• Immunity committee recommends releasing former mayor for prosecution
    01/23/2014

    The immunity committee of the lower house has recommended the house release former Prague mayor and Civic Democrat MP Bohuslav Svoboda for prosecution. The police have asked for him to be stripped of his immunity within an investigation into dubious tenders in the hugely overpriced project Opencard. Independent auditors put the losses at 25 million crowns. Svoboda had dismissed allegations of abuse of office and manipulation of public tenders, saying he is ready to defend himself in court.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Moravia and Silesia plagued by air pollution
    01/23/2014

    Air pollution is reported to have worsened severely in Moravia and Silesia in the past 24 hours with the concentration of dust particles exceeding permitted norms at all monitoring stations in the regions. The authorities are watching the situation closely and may ask big industrial firms to scale down production. The problem is also aggravated by coal heating which is widespread in the area. Moravia and Silesia have a persisting problem with air pollution in the winter months and there are medical studies proving that this is affecting the health of the population including newborns.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • NWR shares drop following planned revamp of capital structure
    01/23/2014

    Shares in New World Resources dropped more that 19 percent to a five-month low on Thursday after the loss-making Czech miner announced a major review of its capital structure. NWR announced on Wednesday that its majority shareholder BXR was ready to invest new equity into a revamped capital structure and that it would consider all options. Shares traded at 21.20 crowns on Thursday morning, down 14.7 percent. They have already lost 75 percent in the past year as low cola prices and lack of demand pushed NWR into losses.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Prague to join WTCF
    01/23/2014

    Prague is joining the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF). The non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Beijing has 72 members, all tourist frequented cities who benefit from an exchange of information and know how in the field. According to Prague city councilors, who approved the motion, Prague’s membership in the WCTF can help open the way to the Chinese market.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Sparta make large loss in 2012–2013 season
    01/23/2014

    Sparta Prague recorded losses of CZK 190 million for the 2012–2013 season, according to the football club’s annual report, which has been posted on their website. The poor results have been partly attributed to a reluctance to sell key players to clubs outside the Czech Republic. However, while Sparta are the country’s most successful club in terms of trophies, they have only once made a profit since 2004.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Berdych beaten by Wawrinka in Australian Open semi-finals
    01/23/2014

    The Czech men’s tennis number one Tomáš Berdych has been knocked out in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, after losing 3-6 7-6 6-7 6-7 to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in Melbourne on Thursday. It was the first time that Berdych, who is 28, had reached the last four of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Stropnický says Zeman will make him minister, despite reservations
    01/22/2014

    The candidate for minister of defence, Martin Stropnický, says that despite expressing reservations about him President Miloš Zeman will appoint him to the post. Mr. Stropnický of ANO made the comments after a meeting with Mr. Zeman at Prague Castle on Wednesday as part of a series of talks the president is having with cabinet nominees. The head of state had previously expressed doubts over the suitability of Mr. Stropnický and other ministerial candidates. After recently making the Social Democrats’ Bohuslav Sobotka prime minister, Mr. Zeman is expected to appoint a coalition composed of that party, ANO and the Christian Democrats in the coming weeks.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Lower house passes civil service bill, fulfilling Zeman’s condition for appointing government
    01/22/2014

    The three parties in the emerging government have approved a new civil service bill in its first reading in the lower house. President Miloš Zeman made the amendment passing in the first reading a condition for appointing a three-party coalition government. While its backers say the law is necessary in order to depoliticise the civil service, the opposition were angered that it allows ANO chief Andrej Babiš to take up a ministerial post; he is accused of having collaborated with the communist-era secret police and may not have received an otherwise necessary clean screening certificate.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • MPs back amendment giving Supreme Audit Office wider powers
    01/22/2014

    The Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved in the first reading a constitutional amendment extending the powers of the Supreme Audit Office. It gives the state agency the powers to carry out audits on regional and municipal authorities, health insurers, public universities and public-benefit corporations run by regional and local authorities. Deputies also returned a different bill on the Supreme Audit Office for reworking, which in effect means MPs will in future only consider the constitutional amendment.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • All deputies have now signed coalition deal
    01/22/2014

    All of the 111 deputies in the planned government of the Social Democrats, ANO and the Christian Democrats have now signed a coalition agreement between the three, the head of the Christian Democrats’ deputies group, Marian Jurečka, told reporters on Wednesday. Mr. Jurečka had said on Tuesday that a number of his party’s MPs had reservations about the government’s policy programme, such as in the field of health care. The leaders of the three parties put their signatures to the coalition deal on January 6.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

Pages