• HIV positive man sent to prison for having unprotected sex despite knowing of his condition
    12/23/2004

    A Prague court has sentenced a man to 4.5 years in prison for knowingly spreading a communicable disease. According to the court, Rudolf Novak, who is HIV positive, had unprotected sex with at least 10 partners over the course of two years, although he was aware of his condition. Mr Novak's lawyer said that none of his client's partners had been infected.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • President Klaus signs income tax bill
    12/22/2004

    Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the state budget law for 2005. The law envisages a deficit of 84 billion Czech crowns. However, opposition parties and most economists say the deficit will be much higher, over 100 billion crowns, once the state has covered the losses of the Czech bailout agency, Ceska Konsolidacni Agentura, which primarily ensures the privatisation of state-owned companies.

    Mr Klaus also signed an amendment to the income tax law on Wednesday. The new law introduces tax relief for families with children, joint taxation of married couples, and faster depreciation of assets for businesses. The government says it would help families and companies save tens of billions of crowns in the coming years.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech Republic on track to correct budget deficits
    12/22/2004

    The European Commission has concluded that the Czech Republic, along with Cyprus, Malta, Poland and Slovakia, are on track for correcting their excessive deficits. In July, the European Council recommended they take effective action to control their budget deficits. The Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, said on Wednesday, he was pleased to see the recommendations taken seriously, adding that they are appropriate for periods of high growth such as those experienced by the EU states in question.

    Taking into account the initial level of the deficit and the ongoing structural shift related to the convergence process, the Council recommended that the excessive deficit be corrected by 2008 in the Czech Republic.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Breweries to increase exports by 12 percent
    12/22/2004

    Czech breweries expect to export a record 2.4 million hectolitres of beer this year. The Chairman of the Czech Beer and Malt Association, Jan Vesely, said on Wednesday this would be up by 12 per cent from 2003, adding that breweries are preparing a campaign to promote their beer abroad. Germany, Slovakia, Great Britain and the USA, are the main importers of Czech beer. On average, exports rise by between five and twenty percent year- on-year.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • North Moravian court sentences large gang of heroin dealers to prison
    12/22/2004

    The Ostrava Regional Court has found a 23 year-old Czech woman guilty of dealing in heroin and has sentenced her to eight years in prison. Her twelve Vietnamese accomplices are to be expelled and face jail sentences between nine and ten years. Two of Vietnamese nationals were staying in the Czech Republic illegally. Police say the heroin sold by the gang would have been worth close to two million crowns (some 66,500 euros) on the black market.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Last 2,000 conscripts in Czech Army to go home Wednesday
    12/21/2004

    The last 2,000 conscripts in the Czech Army are due to leave their barracks on Wednesday, ending 140 years of compulsory military service in the Czech Lands. Throughout the year the Army has gradually been replacing conscripts with career soldiers. The move makes the Czech Republic one of the first countries in the region with a professional military. However, Joint Forces Commander Josef Sedlak warned on Tuesday of overly high expectations of the new army. He also said professionals could expect tougher training than their conscript counterparts.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Radioactive leak at Temelin not dangerous, says spokesperson
    12/21/2004

    Around 20,000 litres of radioactive water leaked out of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the southwest of the Czech Republic on Monday. According to a spokesman, the leak, caused by a water-level measuring problem in a reservoir, was contained within a limited area and did not pose a risk to the environment or to workers' health. Temelin's opponents say it is unsafe and should be shut down.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Most members of Ostrava ice hockey team released after fatal crash
    12/21/2004

    Most members of the Ostrava ice hockey team injured in a motorway crash on Monday have been allowed home. The team's trainer Karel Metelka died in the accident, which occurred when their bus crashed into the back of a truck a short distance from Beroun, where the team were due to play a match.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Dismissal for police officers charged with abuse of power
    12/21/2004

    Two police officers charged with abuse of power have been dismissed from the police force. Zdenek Pichlik and Petr Sima, whose field was organized crime, were arrested by a team of inspectors from the Interior Ministry and have been in custody since Saturday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Coalition cannot agree on new head for Supreme Audit Office
    12/21/2004

    The vacant position of head of the Czech Republic's Supreme Audit Office is unlikely to be filled during the term of the current government, Labour Minister Zdenek Skromach said on Tuesday. He said the three parties in the coalition were unable to agree on a replacement for Lubomir Volenik, who died almost 18 months ago.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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