• Schwarzenberg: Czechs will not be intimidated by Russia over US bases
    02/20/2007

    The Czech Republic will not be intimidated by Russia over plans to locate part of a US missile defence system on its territory, the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, said in Warsaw on Tuesday. He said Moscow's attempts to "blackmail" the Czech Republic would only make Czechs more determined to defend themselves.

    On Monday, a senior military official in Moscow said if US bases were built in the Czech Republic and Poland, the Russian army would aim missiles at them. Under the American plan, Poland would host interceptor missiles, while the Czech Republic would be home to a radar base.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Romany women's group calls for compensation over forced sterilisations
    02/20/2007

    A Romany women's working group wants a fund established to compensate women sterilised without their consent. The group, part of the government's council for Romany affairs, is also calling for an apology, the council's head Czeslaw Walek said on Tuesday. A document prepared by the group says financial compensation should also go to women in cases which exceed the statue of limitations. The Ombudsman had previously called for damages to be paid in cases dating back as far as 1971.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Budvar brewer could be sold off to pay for roads
    02/20/2007

    The Budejovicky Budvar brewery could be privatised to finance planned road construction and maintenance, Hospodarske noviny reported. Trade Minister Martin Riman told the daily the sell-off could raise up to 30 billion CZK (1.4 billion USD). But Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovic said the privatisation of Budvar was not currently on the agenda; he said the company's legal dispute with Anheuser-Busch over the Budweiser brand name would have to be taken into account.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Cardinal rejects joint administration of St. Vitus Cathedral
    02/20/2007

    Cardinal Miloslav Vlk has rejected a suggestion that the Roman Catholic Church and the state jointly administer Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral. A ruling under which the state was ordered to hand the cathedral over to the Church was overturned by the Supreme Court last week, though the dispute is set to go on. The head of the government's Legislative Council, Cyril Svoboda, put forward the idea of joint administration while the dispute continues. But Cardinal Vlk said the most important thing was to resolve the issue.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • EC to refuse Czech request for emissions permits as unjustified
    02/20/2007

    The European Commission is planning to refuse a Czech request for emissions permits for the years 2008 to 2012, Lidove noviny reported. The paper said Brussels does not like the fact that the Czech government has asked for a greater volume of tolerated carbon dioxide emissions than Czech factories have to date released into the atmosphere. A Commission official said the Czech request was unjustified and would have to be reduced.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech TV Council members to discuss case of former People's Militia man
    02/20/2007

    All 15 members of the Czech Television Council have acquired certificates proving they were not members of the pre-1989 People's Militia, a lower house official said. On Wednesday the council will discuss the case of Czech TV programming director Frantisek Lambert, who admits to having been in the People's Militia; members of the communist paramilitary group swore to kill anyone who tried to overthrow the regime. Czech TV director Jiri Janecek is also under pressure for allowing Mr Lambert to hold such a high position.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Mother and son charged with attack on ambulance workers
    02/20/2007

    Police in Ostrava have charged a mother and son with attempted bodily harm after they set upon members of the rescue services. The son, 21, attacked an ambulance worker who attempted to measure the blood pressure of the mother, who was drunk to the point of unconsciousness. The woman, who is 57, joined in the attack when she came to, police said.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Musician to play thank you concert after getting rare instrument back
    02/20/2007

    A Brno musician is planning a special concert as a thank you for the sympathy and support he received after his valuable instrument was stolen. A thief took Jan Skrdlik's rare 1848 cello, but returned it after the musician made a public appeal. Mr Skrdlik is holding the free concert in a Brno church this Saturday - the unknown thief has also been invited.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Perfume sales up as chains spread
    02/20/2007

    Czechs spent almost twenty percent more on perfumes in 2006 than the previous year, according to Hospodarske noviny. It said the increase in sales was largely due to the spread of cosmetics and perfumes chains, which now have almost 100 outlets between them in the Czech Republic. The most popular perfume brands are Dior, Hugo Boss and Donna Karan.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Customs seize peanuts over toxins
    02/20/2007

    Prague customs police seized 19 tonnes of peanuts imported from China due to high levels of carcinogenic toxins, a spokesperson said. The importer will now have to either destroy the nuts or take them to a country outside the European Union.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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