News

Czech singer Iveta Bartošová has died after throwing herself in front of train on the outskirts of Prague. The news was confirmed Tuesday to the news server tn.cz by her husband, Josef Rychtář. The 48-year-old enjoyed her first popular success as a singer in the 1980’s and it continued well into late 1990’s with film and musicals, including the hit musical Dracula, later being added to her repertoire. Bartošová won the Zlatý slavík popularity award for most popular female singer in 1986 and then again in 1990 and 1991. She was reported to have been suffering from psychological problems.

Former Czech president and self styled euro realist Václav Klaus has said that the Czech Republic currently has no influence in the European Union. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the country’s membership of the EU, Klaus said that what little influence the country might have had disappeared with the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. It had handed more powers to big states at the expense of the small, he said. Klaus said current Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka was kidding himself when he pretended Prague had a big role to play.

Minister of the Interior Marcel Chovanec has signalled that he wants to open the way to more banks to become the partner of the post office bank, Poštovní spořitelna. At the moment the exclusive cooperation rights are held by ČSOB but its contract expires in 2017. Business daily Hospodářské Noviny reported Tuesday that the minister would allow foreign as well as domestic banks to compete for the right to get access to around 2.0 million clients and a dense network of branches. Part attempts to open up the post office network to other banks have fallen foul to the fact that the post office is heavily reliant on ČSOB software and programs.

Czech and Chinese officials have signed a joint proclamation on resetting relations and boosting trade. The two sides say they respect the paths of development they have chosen, will not interfere in each other’s internal affairs and will create favourable conditions to promote trade and investments. The statement, signed in the course of Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek’s three-day visit to Beijing, also states that the Czech Republic respects the territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China and does not support the independence of Tibet. The government’s stance, driven by the need to diversify the country’s business interests and reduce its export dependence on the EU, has come under fire from human rights activists. The Czech Foreign Ministry counters that Prague is only adopting the EU’s common policy line towards Beijing and has emphasized that the joint proclamation contains a passage about respect for human rights.