• 04/06/2009

    The European Union’s Eastern Partnership, which will see stronger ties between the bloc and six former Soviet states including Georgia, Armenia and Moldova, will be formally unveiled in Prague in exactly one month’s time, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said on Monday. The launch of the programme, which is one of the Czech Republic’s priorities during its EU presidency, was approved by a parliamentary commission on Monday morning, Mr Vondra said. The deputy prime minister said that it would be decided at the last minute whether Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko would be invited to Prague for the launch of the programme. Belarus is part of the partnership which aims to bolster ‘independence, democracy and the market economy’ in countries which could eventually apply for EU membership.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 04/06/2009

    Former choirmaster Bohumil Kulínský who was found guilty of sexually abusing girls in his choir started serving his jail sentence on Monday. Mr Kulínský was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for abusing 19 underage girls, eight of whom were under the age of 15. His sentenced has been shortened, however, by 219 days which he has already spent in custody. Mr Kulínský, who formerly led the world-renowned Bambini di Praga choir, will spend the duration of his sentence in Prague’s Pankrác Jail. He is also banned from working with young people for ten years upon his release.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 04/06/2009

    Czech foreign trade shrank in February due to low demand caused by the global crisis, which sent imports and exports down by more than 20 percent year-on-year for the second month running, official data showed Monday. Exports slumped by 22.2 percent and imports by 21.5 percent, the Czech Statistical Office said, adding that the volume of trade had been shrinking since October last year.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 04/05/2009

    US President Barack Obama has called on the international community to cooperate in building a world without nuclear weapons. Speaking in Prague on his maiden tour of Europe, Mr. Obama said that the Cold War was over and it was time to face a new threat – that of a nuclear attack. He said that while the threat of a nuclear war had gone down, the threat of a nuclear attack had gone up. The US president said his country was ready to lead such an international endeavor by pursuing a new deal with Russia to cut nuclear warheads and seeking a new international treaty to end production of fissile materials for nuclear arms. Mr. Obama stressed the need to bring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force and seek tough penalties for nuclear proliferators. He said North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket over Japan on Sunday was proof of the urgency of these goals and called on Pyongyang to abandon its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

    Addressing the issue of nuclear missile defense, the US president said that as long as the threat from Iran persisted America would go forward with the missile defense system. On the contrary, if the Iranian threat were eliminated, he said the driving force for missile defense construction in Europe would be removed.

  • 04/05/2009

    The US President and First Lady who arrived in Prague on Saturday were received with honours at Prague Castle on Sunday morning where Mr. Obama held talks with Czech President Vaclav Klaus and outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek before delivering his first public address in Europe since his inauguration.

  • 04/05/2009

    The US First Lady Michelle Obama had a separate programme for most of the day. After being received at Prague Castle and hearing her husbands’s public speech she visited St Vitus’ Cathedral and St George Basilica at Prague Castle in the company of the Czech First Lady Livia Klausová. Later Michelle Obama was given a tour of Prague's Old Jewish Quarter, visiting the Old Jewish Cemetery and the 13th-century Old-New Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in the world. At 1,30 pm she flew back to the United States.

  • 04/05/2009

    On Sunday afternoon the US president met with the leaders of the 27 EU member states for an informal EU-US summit. The talks focused primarily on security issues, the situation in Afghanistan and global warming. Mr. Obama also asked EU leaders to consider taking in former prisoners from Guantanamo. Some EU states have indicated they would be willing to comply with this request on a case-by-case basis.

  • 04/05/2009

    Addressing the summit US President Obama gave his backing to Turkey's bid to join the EU, saying it would wrap the mainly Muslim nation into the European fold. He said Turkey’s accession to the EU – on which members are dividend - would be "an important signal" which would "firmly anchor" Turkey in Europe.

  • 04/05/2009

    President Barack Obama also said the United States was ready to take the lead in tackling climate change, breaking with his predecessor George W. Bush's stance, which had long frustrated Washington's European Union partners. Speaking after the informal summit, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said he detected a genuine change under the new US administration.

  • 04/05/2009

    The European Union on Sunday strongly condemned North Korea's rocket launch and called on Pyongyang to suspend its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes. "These actions place additional strains on regional stability at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires mutual confidence building," the Czech EU presidency said in a statement.

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