• President signs appointment of 21 new judges
    03/14/2005

    President Vaclav Klaus has signed a decision on the appointment of twenty one new judges, all of whom are over thirty or will turn thirty this year, and sent it to Prime Minister Stanislav Gross for counter signature. The President last week refused to appoint 32 trainee judges who had not yet reached the age of thirty on the grounds that they were too young for such a responsible post. His decision evoked strong criticism since the Czech Republic is suffering from a lack of judges and has lost several court cases in Strasbourg over protracted proceedings.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • PM preparing an eight-point plan of government priorities
    03/13/2005

    Prime Minister Stanislav Gross is preparing an eight point plan which will outline the government's priorities in the remaining 15 months in office. In a debate on Czech TV, Mr. Gross said the crisis of the past few weeks had drawn attention away from matters which were vitally important and that he wanted to reaffirm his commitment to them. The government's priorities include a reform of the health and pension systems, the ratification of the European Constitution, preparations for the adoption of the euro in several years' time, and fighting unemployment. The opposition Civic Democrats have slammed the idea as a populist attempt to draw attention away from the fact that the government crisis had not been properly resolved.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Cardinal Vlk complains of lack of funding
    03/13/2005

    Cardinal Miloslav Vlk says the Catholic Church has not received adequate funds from the state to enable it to pay its priests proper salaries. In a statement for the CTK news agency the Cardinal complained that last year the Catholic Church had received 28 million crowns less in state funding and that this year it has no idea what to expect. "We are left at the mercy of the culture ministry" the Cardinal said, noting that Catholic priests were now living on meagre salaries. The Church is convinced that this is in violation of the law and has warned that if the government remains deaf to its needs it is prepared to take the matter to court.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Fresh snow creates more traffic problems
    03/13/2005

    A second night of heavy snow paralyzed traffic in many parts of the country in the early hours of Sunday. Rail traffic ground to a halt in many parts of the Czech Republic due to deep snow drifts and had to be replaced by busses. However even traffic along the main roads was slow and many mountain roads were impassable. Clean up operations were complicated by a strong wind and more snow showers. Drivers have been advised to put off driving to the mountain regions if they can avoid it. More problems are expected on the roads on Sunday evening as hundreds of people head back home after a weekend of skiing.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Government plane forced to turn back
    03/13/2005

    A plane carrying defence minister Karel Kuhnl on a working visit to Israel was forced to turn back after an hour's flight on Sunday due to technical problems. The plane returned to Prague's Ruzyne Airport where technicians repaired the damage. A defence ministry spokesman said there was a two hour delay but no one aboard the plane was in any danger. Minister Kuhnl is to spend four days in Israel during which time he will meet with top officials to debate the political and security situation in the region, the fight against terrorism and bilateral cooperation.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Two more Czech victims of tsunami disaster identified
    03/12/2005

    Two more Czech victims of the Indian Ocean disaster have been identified in Thailand, bringing the number of confirmed Czech victims to three. Five more Czechs are missing in Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is believed that none of them survived the disaster. The Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda on Friday visited the island of Puket which was devastated by the tsunami. He was acquainted with some of the charity projects funded from Czech donations, including the reconstruction of fishing villages and local schools. He praised the work of NGOs and handed over some medical equipment to the local hospital. Czechs have sent some 40 million crowns in public donations to the devastated region.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • President Klaus signs three new bills
    03/12/2005

    President Vaclav Klaus has signed three new bills into law, relating to health care, health insurance and social benefits. The bill relating to health care will modify the requirement that physicians, dentists and pharmacists must have a clean criminal record. Doctors and medical staff will be allowed to seek work in their given field if their transgression is not related to their profession, for instance if they were found guilty of causing a traffic accident. The second bill, concerning health insurance, should help mainly diabetic patients, since it will give them the right to more free medical equipment needed for daily care.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Prague to make bid for new EU institute
    03/12/2005

    The Czech government plans to make a bid for the future European institute for equal opportunities for men and women to be based in Prague. Hungary and Slovenia have also expressed interest. The proposal for such an institute to be set up, preferably in one of the EU newcomer states, was made by the Czech Euro commissioner Vladimir Spidla. If it is approved by the European Parliament, the institute should start work in 2007.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Heavy snowfall causes traffic problems
    03/12/2005

    Heavy snowfall overnight is reported to have complicated traffic in many parts of the Czech Republic. A pile up on the highway from Prague to Brno caused long delays, trains packed with skiers heading for the Krkonose mountain resorts were delayed by almost two hours after a train got stuck in heavy snowdrifts early this morning and many mountain roads remained impassable for hours despite the fact that road maintenance crews worked around the clock. Meteorologists warn that a similar situation may arise on Sunday morning, since more snow showers and a strong wind are expected overnight. Drivers are warned not to head for the mountains without the respective gear - chains, sand and shovels.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czech judges consider independent body after president rejects judges
    03/11/2005

    Czech judges are considering setting up an independent council which would give them more independence from the state, following President Vaclav Klaus's refusal this week to appoint 32 judges because they were under the age of 30. There is a shortage of judges in the Czech Republic, and critics of Mr Klaus's decision say it means people will be denied the right to quick court proceedings. Most European countries have an independent judges' body.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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