• Businessman found strangled in Pilsen
    12/11/2004

    Police are searching for the killer of a Czech businessman, found strangled in Pilsen on Friday. The 45-year-old, who was in the construction business, was found dead at a homes developing site in the town. His wife contacted police after he failed to return home.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech ski jumper comes 4th at World Cup in Harrachov
    12/11/2004

    Czech ski jumper Jakub Janda has placed fourth at the ski jumping World Cup in Harrachov, north-east Bohemia. The sportsman landed jumps at 136.5 and 137 metres. First place in the event was clinched by Adam Malysz of Poland, who set a new local record at 143 metres.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Police: Army driver probably responsible for tragic crash
    12/10/2004

    An accident in which five soldiers died when their military vehicle was hit by a train at a level crossing in south Moravia was probably caused by the Army driver, police said on Friday. They said the driver probably failed to notice the on-coming train, although an investigation into the tragedy is continuing. Eight other people were injured in Thursday's crash, which was the worst of its kind in the Czech Republic in some years.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Terezin application for EU funds to build university, cultural centre rejected
    12/10/2004

    Terezin has failed to obtain European Union funding to start building a university and cultural centre on the site of the town's former garrison and World War II ghetto, a spokesman said on Friday. He said the main reason the grant application was denied was the fact the buildings have yet to be transferred from Ministry of Defence ownership to the local authorities. But the defence minister, Karel Kuhnl, has said negotiations on the transfer will begin in the New Year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Price of stamps to increase from February
    12/10/2004

    Czech Post is putting up the price of services and stamps from February; for instance it will cost 7.5 crowns to send a letter within the Czech Republic, up 1 crown from the current price. The company said the increases would boost both sales and net profits. "Ceska posta" posted net profits of 700 million crowns last year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech international captain Galasek made captain of Ajax Amsterdam again
    12/10/2004

    Czech midfielder Tomas Galasek has once again been appointed captain of the famous Dutch football team Ajax Amsterdam. Galasek, who is 31 and has been at Ajax for four years, was made captain of the Czech national team in October, after the retirement from international football of Pavel Nedved.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • British Law Lords rule British immigration checks at Ruzyne were discriminatory
    12/09/2004

    The UK's highest court institution has ruled that British government regulations that prevented some Czechs - namely Romanies - from travelling to Great Britain in 2001 were discriminatory on racial grounds. The Law Lord's verdict concerns controls which were carried out by British immigration officials at Prague's Ruzyne airport in July 2001 in an effort to lower the number of those seeking asylum in Britain. In 2002, the British human rights organisation Liberty lodged a complaint against the checks on behalf of six Roma and the European Centre for Roma Rights. A lower level court and Great Britain's Supreme Court originally rejected the complaint.

    In response to the latest ruling, the British Home Office has replied it had not meant to discriminate against anyone, adding that the measures in place at the time were meant to prevent abuse of the asylum and immigration system.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Five Czech soldiers dead, one missing, following collision
    12/09/2004

    Five Czech soldiers have been killed in a collision between their army truck and an oncoming express train. The accident took place at a crossing near Prostejov, east Moravia. All five men belonged to the Czech Special Forces unit based in the region. A sixth soldier remains missing. Five other military personnel, as well as two civilians, were also injured in the accident: three are in critical condition.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • CEZ averts arbitration by agreeing to pay compensation
    12/09/2004

    The Czech power utility CEZ has agreed to pay compensation to the French company Dalkia after it pulled out of an agreement in 2000 that would have seen the companies set up of a joint-venture to operate in the Czech Republic. Dalkia had filed for arbitration in Paris earlier this year, estimating the damages at almost 19 million euros. A CEZ spokesman has said that the compensation offered was one third lower than that amount, but did not name the exact figure. He also said that the two companies also signed an agreement officially terminating the dispute.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Senate rejects ban on hospitals' conversion to business firms
    12/09/2004

    The right-of-centre dominated Senate has voted against a bill banning hospitals run by regional governments from being turned into business companies, which the Social Democratic Party recently pushed through the Chamber of Deputies.

    The Chamber will now have to vote on the bill again.

    The balance of forces in the Lower House indicates it could override the Senate and push the bill through a second time. However, it would then still have to be signed by President Vaclav Klaus. Supporters of the ban say it defends the availability of balanced health care, while critics contend it interferes in regional governments' authority.
    Author: Jan Velinger

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