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05/26/2006
Country-wide police raids on illegal alcohol production facilities have uncovered another operation in Cercany, a small town in the central Bohemian region. As part of an operation code-named Vibrator, the raid in Cercany uncovered 17 000 litres of spirits in plastic containers and over 12 000 litres of various fake brand-name alcohols and labels ready for use. Reports say that during one week in May, the Cercany facility produced over 6000 litres of rum and 4000 litres of vodka meant for the black market. Losses in taxes to the state are expected to exceed five million Czech crowns. If found guilty, those charged could face up to eight years in jail.
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05/26/2006
The Czech Republic's Green Party wants the bear count in the Czech Republic to rise, and the party has incorporated this goal into its election campaign. The Green Party's position is that historically, bears belonged to the environment of Bohemia and Moravia, and their presence should be renewed. Although bears have long ago largely disappeared from the Czech Republic, from time-to-time some surface in the Beskydy Mountains of Moravia, having crossed over from the Slovak Republic in search of food. Sheep are often the victims of bears in the Moravian region, but because bears are an endangered species in the Czech Republic, sheep farmers can merely seek compensation for their losses from the state.
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05/26/2006
Czech politicians have welcomed the news that Polish citizens will be able to travel to the United States without a visa during an initial two-year trial period. Both Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda see the decision of the American Senate as a positive signal for the Czech Republic too. The current American stipulations for visa-waiver status require a larger military presence in Iraq or in Afghanistan than the Czech Republic currently has, but there are no plans to increase these numbers in order to fulfil the U.S. quota. Jiri Paroubek says that if the Social Democrats win the upcoming elections and he becomes the next Czech prime minister, he will continue to support efforts aimed at achieving visa-waiver status for the Czech Republic. In order to become law, the U.S. Senate proposal must still be approved by Congress and signed by the President.
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05/26/2006
Czech film makers and producers are withdrawing all their works from the competitive section of the Zlin Film Festival, which is due to begin on May 29th. The decision comes after a new legislative proposal regarding support for Czech cinematography was rejected. Film makers say they are unhappy with the position of MPs and President Vaclav Klaus, as well as with Cultural Minister Vitezslav Jandak, who was the president of the Zlin Film Festival until last year.
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05/26/2006
Czech tennis star Nicole Vaidisova has advanced to the finals of the WTA tournament in Strasburg, winning over Jelena Jankovic 6:3, 1:0. Jankovic dropped out of the match due to injury at the beginning of the second set. Nicole Vaidisova will play Shuaj Pcheng in the finals on Saturday.
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05/25/2006
The Czech Intelligence Service has made public unique documents from the history of espionage. The records document the collaboration of secret services within the former communist block, particularly the collaboration between the Soviet KGB and the Czechoslovak communist secret police, or STB. Some of the documents reveal the STB tactics used against the Church, dissidents and exiles.
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05/25/2006
Two more cases of bird flu have been detected in the Czech Republic. The infected swans were found near the town of Kostice in the south eastern part of the country. Both were killed by the deadly H5N1 virus. Safety measures introduced in the region include a ban on outdoor breeding and transport of live birds and poultry products. This is the first incidence of the deadly bird flu virus in the eastern part of the country, earlier cases appeared in southern Bohemia where infected birds were found in five different localities. No new cases have been reported there since May 10th.
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05/25/2006
The Senate has approved a bill that would lower value added tax on certain foodstuffs such as coffee, tea and chocolate but leave the tax rate on alcohol unchanged. The amendment would move the selected items to a preferential, 5-percent VAT bracket, harmonising taxes on all food, while the tax rate on alcohol would remain 19 percent. The bill has yet to be signed into law by the president.
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05/25/2006
The upper house of Parliament on Thursday likewise approved an amendment to the penal code which would open the way for the police to take DNA samples from suspects and convicted criminals without their permission. The bill has yet to be signed by the President.
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05/25/2006
The European Commission has officially informed Austria that safety standards at the Temelin nuclear power plant in southern Bohemia are adequate. The EU Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs said in a letter to a member of the Austrian Parliament that Temelin's safety standard had been checked by a team of twenty inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before the plant was put into operation and that no shortcomings were found. Austrian politicians and environmentalists who have been trying to get the plant closed on safety grounds are said to have been surprised and disappointed by the EC's response.
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