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09/24/2010
Charges were also filed on Friday against 13 members of an armed “anti-theft unit” of the power company ČEZ, who are suspected of having used illegal methods of coercion against debtors. The men face up to six months’ imprisonment if found convicted. Many in the Czech Republic were shocked by video footage of the ČEZ controllers which became public earlier this year. Its members were seen dressed like commandoes and carrying out paramilitary like training.
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09/24/2010
Former Czech president Václav Havel says that Palestinians have the right to a free state and that the legitimacy of Israel is as unquestionable as with any other UN member state. Mr Havel weighed in on the issue in response to an open letter signed by various politicians and activists, who asked that he support a boycott on Israel until it begins to adhere to international law. The letter was signed by former Czech foreign minister Jan Kavan and the chairman of the Communist Party, Vojtěch Filip. Mr Havel wrote that the recent renewal of peace talks between Israel and Palestine offered hope and that both parties to the conflict deserved encouragement rather than a boycott.
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09/24/2010
The former director of the Prague Zoo, Petr Fejk, appears to be in talks to leave his new post at the Czech Centre in New York. While the centre has confirmed there is a chance the well-known manager may be leaving, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which runs the centres, has denied such speculation. Mr Fejk took up the head position at the Czech Centre at the beginning of 2010. Since then he has complained of lacking the authority to implement the vision he was hired to put through, such as involving the centre more in business. Mr Fejk has been credited with turning the Prague Zoo into a world-class institution in his 12 years there and was frequently named as a likely candidate for Prague mayor in the run up top this year’s local elections.
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09/24/2010
Two of the tunnels on Prague’s newly opened southern bypass were automatically closed to traffic on Friday afternoon as an automatic security system responded to an oversized cargo vehicle. The system assessed the vehicle as having an excessive load and closed traffic in both directions in one tunnel before closing the second to prevent columns forming inside. The bypass is the first road in the country with such a system and was opened on Monday.
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09/24/2010
The Czech women’s basketball team started with a 67:53 win against Argentina in their opening group match in the world championships being hosted by the Czech Republic. In the other game in their group Russia beat Japan 86:63. The 16 team competition is one of the biggest sports events of the year in the Czech Republic and is taking place in Brno, Ostrava and Karlovy Vary. The Czechs, currently sixth in the world rankings, are thought to have a chance of being amongst the medals.
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09/23/2010
The centre-right Czech government has approved a draft budget for next year that limits the public finance deficit to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product. This year the country’s public deficit is expected to rise to 5.3 percent of GDP. The planned deficit for 2011 is CZK 135 billion, down from this year’s ceiling of CZK 163 billion, which is the highest ever. The budget is due to be passed in the lower house in early December.
The government of Prime Minister Petr Nečas has announced a raft of cost-cutting measures, along with reform of the pension, health care and tertiary education systems. The cabinet has pledged to balance the budget by 2016.
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09/23/2010
The Czech National Bank has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate at a record low level of 0.75 percent. In the last two year’s the country’s central bank cut the rate by 3.0 percent as the country went through its worst recession ever. Thursday’s announcement had been widely expected by analysts, with most predicting a rise in interest rates next year.
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09/23/2010
The Czech Republic is planning to send an additional 200 soldiers to Afghanistan next year, bringing the total number to around 730, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday citing the country’s defence minister, Alexandr Vondra. Around half of the increase would concern elite soldiers, while the government also wants to send more military police officers to the war-torn state. The majority of the 530 Czech troops currently in Afghanistan are operating in a provincial reconstruction team in the province of Logar.
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09/23/2010
Officials from the Ministry of Finance have begun carrying out extensive checks of the assets of business people closely linked to Czech politicians, the news website aktualne.cz reported on Thursday. A spokesperson for the ministry said controls were only being carried out in cases where money laundering and other crimes are suspected. It is not clear whether the investigation also concerns former politicians.
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09/23/2010
The Czech president, Václav Klaus, has slammed European integration, which he said had weakened democracy and hamstrung member states through excessive financial regulation. Mr Klaus, who is well known for his eurosceptic views, made the comments during a speech at John Hopkins University in Washington on Wednesday. The president is in the US on a five-day visit that will also see him lead a Czech delegation at the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly.
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