• Czech mayors urge US president elect to abandon radar base plans
    11/24/2008

    The mayors of thirty Czech towns have urged US president-elect Barack Obama to abandon US plans to site part of its missile defense shield in the Czech Republic, warning that it posed a serious danger for Europe. In an open letter to the US president-elect, the mayors say there has been a lack of public debate on the issue in the Czech Republic and that opinion polls indicate that two thirds of Czechs do not want a US radar base on Czech soil. They warn that, if the US plans go ahead, Europe could become the main battlefield in a potential international conflict. Mr. Obama has not made an official commitment to continue with the project, saying that his support was conditional on whether the system really worked.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Electricity prices to rise significantly in 2009
    11/24/2008

    Electricity prices are expected to grow by up to 16 percent in 2009, according to the head of the Energy Regulation Board Josef Fiřt. Households which get their power supplies from the south Bohemian power giant CEZ or the power distributor Pražská Energetika can expect a 9.9 percent increase as of January, but clients of the firm E.ON may see prices grow by as much as 16.4 percent. The pending price rise is triggered by weaker economic growth, inflation and investments into development.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • David Rath elected governor of central Bohemia
    11/24/2008

    A former health minister, David Rath of the Social Democrats, has been elected governor of central Bohemia. He will head a one-party administration with support from the Communist Party. The Civic Democrats who governed the region for eight years will not have any seats in the new administration. The newly-elected governor said at a press conference on Monday that his priorities for the region included covering health fees for patients at regional hospitals and travel fees for school children out of the region’s budget.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Tatra announces crisis measures
    11/24/2008

    The car maker Tatra has announced plans to lay-off 820 employees by the end of March. Tatra spokesman Vladimir Bystrov said the global financial crisis was behind the move and that other measures included fewer work days in the first quarter of next year and lower salaries for the firm’s management.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Trust in politicians hits all time low
    11/24/2008

    The number of people who are happy with the state of Czech politics has dropped to an all time low at a mere 9 percent, according to the latest poll conducted by the CVVM agency. Public trust in the government is currently at 26 percent while that in Parliament is at 20 percent. The highest degree of public trust is at grassroots level with two-thirds of Czechs trusting politicians in local government.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Opposition leader: no government with communists
    11/23/2008

    The leader of the opposition Social Democrats Jiří Paroubek told Czech TV on Sunday that his party would not form a coalition government with the communists after the next general elections. The Social Democrats scored a landslide victory in recent regional and senate elections; in 5 of the country’s 13 regions, they formed regional governments with direct or indirect involvement of the Communist Party. The opposition leader said however that his party was not going to cooperate with the communists on national level.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Two die in mining accident
    11/23/2008

    Two miners died in a mining accident in northern Moravia on Saturday. The accident, which occurred shortly before midnight in a mine near the city of Ostrava, was caused by a tremor measuring 3.3 degrees on the Richter scale. The 39-year-old and 46-year-old Polish nationals were working together with another 19 miners more than 700 metres below the surface. All of the other miners were evacuated; three of them suffered minor injuries. This year, seven people have died in north Moravian mines.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Snow and wind snarl traffic
    11/23/2008

    Heavy snowfall and strong winds snarled traffic across the Czech Republic over the weekend. Most roads are covered with a layer of wet snow and slush; drivers also have to face strong winds, snowdrifts and subzero temperatures. Several accidents happened along the major D1 motorway between Prague and Brno on Saturday, causing delays. The authorities strongly advise drivers to use tire chains in the country’s mountainous regions in northern and eastern Bohemia. Bad weather is expected to last well into the coming week.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Havel’s “Leaving” premiers in Slovakia
    11/23/2008

    The latest play by the playwright and former Czech President Václav Havel premiered in the Slovak National Theatre in the capital Bratislava on Saturday. The premiere of the drama “Leaving” was attended by several Slovak politicians; the head of the strongest opposition party, the Christian Democrats, and former Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda said politicians could recognize themselves in the play. Václav Havel, who was also present at the premiere, served as the last president of Czechoslovakia between 1989 and 1992. Slovakia is the third foreign country, after the UK and Poland, where Václav Havel’s latest play has been staged.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Slovenian president to visit Prague
    11/23/2008

    President of Slovenia Danilo Türk is set to visit the Czech Republic in early December, according to the Czech president’s personal website klaus.cz. The Slovenian head of state is set to arrive on December 8, some three weeks before the Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the European Union. Slovenia was the first of the new EU member states to have held the rotating EU presidency.
    Author: Jan Richter

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