• Large number of previously unknown StB files discovered at Interior Ministry
    09/05/2005

    A large number of previously unknown files of the communist-era secret police the StB have been found in archives at the Interior Ministry, almost 16 years after the Velvet Revolution. The ministry confirmed the discovery of 70 metres of files to Czech Television, but provided no explanation as to why they had appeared now. Czech TV reported that most of the documents related to former dissidents and foreign diplomats. A law under which the state is obliged to allow the public access to StB files has been in place for several years.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Svoboda calls for preservation of Czech BBC
    09/05/2005

    The Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, has appealed to his British counterpart, Jack Straw, to preserve the Czech service of the BBC, which is funded by Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Czech BBC broadcasts five hours a day, but has a small audience: one survey last year suggested it had a mere 0.1 percent of the market. Mr Svoboda, speaking at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Wales, described the Czech BBC as world class.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Civic Democrats to call for parliamentary investigation into Unipetrol privatisation
    09/04/2005

    The opposition centre-right Civic Democrats will most likely ask parliament to set up a special commission that would investigate the privatisation of Unipetrol. Such a commission has already been set up in the lower house of the Polish Parliament on suspicion that Poland's PKN Orlen acquired the controlling stake in the Czech Unipetrol oil and gas company, only after Czech government officials received bribes.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Chemical leak at Synthesia
    09/04/2005

    Residents of towns and villages around the Synthesia chemical plant were given quite a scare on Sunday morning when a colourful cloud of evaporated chemicals hung over part of the region. A Synthesia spokesperson said some nitric acid evaporated into the sky in a minor accident but no one was in danger as the situation was quickly brought under control.

    Residents in the region question how safe they would have been if the accident were serious as only a local radio station gave a timely warning. The Synthesia chemical plant is one of the largest private producers of chemical products in the Czech Republic. It is also the manufacturer of the infamous plastic explosive Semtex.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Nedelni Blesk: police break-up fight between Roma and town officials
    09/04/2005

    The country's only nationwide Sunday paper, Nedelni Blesk, has reported that police had to break up a fight between a group of Roma men and local town officials. The fight broke out during a football game that was held in the Moravian town of Olomouc as part of a project called We Can Get Along, aimed at bringing minority groups closer to the rest of society.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • The re-enactment of the Battle of the Three Emperors
    09/04/2005

    Hundreds flocked to the north-eastern town of Holesov to see the re-enactment of the Battle of the Three Emperors - Napoleon's famous victory over the Austrian and Russian armies on December 2nd, 1805. Some 40,000 people lost their lives during the battle, which was fought in the nearby town of Slavkov. Before the re-enactment, a memorial ceremony was held at a burial mound, which was unveiled one hundred years ago to commemorate the death of 1,000 soldiers who died in a military field hospital after the battle.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czechs recovering from disappointing 2:0 defeat
    09/04/2005

    The Czech national football team is still recovering from a disappointing 2-0 defeat by Romania. The World Cup Qualifying UEFA match, which was held in Bucharest on Saturday, was a major blow to the Czech Republic's chances of automatic qualification from Group One. After the game, coach Karel Bruckner said the team's chances of automatic qualification are seriously compromised now. The Czechs, who have 21 points from nine matches, last reached the World Cup in 1980. They will be facing Armenia on Wednesday without goalkeeper Petr Cech, who has an injured shoulder.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Petrol stations raise prices around the country
    09/03/2005

    Motorists have been cuing at petrol stations around the country to fill up their tanks ahead of projected price hikes. In just 24 hours, the price of a litre of petrol has already increased by up to 3 crowns on Saturday. Petrol stations say limited stocks are forcing them to raise prices; with some stations planning to have prices up by 6 crowns by Monday.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Police monitor techno party
    09/03/2005

    Police are monitoring a techno party near the south Bohemian town of Pilsen this weekend. Some 3,000 people have attended the rave so far. One man had to be rushed to hospital after he overdosed on party drugs. He is now in stable condition. The event is closely monitored following a police intervention in a techno party last month, which left dozens injured on both sides. Police say the party this weekend, has been peaceful, no-one is trampling on private property, and nearby villages are not complaining of excessive noise.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech National Library receives UNESCO Memory of the World Prize
    09/03/2005

    The Czech National Library has been awarded the UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize. The library is the first to receive the 30,000 US dollar prize, which is given every two years in recognition of a contribution to the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage. The prize giving ceremony took place in Cheongju in the Republic of Korea. The National Library, which is one of the forerunners in making rare book collections available electronically, was selected from a short-list of seven, out of a total of 36, nominations. Its format for structuring digital copies has been adopted by UNESCO as a standard for its Memory of the World Programme.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

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