-
12/08/2006
The Green Party led by Martin Bursik has withdrawn from negotiations on a four-party government. The party's leader announced the decision on Friday. Mr Bursik indicated that the Greens were unsatisfied that their programme priorities had not made it into the draft proposal put forward by the Civic Democrats, titled the "magnificent seven reforms". Mr Bursik made clear he would prefer the right-of-centre Civic Democrats - leading the talks - to return to an earlier three-party proposal with his party and the Christian Democrats. But, such a coalition would not have a guaranteed majority in the lower house. The current attempt by politicians to form a viable government is the second since elections proved inconclusive in June.
-
12/08/2006
Former Social Democrat leader Milos Zeman has declined an invitation to attend his party's central executive committee's meeting next week. According to reports, the Social Democrats invited Mr Zeman on the basis of media reports he was trying to orchestrate something of an inner-party coup against current chairman Jiri Paroubek. Mr Zeman left active politics in 2002, but has remained highly critical of his party's leadership and has retained influence on the political scene. Earlier, Mr Zeman stated in the media that he would prefer the Social Democrats to withdraw from coalition talks in favour of going into the opposition. He called the Social Democrats' joining a coalition with the Christian Democrats as well as election-winners the Civic Democrats "undignified".
-
12/08/2006
The Czech Statistical Office has announced that Czech economic growth hit 5.8 percent in the third quarter of 2006, a slight slowing down compared to the second quarter's 6.0 percent. Analysts had expected growth to slow more sharply, but high consumer spending - up 4.0 percent compared with the same period last year - continued to boost the economy; investments also increased with exports continuing to outdistance imports.
-
12/08/2006
Others figures released by the office reveal that unemployment in the month of November dropped by a tenth of a percentage point to 7.3 percent - the lowest unemployment figure in the last five years. Currently, 400,044 people are listed as out of work. Analysts contribute the drop in numbers partly to, for example, recent graduates finding first-time employment.
-
12/08/2006
The Czech crown hit a new high of 20.88 to the dollar late Friday, tracking the euro's climb against the US currency. Local macroeconomic factors also helped to boost the currency. The GDP growth announced on Friday was higher than expected, helping to strengthen the crown.
The crown may still set some new record highs but is likely to weaken by the end of the year, some analysts have said.
-
12/08/2006
The lower house will continue debate on a bill that would make it legally easier to hold early elections in the Czech Republic. The draft amendment was passed in a first reading on Friday. If eventually passed into law, the bill will allow Czech lawmakers - and ultimately the president - the option of dissolving parliament following a government's resignation, in order to pave the way for early elections. Any such move, however, would require sufficient political will. As proposed now, the legislation would give the president the right to dissolve the lower house only if the move were approved by a majority of the country's two hundred MPs. Deputies, though, are aiming to make the conditions more strict so that the decision would require a constitutional majority, that is three-fifths of deputies in favour.
Deputies are also expected to debate a provision lowering the number of MPs in the lower house from 200 to 199, a measure intended to prevent deadlock in the chamber.
-
12/07/2006
Social Democrat MP Milos Melcak has said he plans to leave the party's faction to sit as an independent, a move that could tip the balance of power in a hung parliament. Mr Melcak told the news server Aktualne.cz that he had been facing a lot of pressure in recent days. He did not rule out he might vote for the new government of PM Mirek Topolanek regardless of his party's stance. Mr Melcak would be the second Social Democrat deputy to leave the party faction. In October, MP Michal Pohanka left the faction after a television report linked him with people charged with fraud.
-
12/07/2006
President Vaclav Klaus has begun a weeklong visit to Africa. On Thursday, he arrived in Nigeria to meet President Olusegun Obasanjo. President Klaus is travelling with his wife Livia and a delegation of Czech businessmen and officials from the foreign, defence and industry ministries. One of the topics to be discussed in Nigeria will be the sale of a fleet of Czech-made L-159 light combat aircraft. On Saturday, President Klaus is due to visit South Africa.
-
12/07/2006
The Health Ministry is considering inviting citizens of the new EU countries to fill vacancies in the Czech Republic's health sector. Health Minister Tomas Julinek said that another chance of making up for the lacking staff would be a re-training of employees. Czech medical facilities already employ many nurses and doctors from Slovakia and countries in Eastern Europe. Czech doctors and nurses often head for Britain and Germany in search of higher incomes.
-
12/07/2006
The government has earmarked 50 million crowns for blocking mobile phone communications in some tight security prisons in order to reduce the risk of planned escapes by inmates and to prevent them from controlling their illegal activities using mobile phones. The two-year project will be launched at the beginning of 2007. However, T-Mobile, one of the three operators active in the Czech Republic, argues that blocking mobile phone communications is against Czech law. In 2005, the prison authority seized 436 telephones smuggled into prisons across the country.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 5727
- 5728
- 5729
- 5730
- 5731
- 5732
- 5733
- 5734
- 5735
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »