• Doctor charged with drunk driving in accident that left two-year-old girl in critical condition
    06/11/2004

    The police have brought criminal charges against Jan Karas, the doctor who on Monday drove his car into a two-year-old girl and her mother. The accident occurred on the grounds of Prague's Vinohrady teaching hospital, where Dr. Karas held a high position. A deputy state prosecutor said that Dr. Karas had been charged with drunk driving and causing grievous bodily harm. The two-year-old girl, who suffered serious head injuries and damage to her internal organs, is being kept in hospital under anaesthesia, is due to undergo additional surgery next week.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Twelfth suspected case of BSE reported in Czech Republic
    06/11/2004

    Another suspected case of BSE or mad cow disease has been reported on a farm near the east Bohemian town of Trutnov. The four-year old cow first showed symptoms of BSE in May. Further tests have yet to confirm whether the animal really suffered from mad cow disease.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • The Czech football team has arrived in Portugal ahead of Euro 2004 championship
    06/11/2004

    The Czech national football squad arrived in Portugal on Thursday afternoon to begin their final training sessions ahead of their opening match in the Euro 2000 championship. This coming Tuesday, the Czech Republic faces Latvia, who have never before made it to the European Championship, and are not expected to pose much of a challenge for the Czech team.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czech Republic reopens embassy to North Korea
    06/10/2004

    The Czech Republic has reopened its embassy to North Korea. The mission is headed by charge d'affairs Miroslav Podhajsky. On Wednesday, the embassy started distributing humanitarian aid that the Czech Republic had sent following the tragic railway accident in North Korea earlier this year that killed 170 people. North Korean authorities first expressed interest in the reopening of the Czech embassy last year. The Czechoslovak embassy to Pyongyang was closed in the early 1990s.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Twelfth suspected case of BSE reported in Czech Republic
    06/10/2004

    Another suspected case of BSE or mad cow disease has been reported on a farm near the east Bohemian town of Trutnov. The four-year old cow first showed symptoms of BSE in May. Further tests have yet to confirm whether the animal really suffered from mad cow disease. So far, eleven cases of BSE have been confirmed in the Czech Republic, the first one in 2001.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Olomouc district hit by tornado
    06/10/2004

    A tornado hit the Moravian district of Olomouc on Wednesday afternoon, killing one man and causing damage worth tens of millions of crowns. The man was killed when a tree fell on his car. The tornado tore away roofs and knocked down dozens of trees. Also many houses were flooded after intensive rain in the region. Meteorologists say that several tornadoes occur every year in the Czech Republic.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Government approves lease of 14 Gripen fighters from Sweden
    06/09/2004

    The government has approved the lease of 14 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden for ten years at a cost of around 20 billion crowns. The leasing contracts will also include offset programmes of Swedish investment into the Czech economy. The fighters will replace the aging Czech fleet of MiG-21 planes, which must be decommissioned by the end of 2004. The government chose the Gripens over a Belgian offer of updated F-16 fighters and similar planes from the Netherlands. Canada offered F/A-18 fighters and the United States offered an older variant of F-16s. Although Sweden is not a NATO member, the British-Swedish maker of the planes says the Gripens are fully compatible with the alliance's air forces.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Nuclear Safety Authority to complain about EC steps in checking defect at Temelin
    06/09/2004

    The State Authority for Nuclear Safety has said it will complain about the European Commission's steps in checking Sunday's defect at the Temelin nuclear power plant. Experts from the Commission arrived unexpectedly at Temelin on Wednesday to inspect the scene of the accident in which 3,000 litres of radioactive water leaked out of the primary circuit of the power plant's second unit. The head of the State Authority for Nuclear Safety, Dana Drabova, said the European Commission had never dealt with such an "unimportant" defect, adding that in her opinion the inspectors had come for political reasons. After their visit to Temelin, the EC experts said they had no reason to doubt the State Authority's statement that the accident was unimportant.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Czech lorry maker Tatra gets $6m contract in Iraq
    06/09/2004

    The largest Czech lorry maker, Tatra, has signed a 6 million-dollar contract to supply 62 lorries to the Iraqi government. Tatra, whose participation in the tender was sheltered by its parent Terex Corporation, must supply the first six lorries to Iraq by November. Tatra board member Ronald Adams said the company had beaten U.S., German and Ukrainian rivals. The Czech Foreign Ministry has said Tatra's success could open the way to the Iraqi market for other Czech companies. Besides support from the Czech government, Tatra probably also benefited from the fact that it has an American owner. Only two Czech companies besides Tatra have managed to win contracts in Iraq to date.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • CEZ issues foreign bonds for 400 million euros
    06/09/2004

    The Czech power utility CEZ made an issue of foreign bonds worth 400 million euros on Tuesday through its subsidiary CEZ Finance BV. The yearly interest rate stands at 4.625 percent and the bonds mature in seven years. The proceeds will go for refinancing of the company's debts and other needs.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

Pages