• Fire fighters tell public bird flu alerts are not their responsibility...
    02/24/2006

    Fire fighters in south Moravia say they have received many calls from people worried dead birds in the region may be infected with bird flu. They say the matter is not their responsibility and have called on concerned citizens to get in touch with the State Veterinary Authority. No cases of bird flu have been detected in the Czech Republic, though the disease has been found in several neighbouring countries.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • ...and uncover blocked escape routes while inspecting roofs of public buildings
    02/24/2006

    Meanwhile, fire fighters say they uncovered serious problems concerning blocked escape routes while carrying out inspections of snow on the roofs of public buildings. Over 1,700 buildings were checked and a full one third of those did not have adequate fire escape routes, said a spokesperson for the Czech fire officers association.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Brewery to shut after over 100 years in Prague
    02/24/2006

    The Prague brewery Branik is to close its doors next year, after over 100 years in the capital. But owner Staropramen is planning to continue making Branik beer at its own brewery in Smichov.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Train conductors to go on strike
    02/23/2006

    Czech engine drivers are planning to go on strike to protest at a clause in a new Labour Code, which was approved by the Lower House of Parliament earlier this month. The Federation of Train Conductors announced on Thursday that it will be joined by members of ten trade unions that represent engine drivers across the country. The strike is scheduled for March 16.

    The new Labour Code has yet to be approved by the Senate and signed by the President. The train conductors say a clause on collective bargaining is discriminating and unconstitutional because it allows employers to enter into agreement with the biggest trade union in the company, without consideration for the smaller ones.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Foreign Minister dismisses Belarus leadership's accusations of causing unrest
    02/23/2006

    Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda has dismissed claims that the Czech Republic has been interfering with Belarusian internal affairs. The Belarusian authorities say Czech diplomats in Minsk are purposefully causing unrest, ahead of the presidential elections, with the distribution of opposition leaflets. Bilateral relations have been strained, as the Czech Republic criticises the former Soviet country's President Alexander Lukashenko of violating human rights. Speaking at a Prague conference on Belarus on Thursday, Mr Svoboda said the document that Czech diplomats are handing out is a UN Human Rights Commission report on Belarus.

    Among those who attended the conference on Thursday were the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Rene van der Linden, Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan, and Belarusian oppision member and presidential candidate Aleksander Milinkievich.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Austrian environment ministry to host Temelin summit in mid-March
    02/23/2006

    Austria's Environment Ministry plans to host another conference in mid-March on the Czech Republic's Temelin nuclear power plant, which is located close to the Czech-Austrian border. The aim of the conference is to discuss ways in which nuclear-free Austria can limit the plant's operation. The Upper Austrian local government as well as anti-nuclear organisations have been waging an unsuccessful campaign against the power plant, ever since it was launched in 2001. Austria currently holds EU presidency and nuclear power opponents are hoping it will promote discussion on nuclear safety across Europe during its six-month term.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Holiday World opens in Prague
    02/23/2006

    Prague's annual trade fair on tourism, Holiday World, opened its doors to visitors on Thursday. Over seven hundred stands representing fifty countries are featured this year. At accompanying seminars, visitors are introduced to topics ranging from internet bookings to exotic holiday destinations. Organisers are expecting a similar turnout as last year when 50,000 visitors came to the show in one weekend. The trade fair comes to a close on Sunday.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • John Cale to celebrate birthday in Prague
    02/23/2006

    British rock musician John Cale plans to spend his 64th birthday in the Czech Republic. Mr Cale is a former member of the legendary Velvet Underground, which greatly influenced the underground scene in Communist Czechoslovakia. He will hold two concerts to celebrate the event; at Brno's Fleda cultural club on March 8 and Prague's Archa theatre on March 9 - the actual day of his birthday.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • PM calls for debate on nuclear power as part of EU energy policy
    02/22/2006

    Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has called for the European Union to open a new debate on nuclear energy. Speaking at a NATO conference on energy security in Prague, Mr Paroubek said Europe must have a clear energy policy in the same way as it has an agricultural policy, and nuclear power should be a key part of it. He added that Austria, currently holding the EU presidency, has taken the lead in demanding a better defined European energy policy. Neighbouring Austria has been a staunch critic of the Czech Republic's newest nuclear plant, Temelin, located close to the Austrian border.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Paroubek wants to discuss gas deliveries after 2013 with Putin
    02/22/2006

    Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek also told journalists that talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who starts an official visit to Prague on March 1, will include negotiations on a new long-term agreement for Russia's Gazprom to supply the Czech Republic with natural gas. The current contract expires in 2013. The Czech Republic relies on Russian gas for about two-thirds of its supplies, most of the rest coming from Norway.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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