• Gross: Emmerova did not act in standard way in warning governors
    11/03/2004

    On Wednesday, the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross admitted that the Health Minister Milada Emmerova did not act in a standard way when she sent letters to regional governors to warn them of a possible bio-chemical attack on hospitals. Mr Gross however dismissed the calls by some governors from the opposition Civic Democrats for her to resign, but said that in the future it would be good if a different procedure were followed. Minister Emmerova herself denied making any mistakes in the case and accused the opposition governors of bullying her.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Czech Republic may welcome up to 16 percent more tourists this year
    11/03/2004

    The number of tourists visiting the Czech Republic this year is expected to be up to 16 percent higher compared to last year, according to the government agency CzechTourism. By the end of the year, as many as 5.9 million tourists are expected to have stayed at hotels and other accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic. CzechTourism estimates that a further 2 million foreigners will have stayed with friends and relatives, not making it into the statistics. According to private agency Mag Consulting, the increase in the number of tourists in 2004 is estimated at only 8-9 percent, and the total of tourists using accommodation to 5.5 million.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Health minister issues warning of bio-chemical attack
    11/02/2004

    The Health Minister Milada Emmerova has warned local administrations to heighten security measures in and around hospitals in view of a possible bio-chemical attack. According to the CTK news agency, the minister has contacted all regional governors, asking them to take preventative and security measures and to pay particular attention to hospitals in their region. The country's intelligence service has confirmed that it is investigating a certain threat to hospitals.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Public wants to know the identity of juvenile killers
    11/02/2004

    There is growing pressure on judges to make public the names of juvenile killers. There have been a series of murders committed by juveniles in recent months but the police and judges have refused to disclose their names since underage delinquents are protected by law. Justice Minister Pavel Nemec has said in response to growing public concern that the law actually allows judges to make an exception in cases of serious crimes - murder or assault - and that he would encourage them to do so.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czech ministries fail to offer guarantees on EU funds
    11/02/2004

    An audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that Czech ministries often fail to offer guarantees that money from EU funds would not go astray, according to the economics daily Hospodarske Noviny. The failing complicates the process of drawing on EU funds and thus damages the country's interests. Although the Finance Ministry ordered the audit on the understanding that its outcome would be made public, it is now keeping the results secret. An unnamed ministry source told the paper that the audit would not be made public until after the elections and after the shortcomings had been removed.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • CEZ preparing lay-off
    11/02/2004

    The power giant CEZ, which employs some 7,000 people, is planning a big lay off in the coming months. CEZ spokesman said there would be large-scale changes ahead but he would not disclose how many people would be laid off, saying only that it would be "thousands rather than hundreds". The conglomerate is to be transformed into a holding company, comprising the parent and ten subsidiaries. The aim is to make the company's structure clearer, its management more effective and its services better, the spokesman said.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Health Minister Emmerova presents ten-point plan
    11/01/2004

    During a presentation of her ten-point health care plan on Monday, Health Minister Milada Emmerova said her top priority is to guarantee all citizens health care that is affordable, in their locality, and in time. The new concept was presented to doctors and journalists in the northern Moravian town of Decin. Mrs. Emmerova also rejected claims of some doctors that the health ministry plans to nationalise private surgeries. The health minister hopes to achieve these goals with the help of a nationwide network of hospitals and more effective financing. Doctors, however, are sceptical, saying the new concept is too general and will not help tackle the problem areas in the health sector.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Swiss President in Prague
    11/01/2004

    Swiss President Joseph Deiss is currently in the Czech Republic on a two-day official visit. Mr Deiss met with his Czech counterpart, Vaclav Klaus, as well as other senior politicians on Monday. Unlike the Czech Republic, famously neutral Switzerland is neither an EU member nor part of NATO. However, it plans to divide one million Swiss francs (over 650,000 euros) among the new EU member states to help balance out economic differences within the union. In the Czech Republic such financial support could be used to improve infrastructure, research, and the promotion of technology education.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech organisation to help fight drug addiction in Afghanistan
    11/01/2004

    A Czech organisation that has been fighting drug addiction for the past thirteen years has been promised eight million Czech crowns (some 100,000 Euros) from the EU budget to reduce drug addiction in Afghanistan. In the next two years and in cooperation with local partner organisations, the Podane Ruce (Helping Hand) organisation hopes to make a significant change with its "Breaking the Cycle" project. An estimated 30% of Afghanistan's population is addicted to opium. Experts believe that 80% of the world's heroin is produced in Afghanistan. There is currently only one hospital with 60 beds in the capital city of Kabul that is available to treat the country's drug addicts.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Christian Democrat leader says police are controlled by politicians
    10/31/2004

    The leader of the Christian Democrats, Miroslav Kalousek, criticised Czech Police Chief Jiri Kolar in a TV discussion programme on Sunday and said the police are politically controlled. Last week, the police chief admitted that widespread bugging was normal police practice and added that it is nothing to concern people with a clear conscience.

    In reaction to his remarks, President Vaclav Klaus and opposition Civic Democratic Party deputies have called on Mr Kolar to resign. While Mr Kalousek agrees, he notes Mr Kolar's resignation will not make a difference as the whole police force is politically controlled and the country's interior ministers have done nothing about it.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

Pages