• Paroubek leaves Japan early as last minute meeting with Chinese leader is arranged
    06/24/2005

    The Czech prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, is to cut short a visit to Japan in order to meet the president of China, Hu Jintao. Mr Paroubek had been due to leave Japan for China on Sunday but will now set off a day earlier, after a meeting with the Chinese leader was organised at the last minute. The Czech prime minister said it would be mistake not to take the opportunity to meet Hu Jintao, who he described as the second most powerful man in the world.

    While in Japan Mr Paroubek has met Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Emperor Akihito; on Friday he took part in Czech national day at the World Expo, which is being held in the city of Aichi.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • MP expelled from Social Democrats by local party branch
    06/24/2005

    A lower house deputy for the Social Democrats, Josef Hojdar, has been expelled from the party. The local branch of the Social Democrats in the northern town of Most voted to expel Mr Hojdar at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday, saying rules were broken during his election as chairman earlier this year. The government has a majority of just one, but the MP has said he will continue to support it. Several Social Democrats have given their backing to Mr Hojdar, who says he says he will appeal against the expulsion.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bill to end free domestic flights for MPs rejected
    06/24/2005

    The lower house has rejected a proposal to end free flights for MPs within the Czech Republic. The bill, which would also have seen a reduction in expenses on foreign trips, was proposed by Christian Democrat leader Miroslav Kalousek. Social Democrat MP Petr Sulak was one of those who voted down the proposal; he described it as populism.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • More foreigners now coming to Czech Republic for fertility treatments
    06/24/2005

    Increasing numbers of foreigners have been coming to the Czech Republic for fertility treatments, Hospodarske noviny reported on Friday. Assisted reproduction is considerably cheaper here than in neighbouring states Germany and Austria, the paper said, adding that some Czech clinics actively promote their services abroad.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Third of CDs sold in Czech Republic pirate copies, says industry body
    06/24/2005

    Between 30 and 35 percent of music compact discs sold in the Czech Republic are illegal pirate copies, a spokesperson for the Czech branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said on Friday, as the organisation released an international report on the counterfeiting of music.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Twelfth night premiered at Prague Castle outdoor Shakespeare festival
    06/24/2005

    Shakespeare's Twelfth Night has been premiered at the annual Shakespeare festival at Prague Castle. Other plays being performed at the outdoor theatre include Hamlet and the Merchant of Venice. The festival, which usually sells out, travels on to Brno and the Slovak capital Bratislava later in the summer.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Nedved football star extends contract with Italian champions Juventus
    06/24/2005

    The greatest Czech footballer of his generation, Pavel Nedved, has extended his contract with Juventus by another two years, meaning he will now stay with the Italian champions until 2008. Nedved, who is 32, is expected to decide during the summer whether to return to the Czech national team.

    Meanwhile, Czech defender David Rozehnal has completed a move to France's Paris St Germain from Belgian club Bruges.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Japanese Emperor asks Paroubek about Havel, culture
    06/23/2005

    The Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek who is on an official visit to East Asia, has met Japanese Emperor Akihito in Tokyo. After the meeting on Thursday, Mr Paroubek said they spoke about Prague, culture, music, issues related to global warming and also about the former Czech president Vaclav Havel. Mr Havel was host to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko who visited Prague in July 2002. Prime Minister Paroubek started an eight-day visit to Asia in Tokyo on Wednesday, he is due to visit China next.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Social Democrat platform wants extraordinary conference, departure of Gross
    06/23/2005

    A faction within the ruling Social Democrats, called the Platform for the Renaissance of the Social Democratic Party, has announced its plan to call an extraordinary party conference to deal with personnel changes at the party head, the election manifesto, next year's general election campaign and a change in the party statutes. The faction said on Thursday that the continued chairmanship of Stanislav Gross markedly decreased the party's chance for a good result in next year's elections. A spokesman for the platform said it supports Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, party deputy chairman, who since taking office last month has been able to reverse the plummeting voter support for the party.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Cesky Telecom CEO replaced after Telefonica takeover
    06/23/2005

    The chief executive of Cesky Telecom, Gabriel Berdar, credited with transforming the company, has been replaced as Telefonica of Spain has acquired the business. An annual meeting of Cesky Telecom shareholders on Thursday replaced Mr Berdar with Jaime Smith Basterra, chief financial officer at Telefonica, as well as nine out of fifteen members on the company's supervisory board. Last week, Telefonica paid 82.6 billion crowns (3.36 billion dollars) for the government's 51.1-percent stake in the Czech Republic's dominant land line operator.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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