• Communist Party at risk of millions in fines for withdrawing from contract
    11/10/2006

    The Communist Party is reportedly at risk of paying millions of crowns in fines for withdrawing from a contract commissioning a new party headquarters in the Vysocany district in Prague. The project was to have been financed through the sale of the party's long term headquarters; but the party's executive committee earlier in the year decided against. According to earlier information, the new site was to have cost around 250 million crowns, the equivalent of around 11.5 million US dollars.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Police break up people-trafficking gang
    11/10/2006

    Police have revealed that seventeen people have been arrested for involvement in a people-smuggling ring that brought at least 135 illegal immigrants to Western Europe. According to reports, the illegal immigrants were from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Police continue to hold two suspects - both Indian nationals living in the Czech Republic - in custody. A police spokeswoman said it was believed that the smuggling activities had earned them an alleged 54 million crowns - the equivalent of 2.5 million US dollars, but the profit figure as well as the number of people smuggled through could be higher.

    The suspected leaders of the operation face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Poll: Czechs rate Havel, Klaus, late culture minister highly
    11/10/2006

    A new poll released by the STEM agency asking Czechs to rate contributions by Czech politicians over the last 16 years has rated Presidents Vaclav Havel,Vaclav Klaus, as well as the late culture minister, Pavel Dostal, highly. Mr Dostal lost his battle to cancer last year. Each of the three received more than 60 percent positive response from around 1,500 people queried. Politicians rated least favourably in the poll included former prime ministers Vladimir Spidla and Stanislav Gross.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Negotiations on government begin anew
    11/09/2006

    Czech political leaders are once again searching for a solution to the country's drawn-out political crisis. The Civic Democratic Party, whose leader Mirek Topolanek was re-appointed prime minister on Wednesday, has refused to hold talks exclusively with the Social Democrats. The party wants to keep its options open and will negotiate simultaneously with all parties in the lower house.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Paroubek ready to run for speaker of the lower house
    11/09/2006

    Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek, has indicated that he is prepared to run for the post of speaker of the lower house. He told journalists on Thursday that this could lead to a breakthrough and he called for constructive talks to break the deadlock. Civic Democrat deputy chairman Petr Necas said this appeared to be a step in the right direction but he added that the Social Democrat leader was not in a position to call the shots.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • President Klaus not opposed to Turkey's entry to EU
    11/09/2006

    Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he is not opposed to Turkey's entry into the EU if the country can meet the required criteria. Speaking on a working visit to Denmark, Mr. Klaus said that he would rather see the EU enlarged than more closely integrated. The president did not wish to comment on the US election results, merely saying that he did not expect any significant changes in bilateral ties. On Thursday the Czech president had lunch with the Queen of Denmark, Margarethe II and met with some of the country's top officials.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Two Czech criminals hiding in New Zealand
    11/09/2006

    The police has uncovered the whereabouts of two Czech criminals who are hiding in New Zealand, according to Thursday's edition of Mlada Fronta Dnes. The two criminals escaped from the country after being sentenced for rape, blackmail and a hold-up. They are both wanted on an international arrest warrant and the Czech authorities have asked the New Zealand police to arrest and extradite them.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Delhaize pulling out of the Czech Republic
    11/09/2006

    The Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is selling all of its 96 Delvita supermarkets in the Czech Republic and leaving the country. The supermarket chain said Thursday its net profit had more than halved in the third quarter mainly due to its Czech business, which had prompted the decision to sell. Company chief executive Pierre-Olivier Beckers said the divestment would allow Delhaize to focus on higher opportunity markets."
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Hruby appointed EU presidency coordinator
    11/09/2006

    Zdenek Hruby, chairman of the supervisory board of the power utility CEZ, has been appointed to the post of government secretary for the country's EU presidency in 2009. Mr. Hruby has considerable experience in managing international projects. He was chief coordinator of the IMF and World Bank meeting in Prague in the year 2000 and national coordinator of EU funds. The Czech Republic should hold the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2009.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Mirek Topolanek re-appointed PM
    11/08/2006

    President Vaclav Klaus has re-appointed Civic Democrat leader Mirek Topolanek prime minister and asked him to make a fresh attempt at forming a new government. Mr Topolanek was first appointed prime minister in August after a general election that left the 200-seat lower house of parliament equally divided between right- and left-wing parties. But he failed to win a vote of confidence from parliament in October and was forced to resign after only 38 days in the job.

    Meanwhile, the Civic Democratic Party has launched informal talks on forming a new government and expects Mirek Topolanek to report on their results to the President next week, party deputy head Petr Necas said on Wednesday.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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