• Greenpeace protest possible lifting of limits on coal mining
    11/19/2009

    Environmental group Greenpeace have staged a protest outside the ministry of trade and industry against a state energy policy which envisages lifting limits on coal mining in the vicinity of the north Bohemian city of Most. Activists on Thursday placed a ribbon around the ministry building, saying coal had been found under it and it would be knocked down to make way for a mine – Greenpeace say a similar fate could meet some villages in the Most region. However, a ministry spokesperson said limits would only be removed if disputes with people living in the area concerned were resolved.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bílek responds to criticism of Czech footballers’ performances at UAE tournament
    11/19/2009

    The new Czech football manager Michal Bílek says he understands the negative reaction after his young side were beaten 2:0 by minnows Azerbaijan in a friendly tournament in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. That followed a defeat to the hosts on Sunday. Czech newspapers have described the result against Azerbaijan as a disgrace. However, Bílek told reporters that the results were secondary and it was more important to keep trying out new players.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Huge new atlas of Czech Republic unveiled
    11/19/2009

    A huge new atlas of the Czech Republic has been presented by the country’s environment minister, Ladislav Miko. He commissioned the project in 2003 while he was deputy environment minister. Atlas of the Landscape of the Czech Republic contains 800 maps and weighs 10 kilogrammes. It will cost around CZK 4,500 (USD 260).
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • 12th French Film Festival opens in Prague
    11/19/2009

    The 12th French Film Festival opens in Prague’s Světozor cinema on Thursday night. The special guest on the first night will be Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who will present his most recent film Micmacs. The festival will close with Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, which won the jury grand prix at Cannes this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Republic receives swine flu vaccines
    11/18/2009

    The Czech Republic received its first batch of swine flue vaccines, Health Minister Dana Jurásková told reporters on Wednesday. Ms Jurásková said that out of the 95,000 vaccines that had been delivered, around 50,000 would be distributed to GPs by the end of the week. They will vaccinate high risk patients while the remaining vaccines will be given to health care professionals.

    Minister Jurásková also said there will be enough vaccines and antivirotics as more deliveries are expected. She would give more details as well as an outline of the country’s vaccination strategy on Friday.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Some hospitals cancel visits due to swine flu
    11/18/2009

    In related news, some Czech hospitals including Prague’s IKEM institute, Na Homolce and Královské Vinohrady hospitals and other health care facilities across the country have forbidden visits due to the swine flu outbreak. The number of people infected with the H1N1 virus in the Czech Republic doubled over the last week, with 486 patients now registered. A five-year old girl in a critical condition has been hospitalized in Ústí nad Labem, northern Bohemia. Meanwhile, the Czech Education Ministry issued guidelines for schools on Wednesday on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Several Czech banks recall hundreds of credit cards
    11/18/2009

    The ČSOB, Česká spořitelna, Raiffeisen and Volksbank CZ banks have started recalling hundreds of credit cards over a Spanish fraud scam, the news website aktualne.cz reported on Wednesday. The measure affects clients who have used their cards abroad, particularly in Spain where fraudsters stole data from a local credit card centre. The move was prompted by a similar measure in Germany where banks are recalling more than 100,000 credit cards.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Study: Czechs are Europe’s biggest shoplifters
    11/18/2009

    Czechs top the list of Europe’s biggest shoplifters, according to a study by the UK’s Centre for Retail Research released on Wednesday. The study shows that around 8.7 billion crowns, or 510 million US dollars, worth of goods was stolen by customers and staff in 2009. The losses accounted for nearly 1.4 percent of total retail sales in the country, which is up by 0.9 percent from last year. The number is the highest of all 21 EU countries featured in the study. Stolen merchandise most frequently includes alcohol, cosmetics, electronics and other goods.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders to speak at Czech Senate
    11/18/2009

    The controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders will address the Czech Senate in late November, Civic Democrat Senator Jiří Oberfalzer told the news agency ČTK on Wednesday. Mr Oberfalzer said he invited the anti-Islamic activist to defend the concept of freedom of speech, which in his view suffered after Mr Wilders was prevented from entering the UK in February. Before the address, Geert Wilder’s anti-Islamic movie Fitna will be screened, Mr Oberfalzer added.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Poll: Communist Party gains support
    11/18/2009

    Over 12 percent of Czechs would vote for the Communist Party, a survey by the STEM agency revealed on Wednesday, which is some 0.5 percent more than in the previous poll released in October. The country’s two biggest parties, Social Democrats and Civic Democrats, lost around one percent of support, gaining just over 25 and 23 percent of votes respectively. TOP 09 would receive 8.4 percent and Christian Democrats 5.1 percent. No other party would make it past the 45-percent threshold.
    Author: Jan Richter

Pages