-
01/29/2010
Thirteen percent of Czechs do not own a credit or payment card and make their payments exclusively in cash, according to the results of a survey commissioned by GE Money Bank. The reasons cited included fear of credit card fraud, the fact that they spend less when handing over cash, have a better idea of the state of their finances and the fact that there are still shops where paying with a card is not possible. Twenty one percent of respondents said they own more than one card, and 81 percent of respondents said they prefer to use a card over carrying cash. GE Money Bank says this is a big improvement on the situation three years ago when a third of the population said they did not own any kind of bank card.
-
01/29/2010
According to figures released by the Czech Statistical Office the number of foreigners in the Czech Republic has been steadily growing. In 1997 they made up just over two percent of the population; in 2009 they accounted for 4 percent of the country’s 10.5 million inhabitants. The highest number of foreigners come from Ukraine, followed by Slovak, Vietnamese, Russian and Polish nationals. Despite the steady rise, the Czech Republic is still below the European average which is currently at 6 percent. Luxemburg is at the opposite end of the scale with foreigners making up 40 percent of the population.
-
01/29/2010
Higher oil prices are leading Czech transport companies to refuel outside the country’s borders, according to DKV, a company issuing payment cars for motorists. Czech truck drivers are said to be topping up their tanks most frequently in Luxembourg and Spain where prices of diesel oil are currently the most advantageous, while those heading east prefer to refuel in Slovakia or Poland. At an average price of 29,39 crowns per liter in the Czech Republic, diesel oil is 12 percent cheaper in Poland and 8 percent cheaper in Austria. The increase in oil prices on the Czech market is due to a higher consumer and VAT that went into effect as of January 1.
-
01/29/2010
The Czech Republic’s Karolína Plíšková has made it to the final of the Australian Open Junior’s Championship in Melbourne. The 17-year-old Plíšková could have faced her twin sister, Krystína, who was ousted in the other semi by the UK’s Laura Robson. In other tennis action, Czech player Jaroslav Levinský and his playing partner, Russian Jekaterina Makarova, have made it to the final in the mixed-doubles.
-
01/29/2010
The Krkonoše or Giant Mountains rescue service has called a third-degree avalanche alert on a five point scale, warning skiers not to stray from marked ski-trails. The service said a combination of strong wind, eighty centimeters of fresh snow on the ground and relatively high daytime temperatures increased the risk of an avalanche several-fold. The Jeseníky Mountain rescue service has issued a similar warning. Hikers leaving on a day’s outing have been cautioned to follow weather reports and inform their friends or hotel management of their plans.
-
01/28/2010
The government will aim to cut the public finance deficit below three percent of GDP by 2014 at the latest, interim Prime Minister Jan Fischer told journalists on Thursday, after meeting with the head of the Civic Democratic Party Mirek Topolánek. The plan received full backing from the head of the former centre-right government that was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year. The three percent margin is required for euro adoption, which the finance minister has said could be possible in seven year’s time. Earlier this week, the government interrupted discussion on an updated version of the convergence programme; the cabinet is expected to return to the issue on February 8.
-
01/28/2010
The city of Prague will send 32 million crowns (the equivalent of around 1.7 million US dollars) to help victims of the Haiti earthquake, 12 million more than the amount already donated by the Czech government. City representatives reached the decision on Thursday, after rejecting an earlier proposal offering a lower sum. City representatives also allocated funds for three charities that have raised more than 50 million crowns in aid. Haiti was hit by a devastating quake on January 12 that claimed the lives of more than 150,000. The charities to receive funding are People in Need, ADRA, and Charita Czech Republic.
-
01/28/2010
A branch of the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, together with other expatriate organisations, has sent an open letter and petition to the Czech government, protesting the planned shutdown of the Czech consulate in Montreal. The long-serving consulate is due to be closed on March 31 as a result of budget cuts. The Canadian organisation argued that the move will hurt the Czech Republic’s reputation, dampen tourism and hurt future business ties. Other Czech diplomatic missions are set to close in Angola and Brazil but similar moves in Zimbabwe, Columbia, and Australia, are currently under review.
-
01/28/2010
President Václav Klaus, in his post as the commander in chief, has called on the country’s Chief Hygiene Officer, Michael Vit, to clarify whether the country is currently suffering a swine flu pandemic. The move, which the president outlined on his personal website, is in response to a mandatory vaccination against the new flu strain for members of the country’s defence ministry. The Czech president on Wednesday made clear that he considered the requirement regarding Czech soldiers highly questionable, saying they ought to be able to decide for themselves whether they wanted the shot. The defence minister has since reversed a blanket decision that all military personal be required to get the shot.
-
01/28/2010
Members of the lower house have sent two draft amendments by the Social Democrats through to a second reading, raising maternity benefits to earlier levels and reintroducing payments for individuals caring for family members on the first three days of sick leave. The right-of-centre Civic Democrats attempted to reject both proposals but were short of votes, backed only by a number of unaffiliated deputies and several Christian Democrats. The approval of the amendments was preceded by almost four hours of heated debate. Prior to the vote Prime Minister Jan Fischer and Finance Minister Eduard Janota warned deputies not to pass the amendments. Mr Janota said that raising maternity benefits had been problematic even back in 2006, when the economy was robust, while the prime minister warned against a further deepening of the country’s debt.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 5311
- 5312
- 5313
- 5314
- 5315
- 5316
- 5317
- 5318
- 5319
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »