• Airborne sulphates now less a danger to Czech forests than nitrogen, says chairman of international acid rain conference
    06/13/2005

    An international conference aimed at tackling the problem of acid rain got underway in Prague on Monday. The chairman of the conference's executive committee, Mr Jakub Hruska, said in an interview that acid rain continues to destroy Czech forests. Spruce trees growing in the Czech mountains were most at risk, he said. Sulphur emissions have declined significantly over the past 15 years, as the country has moved away from the use of brown coal towards cleaner energy sources. But Mr Hruska said that trees and other plants were still under threat from high levels of nitrogen, a result of increased motor vehicle traffic nationwide.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czechs begin earning for themselves on June 14; 'Tax Freedom Day' mark reached two days earlier than in 2004
    06/13/2005

    In other news, as of Tuesday this week, Czech taxpayers stop 'working for the government' and begin earning for themselves. This year, Tax Freedom Day arrives on the 14th of June, two days earlier than it did in 2004. By this measure, Czech taxpayers will spend 165 days of this year making money for public budgets and then 201 days earning for themselves. The date is calculated in large part by comparing the ratio between total tax revenues and net national incomes. The overall burden on the Czech taxpayer has increased in recent years. When first introduced in the Czech Republic in the year 2000, Tax Freedom Day came eight days earlier, on the 6th of June.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Civic Democrats to downplay 'flat tax' proposal in 2006 campaign, party source tells Pravo
    06/13/2005

    And speaking of taxes, the main opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) will reportedly downplay its proposal for a 15 percent flat tax in the 2006 general elections. An unmanned party source told the Pravo daily that the ruling Social Democrat's "demagogic" arguments against the flat tax as beneficial only to the wealthy were difficult to defend against. The centre-right Civic Democrats have argued that imposing a flat tax would dramatically increase foreign direct investment (FDI) and encourage more people to report their income.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Drunk driver injures seven people
    06/12/2005

    Seven people were injured by a drunk driver who crashed into a refreshments stall at a tuning party on Saturday night. The driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle and witnesses say he unexpectedly swerved into a crowd of people standing around a refreshments stall. Three people were flown to hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. The others suffered concussion and bruises. The driver has been charged and could face up to three years in prison for drinking and driving and causing grievous bodily harm.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • PM urges support for gay marriages bill
    06/12/2005

    Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has called on Social Democratic Party MPs to support a bill on same sex registered partnerships which will be presented to parliament next week. The bill which would enable gays and lesbians to enter into a form of marriage has been rejected by Parliament several times in the past, failing to get approved by just one vote on the previous occasion. Although opinion surveys suggest that the public is liberal minded with respect to homosexuals and would support gay marriages, the Christian Democratic Party remains strongly opposed. Likewise some deputies for the Civic Democratic Party and the Communists claim that registered same sex partnerships would undermine the institution of marriage in society.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Priest goes on hunger strike
    06/12/2005

    A 46 year old woman priest of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church has gone on hunger strike to protest against alleged undemocratic practices within the Church. Milena Tomesova claims that the church management is blinded by power and ambition and that this clique rules the Czechoslovak Hussite Church with an iron hand and censorship. The church patriarch Jan Schwarz is likewise at war with the management after pointing out to the media that some Hussite churches were demanding fees for christenings and other church ceremonies, which was he said totally unacceptable. The church management is refusing to communicate with the press.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Woman chops up boyfriend with electric saw
    06/12/2005

    A 29 year old woman has admitted to killing her boyfriend and chopping him into pieces with a saw, a police spokeswoman said. The murdered man's body parts wrapped in plastic bags, were found by road workers scattered in several locations along a main road near the town of Klatovy. The woman admitted to having committed the murder a fortnight ago but the police say the motive of the crime remains unclear. It could be a disagreement over money or infidelity, a police spokeswoman said.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Charles IV: Greatest Czech of all time
    06/11/2005

    Charles IV, Holy Roman emperor and King of Bohemia /1316 -1378/ has been elected the Greatest Czech in history. The results of the competition were announced at a gala evening on Czech TV on Friday night. Charles IV brought the Czech lands to unprecedented prosperity, he was a skilled diplomat and peacemaker and a generous patron of learning and the arts. His legacy includes the oldest University in central Europe, the famous Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral, where he was laid to rest in 1378. Charles IV won over 68,000 votes from the public. The founder of Czechoslovakia, president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk came second and the former Czech president Vaclav Havel third.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Communist Party says: shelve ratification of EU Constitution
    06/11/2005

    The Czech Communist party is against the ratification of the EU Constitution in its present form. A meeting of the party's executive committee concluded that following the French and Dutch rejections of the treaty and Britain's decision to shelve its referendum, continuing with plans for ratification was no longer meaningful. The other opposition party on the Czech political scene, the right wing Civic Democrats, have expressed a similar opinion, saying that the treaty was dead and there was no point in wasting time and money on it.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • PM asks Brussels for a positive message
    06/11/2005

    Meanwhile, the Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has called on European Union leaders to send a strong signal to voters in the Czech Republic which would renew trust in the Constitution and the EU integration process in general. Speaking at a Visegrad group summit in Warsaw, the Czech Prime Minister said the upcoming EU summit in Brussels could have a significant impact on the situation in the Czech Republic, where Euro-scepticism has been on the rise since the French and Dutch rejections of the treaty. Prime Minister Paroubek had been in favour of forging ahead with an information campaign on the EU Constitution, but after consulting with his coalition partners he agreed to shelve that decision pending the outcome of the EU summit in Brussels.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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