• Woman jumps to death from Defence Ministry window
    12/30/2004

    A woman died on Wednesday evening after jumping out of a window at the Defence Ministry in Prague 6. A spokesperson said it was clear that the woman, a civilian employ in her 50s, had committed suicide.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech TV showing Greenpeace ad free of charge
    12/30/2004

    Czech Television has begun showing an advertisement by the environmental organisation Greenpeace free of charge. The ad encourages viewers to use environmentally friendly products and advises them not to buy genetically modified foods. A spokesperson for the station said the advertisement "had a place" on public service television.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Novak taking January off, will miss Australian Open
    12/30/2004

    The Czech tennis number one, Jiri Novak, will miss the first Grand Slam tournament of next year, the Australian Open. Novak, ranked 24th in the world, says he is taking the month of January off to spend more time with his family. The 29-year-old told reporters Thursday he would enter only a limited number of tournaments in 2005, although he denied he was planning to retire soon.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • New Year holiday offers good snow conditions in many resorts
    12/30/2004

    Weather forecasters say the New Year should offer good conditions for Czechs spending the holiday at many of the country's mountain resorts, with plenty of snow expected in the Orlicky, Jizersky and Krusny mountain ranges. Many people have accommodation in the mountains months ahead of New Year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Hundreds of Czechs still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia
    12/29/2004

    Following Sunday's tsunami disaster, the number of Czechs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia has fallen from a previous 381 to 263, according to information from the Czech foreign ministry. The number is still likely to change. As many as 1,000 Czechs were vacationing or travelling in parts of Southeast Asia when the deadly tsunamis struck.

    Foreign ministry officials believe the majority of those still unaccounted for are safe but unable to contact relatives due to damaged telephone lines and infrastructure. At the same time accidental death can not be ruled out.

    Though no Czechs have been reported as having died as a result of Sunday's disaster, the foreign ministry has said it is considering the circumstances of at least eight missing persons' cases as "grave".
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Military plane to provide humanitarian aid
    12/29/2004

    The Czech government has agreed to send a military plane to provide humanitarian aid to Thailand, one of the countries badly hit by Sunday's tsunamis. The plane is scheduled to leave within hours. After delivering aid, the plane will help Czechs who were vacationing in Thailand return home.

    Meanwhile the Czech carrier CSA is continuing to send daily flights with humanitarian aid to the area, primarily drinking water, packages of medicine and water purification tablets are also to be sent. Experts such as Czech doctors and psychological councillors are also expected to arrive.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Supermodel, among the injured, remains in hospital in Hat Yai
    12/29/2004

    Two Czechs who suffered injury have been transferred to hospital in Bangkok following Sunday's tragedy. A third, supermodel Petra Nemcova, could not be transferred Wednesday due to the nature of her injures. The 25-year-old suffered a broken pelvis when the waves hit in Thailand, and was only rescued after an eight-hour ordeal. She remains in hospital in Hat Yai and her condition is stable.

    Her partner, British photographer Simon Atlee, 33, remains missing.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Hundreds of Czechs still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia tragedy; supermodel Petra Nemcova is among the injured.
    12/28/2004

    Several hundred Czechs who were in Southeast Asia at the time of Sunday's massive tsunami are still unaccounted for. The tidal wave, which was triggered by an undersea earthquake, has killed upwards of 38,000 people. Consular staffers in the region have compiled a list of 381 Czech nationals whose whereabouts remain unknown. At least five Czechs were hospitalized in Thailand but no reports of fatalities have been reported. Among the injured was the Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova, a 2003 cover girl for Sports Illustrated magazine's swimsuit edition, who suffered a broken pelvis. Her photographer boyfriend was swept out to sea and is still missing.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Prague is the 'wealthiest' region within the 10 new European Union member states in terms of GDP per capita.
    12/28/2004

    The Czech capital is by far the wealthiest "region" in the 10 new European Union member states, according to data released by the Czech Statistical Office this week. The GDP per capita for Prague last year was 164 percent of the EU average, while for the Czech Republic as a whole it was 73 percent of the EU average. The Olomouc region bordering Poland is the poorest in the country with a GDP per capita equal to about 56 percent of the EU average for the year 2003.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Social Democrat deputies group head, Petr Ibl, to remain in his post.
    12/28/2004

    The head of the Social Democrats' deputies group, Petr Ibl, has said he will remain in his post for the time being but probably won't run for re-election. Earlier this month Mr Ibl, whose party is the largest in the governing coalition, said he was considering resigning from the post over his "disgust" at disunity within the party ranks. Meanwhile, the Social Democrat chairman, Prime Minister Stanislav Gross, had an informal meeting on Tuesday with President Vaclav Klaus, at which the Czech president signed a bill that will change how funds are distributed to regional governments. Mr Klaus also signed bill relating to waste management and the right to information relating to the environment.
    Author: Brian Kenety

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