-
04/18/2005
The first six supersonic Jas-39 Gripen fighter jets leased from Sweden by the Czech Republic arrived in the country on Monday, the Defence Ministry has said. Eight more are to join the Czech air force by the end of August. The Gripens will be leased for 10 years at a cost of almost 20 billion crowns (850 million dollars), after which the country has an option to buy them or return them to Sweden. The planes will gradually replace the obsolete soviet MiG-21s. The deal, signed in June 2004, commits Sweden to investing 130 percent of the contract's value in so called "off-sets" in the Czech Republic, 20 percent of which will be direct investments in the Czech economy. The lease of the Gripens was approved by former Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla's government last June.
-
04/18/2005
The Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said during his visit to Prague on Monday that the victory of pro-reunification Ali Talat in Turkish Cypriot presidential elections is a positive signal which could create a new atmosphere. During a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Vaclav Klaus Mr Papadopoulos said that such a new atmosphere was a necessary condition for starting further negotiations between both communities of the divided island.
-
04/18/2005
The chairman of the Croatian parliament Vladimir Seks who is visiting the Czech Republic has said Croatia is interested in the Czech Republic's support in its effort to join the EU. According to Mr Seks, seeking Czech support was one of the goals of his two-day visit during which he is to meet a number of Czech top officials. On Monday he met his Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek, who said the Balkans and Croatia were among the priorities of Czech foreign policy, adding he hoped communication will be renewed between Croatia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The EU last month suspended the start of accession talks with Croatia because of the country's authorities' unwillingness to capture and extradite a former general accused of war crimes.
-
04/18/2005
115 Roman Catholic cardinals locked themselves inside the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on Monday to start a conclave that will elect a successor to Pope John Paul II. The cardinals heard a private sermon from 85-year-old Czech Cardinal Tomas Spidlik "on the need for careful discernment" in choosing the new pope. Cardinal Spidlik then withdrew, opening the way for the elaborate voting rites. At 85, Cardinal Spidlik is too old to vote, and the only Czech taking part in the election is 72-year old Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the archbishop of Prague.
-
04/17/2005
Prime Minister Stanislav Gross says he will urge the President to accept the resignations of seven of his cabinet ministers as quickly as possible, and aims to present him with a list of suitable candidates for these posts. The embattled Prime Minister said in a televised debate on Sunday that he had no intention of resigning from his post unless it was clear that there was a new, pro-European government ready to take over. Mr. Gross said he would do everything in his power to prevent early elections. There is speculation that the Prime Minister is eager to part with ministers whom he sees as having been disloyal to the government and thus prevent the possibility of an overwhelming number of ministers enforcing the Cabinet's resignation at its next session on Wednesday.
-
04/17/2005
The Prime Minister said his ruling Social Democratic Party was ready to go back to the negotiating table to try to reach agreement on the formation of a new pro-European government, but that it would accept no ultimatums from the smaller parties. Mr. Gross said that after the failure of the preceding round of talks, the Social Democrat leadership might decide to send a different team of negotiators to the coalition talks. He did not specify who would represent the party.
A fragile coalition deal on a new government collapsed only hours after being clinched last Thursday, when it was rejected by the Social Democratic Party leadership. Opponents to the agreement said the party's negotiators had overstepped their mandate and been overly generous in concessions made to the two smaller coalition parties.
The parties in question -the Christian Democrats and Freedom Union - have said they are prepared to go back to the negotiating table on condition that the talks are based on the fundamental points agreed on last week.
-
04/17/2005
The Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Miroslav Vlk, who will be in the conclave which will elect a new pontiff, has called on Czech believers to pray for the right decision. Cardinal Vlk praised the role of Pope John Paul II, describing him as possibly the best pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church. The 115 Roman Catholic cardinals eligible to vote have gone into sequestered lodgings and will dine together on Sunday night, before entering their momentous conclave in the Sistine Chapel on Monday afternoon. The 85 year old Czech Cardinal Tomas Spidlik is too old to vote but he was invited to deliver a "meditation" to the cardinal electors.
-
04/16/2005
The Czech government is in disarray, following the resignation of seven cabinet ministers. The country was thrown back into political turmoil on Thursday after a fragile deal between the three governing parties on forming a new pro-European government collapsed within hours after being clinched, raising the prospect of early elections. The deal, which would have paved the way for Prime Minister Stanislav Gross to resign in the wake of a scandal over his private finances, was rejected by his own party leadership. Mr. Gross himself voted against it, which has evoked criticism from some high ranking members of his own party. There is now speculation that some of Mr. Gross' own party ministers may turn against him and enforce the demise of the whole Cabinet at its Wednesday session.
-
04/16/2005
President Vaclav Klaus said on Friday that he would push for early elections unless the three parties in the collapsed governing coalition could come to an agreement on forming a new government within a reasonable time-frame. Mr. Klaus ruled out a possible third alternative - a minority Social Democrat government. The President said he was very disappointed by the break down in talks and urged the three coalition parties to let him know without delay whether they were capable of resolving the protracted crisis.
-
04/16/2005
A clean up operation is underway at Moravia's Pernstejn Castle, which was extensively damaged by fire on Friday. Sixteen fire units fought the blaze for twelve hours. The damage is estimated at around 100 million Czech crowns, around 4 million US dollars. Fortunately, parts of the castle which are open to tourists have not been damaged, although a storeroom containing antique furniture and 300 hundred valuable paintings was completely destroyed. The Gothic-Renaissance castle dates back to the 13th century and is often described as "a pearl of Moravian architecture". The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 6069
- 6070
- 6071
- 6072
- 6073
- 6074
- 6075
- 6076
- 6077
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »