• SC&C poll suggests Civic Democrats will dominate regional elections next week
    10/29/2004

    A new poll conducted by SC&C commissioned by Czech Television suggests that the right-of-centre Civic Democrats may dominate in upcoming elections in regional assemblies. If regional elections were held tomorrow around 31 percent of respondents said they would back the Civic Democrats, while the Social Democrats would get only19.6 percent support, followed by the opposition Communist Party at 18.2 percent.

    That means that as many as 12 out of 13 regional assemblies could go to the opposition Civic Democrats. At the same time, less than one-third of voters have said they will actually vote.

    Regional elections have been planned for November 5th and 6th.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czechs mark foundation of Czechoslovakia
    10/28/2004

    Czechs marked the 86th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia on Thursday with several events around the country. Although Czechoslovakia split into two separate states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on January 1st 1993, the national holiday continues to be celebrated every year in the Czech Republic but is no longer marked in neighbouring Slovakia.

    Czech President Vaclav Klaus said October 28th was a very significant holiday as it was a day that the nation's ancestors had anticipated for an entire century. Mr Klaus placed a wreath at the statue of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, at Prague Castle, and visited his grave in nearby Lany. As has become tradition, the Czech President also received foreign diplomats.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Extreme rightists hold traditional march in Prague
    10/28/2004

    Some two hundred members of the extreme-right also marked the foundation of Czechoslovakia with a traditional march through the centre of Prague. The members of the Vlastenecka Fronta, or Patriotic Front, gathered at Prague's Palacky Square, named after nineteenth century historian and politician Frantisek Palacky who is often called the Father of the Czech Nation, and walked to Vysehrad Castle chanting nationalist slogans and criticizing the European Union and the current government.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Thirteen people injured in bus accident
    10/28/2004

    Thirteen people were injured - two seriously - on Thursday morning when two buses collided in northern Moravia. A coach, taking a football team aged between 14-18 years to a nearby game, crashed into a local bus when its brakes failed at the bottom of a hill. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident but believe the bus slid on dry leafs.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • President Klaus says cabinet has left little time to discuss European Constitution
    10/28/2004

    Czech President Vaclav Klaus has accused the cabinet of playing down the importance of the country's approval of the European Constitution. While the official signing ceremony will be taking place in Rome on Friday, the cabinet waited until Wednesday to approve the draft constitution in order to give some time for discussion, Mr Klaus said.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech Republic donates 53,000 pounds for Battle of Britain Monument
    10/28/2004

    The Czech Republic has donated 53,000 pounds sterling to the construction of a monument dedicated to the Royal Air Force pilots who flew during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Of the 2,936 pilots from fifteen countries, eighty-nine were from Czechoslovakia. The Battle of Britain Monument will be unveiled in London some time next year and the project is expected to cost 1.6 million pounds.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech government approves draft European Constitution to be signed in Rome
    10/27/2004

    The Czech government has approved the draft European Constitution and decided that Prime Minister Stanislav Gross and Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda will sign the document at this Friday's ceremony in Rome. President Vaclav Klaus, who has been very critical of the document, refused to sign it. The ratification process of the document has not been decided as of yet, but it is expected that a referendum on the draft will be held.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czech psychiatrist receives Time magazine's European 'Hero of the Year' award
    10/27/2004

    Czech psychiatrist Jan Pfeiffer was among 29 people to receive Time magazine's European 'Hero of the Year' award in London on Tuesday night for his work to reform the Czech mental heath care system. Dr Pfeiffer, a prominent defender of patients' rights, helped lead a campaign to abolish the use of caged and netted beds in Czech institutions.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • PSE drops on news of possible Cesky Telecom stake sale via the markets
    10/27/2004

    News that the government may sell phone operator Cesky Telecom via the capital market sent the stock and Prague indices tumbling on Wednesday, the bourse said. The PSE's main index PX 50 shed 1.47 percent and the blue-chip index PX-D lost 1.42 percent. Telecom shares finally fell 5.23 percent to 315 crowns. Brokers have said a sale of the government's 51 percent share on stock exchanges would mean a considerable increase in supply on the market, the Czech news agency reported, and this made investors offload the stock.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • New case of BSE
    10/27/2004

    Tests have confirmed a fifteenth case of BSE or "mad cow" disease in the Czech Republic. The infected cow is from a farm in the Svitava region in the eastern part of the country and vets say that 50 other heads of cattle may have to be put down within the prescribed safety measures. The first case of BSE in the Czech Republic was detected in June of 2001 when the State Veterinary Office imposed strict measures regarding animal breeding, cattle feed and the sale and import of meat and meat products.
    Author: Brian Kenety

Pages