• Floods claim fifth victim
    04/01/2006

    Five people have now died as a result of the floods or flood-related accidents: the latest case being a 55 year-old man found dead on the Morava River. The man - reportedly homeless - is believed to have drowned in flood waters. An autopsy will be conducted.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Fifth case of bird flu found
    04/01/2006

    The bird flu virus has been confirmed in a fifth dead swan that was found in the south Bohemian region of Ceske Budejovice. The news was released by Josef Duben, spokesman for the State Veterinary Administration. A sample will be sent for testing to the European Union's Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, Britain, to confirm whether or not the flu is the deadly H5N1 strain - dangerous for human beings. Tests on one dead swan - the first case in the Czech Republic, found in Hluboka nad Vltavou, south Bohemia - confirmed the presence of the pathogenic virus. Other samples from dead swans confirmed H5.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • State prosecutors: increased chance Viktor Kozeny could be tried in Czech Rep
    04/01/2006

    A delegation of state prosecutors, returning from the Bahamas on Saturday, maintains that chances have increased that former financier Viktor Kozeny could face trial in Prague. The businessman - who has been remanded in custody in a Bahamian cell since October 5th last year, is also wanted by authorities in the US, for alleged corruption and money laundering in oil privatisation deals in Azerbaijan. The Czech Republic would like to see Mr Kozeny face trail here for the alleged defrauding of investors in the mid 1990s.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Agrarian Chamber president warns Visegrad Four farmers increasingly dependent on subsidies
    04/01/2006

    Jan Veleba - the president of that Czech Agrarian Chamber - has warned that farmers in the Visegrad Four, that is the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, are growing increasingly dependent on EU subsidies as sales revenues have decreased. Mr Veleba made the announcement after a Visegrad meeting on Saturday. He pointed out that farmers want to turn around the decline in production and push for a change in rules in the use of agricultural products in the energy industry. There, they would like to see an increase of revenues from bioethanol, biooil and biogas. According to Mr Veleba, the chamber is planning on holding a summit of non-government agrarian organisations from new EU countries in the fall. Visegrad Four representatives, meanwhile, are to meet again in July.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Two die in plane crash
    04/01/2006

    Two people were killed on Saturday when their ultra-light plane crashed in the Tabor region. The plane crashed during landing manoeuvres at a local airfield, with the plane going off course and crashing in a nearby forest. An inspection team is investigating circumstances behind the accident.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Ice hockey: Czechs key in Columbus win
    04/01/2006

    In NHL hockey on Friday Czechs were instrumental in the Columbus Bluejackets' win over the St Louis Blues. Jaroslav Balastik scored while David Vyborny and Jan Hrdina both notched up assists. The Bluejackets are currently 13th in the Western Conference, well out of play-off contention, as are the Blues in 15th.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Several dozen municipalities still on high flood alert
    03/31/2006

    Dozens of municipalities around the country are on high flood alert, as rain and melting snow continues to swell rivers. Several thousand soldiers and emergency crews are busy reinforcing river banks, securing flood defences, clearing blocked roads, and helping residents leave their homes. The worst affected areas are southern Moravia's Znojmo region around the River Dyje and the northern city Usti nad Labem. Over 10,000 people have already been evacuated but local authorities expect that number to rise as more rain is forecast until the end of the week. Four casualties have also been reported.
    Author: Yon Pulkrabek

  • Government earmarks 380 million for flood-affected regions
    03/31/2006

    At a special session on Thursday, Cabinet earmarked 380 million crowns (15.5 million US dollars) to aid the regions affected by the floods. The money is to be used for mobile homes, food, the protection of property, and the reconstruction of damaged roads, for example. Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, who cut short a visit to Egypt in order to attend the government meeting, was also flown to southern Moravia in a helicopter on Thursday night to inspect the extent of damage caused.
    Author: Yon Pulkrabek

  • Head of Morava River Water Management Company fired
    03/31/2006

    The head of the Morava River basin water management company, Miroslav Konecny, has been sacked. Mr Konecny was dismissed by Agriculture Minister Jan Mladek on Friday after several municipalities affected by the floods complained that they were left in the dark about rising water levels. Konecny will be replaced on Saturday by copany vice president for finances Pavel Mylbachr.
    Author: Yon Pulkrabek

  • Museums and zoo on alert in Prague
    03/31/2006

    The capital city, where water levels of the Vltava River have been constantly rising, is also on alert. Though the situation has not been declared critical, several museums have moved their exhibits to other venues and the Prague Zoo is preparing to evacuate its animals. Mayor Pavel Bem has assured Prague residents that the city is well prepared for the threat of flooding.
    Author: Yon Pulkrabek

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