for European Affairs is to be introduced, the coalition is proposing the abolition of the Ministry for Information Technology and the Ministry for Regional Development. The coalition agreement is to be signed on Monday. Parliament is to begin meeting on Tuesday. Miroslav Topolanek expects a confidence vote on the new government to take place in about four weeks' time.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Communists to support Social Democrats' lower house speaker
    06/24/2006

    The leader of the Communists, Vojtech Filip, has said his party would support the Social Democrats' candidate for the post of lower house speaker. The vote is scheduled for next Thursday. Election of the speaker is a precondition for the old government to step aside to make way for the new. The speaker also elects a prime minister, should two attempts at forming a government fail. The three parties of the emerging centre-right coalition are expected to vote for Civic Democrat candidate Miroslava Nemcova but the Social Democrats would like the current speaker, Lubomir Zaoralek, to remain in the post.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Civic Democrat MP suffers stroke
    06/24/2006

    Meanwhile, the emerging three-party coalition came close to a crisis after one of its MPs - Civic Democrat Milos Patera, suffered a stroke and had to be rushed to hospital on Friday. The coalition is already one vote short of a majority in parliament. Without Mr Patera it would only have 99 deputies in the 200-seat lower house during the crucial voting for the new speaker of parliament.

    No official details on Milos Patera's state of health have been revealed but according to Civic Democrat Vlastimil Tlusty, his party colleague is well enough to take part in next week's vote.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Two injured in scaffolding collapse in Brno
    06/24/2006

    Two people were injured and some 15 cars demolished when three floors of scaffolding collapsed at a building site in the Moravian city of Brno. The accident happened during restoration work at a building next to the luxurious hotel Grand in the city centre. A 50-year old man and a 21-year old woman, who were caught under the rubble, were recovered from the scene and taken to hospital. Doctors say they have miraculously got away with light injuries. An investigation into the accident has been launched.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Too few ordained priests
    06/24/2006

    The number of new ordained Catholic priests in the Czech Republic is failing to make up for the number of priests passing away, Czech Cardinal Miloslav Vlk said on Saturday. There are currently 1,800 priests in the Czech Republic but some ten percent are from Poland. Many priests are responsible for more than one parish. In the Prague and Central Bohemia regions, for example, priests reside in only 140 of the 250 vicarages. At a ceremony on Saturday, Cardinal Vlk ordained three new men at Prague's St. Vitus' Cathedral.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech Army celebrates Day of the Ground Forces
    06/24/2006

    The Czech Army celebrated a Day of the Ground Forces on Saturday. Dozens of thousands of spectators flock to west Bohemia's Strasice near Rokycany every year to watch presentations of military technology and various operations of Czech and also foreign forces. One of the main highlights this year is the presentation of the new Pandur II, which the Czech Army will be adding to its fleet of light armoured vehicles in 2007. The annual "Bahna 2006" event is held for the seventeenth time.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Kozeny may be extradited to US
    06/23/2006

    Viktor Kozeny, the Czech-born financier wanted for financial impropriety in both the Czech Republic and the US, may be extradited to the United States. A Bahamian judge made the ruling in final court proceedings on Friday, following a four month trial. Mr Kozeny, who holds Irish citizenship but has long lived in the Bahamas, has been in custody there since last year. The United States want to put him on trial for alleged money laundering in oil privatisation deals in Azerbaijan. But, it is not the money laundering charge but charges of corruption that were recognised by the judge to rule in favour of Mr Kozeny's extradition.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Leaders of emerging coalition agree on programme, ministerial posts
    06/23/2006

    The leaders of a proposed centre-right government including the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and the Greens have agreed on a coalition programme and the distribution of ministerial posts. According to information released on Friday, the right-of-centre Civic Democrats will hold ten seats in the cabinet while the two other parties will hold three each. The coalition agreement is to be signed on Monday. Mirek Topolanek - the head of the Civic Democrats, the party that won the general election earlier this month - is slated to be the next prime minister, but individual names have not yet been disclosed. Some changes proposed by the coalition include the abolishment of two ministries: the Ministry for Information Technology and the Ministry for Regional Development. The coalition is also proposing a new post: Minister without portfolio for European Affairs.

    Mr Topolanek said that a confidence vote on the new government - which lacks a majority in the 200-member lower house - could take place in about four weeks' time.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Topolanek and Paroubek meet to discuss possible support
    06/23/2006

    In related news, Mirek Topolanek met officially with the head of the Social Democratic Party, Jiri Paroubek, on Friday to discuss possible support for the new government - which otherwise lacks the majority needed to pass a confidence vote. While the two men reportedly failed to clinch a deal so far, they have not closed the door on further talks. Earlier Mr Paroubek said the planned centre-right cabinet could win his backing but listed tough programme conditions that Mr Topolanek has refused to accept. According to some analysts, the Social Democrats may prefer to let the government fall in a confidence vote, but later agree to tolerate a Civic Democrat-only minority cabinet. That would theoretically allow the left-of-centre party greater influence on policy.

    Parliament is to begin meeting on June 27th. But, talks between all five parties in the lower house on how to divide up committees and key positions, such as speaker of the lower house, are continuing. Election of the speaker is a precondition for the old government to step aside to make way for the new.
    Author: Jan Velinger

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