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11/07/2008
A new poll released by the CVVM agency has suggested that two-thirds of Czechs remain opposed to the planned stationing of a US radar base on Czech soil. Also, more than 70 percent of those queried said they wanted a referendum to be held on the issue. The government, headed by the Civic Democrats, led negotiations with the US leading to the signing of two treaties on the base (to be ratified in Parliament), but opposition remains, including even among some in the smaller coalition parties. The Chamber of Deputies is expected to vote on the issue next year. The US is seeking to deploy its base to the Brdy military zone, to complement 10 interceptor rockets in Poland, part of a broader defence shield pursed by the US.
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11/07/2008
Fugitive Czech businessman, Tomáš Pitr, sentenced to five years in prison for tax evasion, may be in hiding in Switzerland. The news site Novinky.cz reported the story based on apparent evidence from the Interpol office in Bern. A Prague judge reportedly confirmed that the Swiss had reason to believe Mr Pitr might be in the country. Mr Pitr is one of the Czech Republic’s wealthiest businessmen; he disappeared when he was to begin his prison time. His crime in the Czech Republic would be barred by now under Switzerland’s statute of limitations. This summer there were reports from visitors at Euro 2008, in Switzerland and Austria, claiming Mr Pitr and members of his family had been sighted at the tournament.
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11/07/2008
The Prague High Court has annulled an acquittal from earlier this year clearing Czech MEP and former TV magnate Vladimir Železný of tax evasion over a stake in the CET 21 holding company. CET 21 held TV Nova’s broadcasting licence. The defendants in the case were charged with giving false information in the tax returns for 1996. Police have estimated damages in the case at around 38 million crowns. The Prague Municipal Court will now have to open new proceedings.
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11/07/2008
Slavia Prague lost 1:0 to England’s Aston Villa in their first group stage game in football’s UEFA Cup on Thursday night. In an entertaining match, the visitors went ahead on 26 minutes after a Steve Sidwell shot took a deflection off John Carew to leave the Slavia goalkeeper Martin Vaniak stranded. Vaniak made a couple of important saves before his team mates rallied in the second half, though they were unable to convert any of a number of chances to draw level. Over 20,000 fans attended the game at Slavia’s new Eden stadium.
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11/06/2008
The Czech National Bank has surprised analysts by lowering the benchmark interest rate by three quarters of a percentage point – far more than the expected cut of one quarter of a percentage point. Thursday’s decision was influenced by subsiding inflation and fears of an economic downturn in the wake of the global financial crisis. At 2.75 percent, the Czech Republic’s key interest rate is the lowest in the whole of the European Union. The last time the central bank intervened so strongly was in 2002, when it cut rates from 3.75 percent to 3 percent.
The Czech National Bank has also revised its prediction of growth in the Czech economy next year, from 3.6 percent to 2.9 percent.
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11/06/2008
The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, is due to meet George Bush before he steps down as US president on January 20, the news website ihned.cz reported. Mr Topolánek cancelled a meeting with the American president planned for last week due to tensions within his party the Civic Democrats following poor election results.
The two leaders had been due to discuss the financial crisis and US plans to build a radar base in central Bohemia, as part of a global missile defence system. The rescheduled meeting is expected to take place at the end of this year or in January.
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11/06/2008
Around 350 fire officers fought a huge blaze at one of Prague’s biggest markets on Thursday. The fire spread to a large area of the SAPA market in Libuše in Prague 6 after breaking out at a clothing and footwear store on Wednesday night. People living in the area were told to keep their windows closed because of dangerous fumes emanating from the market. The smoke could be smelled across a large area of Prague and the blaze caused traffic delays. A spokesperson for the city’s fire service said it was one of the biggest fires seen in the capital for several decades.
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11/06/2008
The Czech Republic will have a programme of events for its six-month presidency of the European Union ready by the end of this year, the deputy prime minister for European affairs, Alexandr Vondra, told the lower house’s European affairs committee on Thursday. The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, will present the schedule to the European Parliament for approval in the second week of January, Mr Vondra said. The Czech Republic will assume the presidency of the EU for the first time in the country’s history on January 1.
On Thursday the leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Jiří Paroubek, said his party would co-operate with the government on some matters during the EU presidency to ensure that it runs smoothly. Mr Paroubek said the presidency should not be a show of one party, government or individual, but was a matter for the whole of the Czech Republic, including its regions and citizens.
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11/06/2008
Following recent regional elections, the Communist Party has entered coalitions with the Social Democrats in the Moravia-Silesia and Karlovy Vary regions. It is the first time the Communists have been in power on any of the Czech Republic’s 13 regional authorities, which were set up in 2000. The coalition in Karlovy Vary also includes a group called Doctors Movement. Coalition talks are continuing in several other regions. The Social Democrats came first in all the regional elections held in mid October, while the governing Civic Democrats suffered a complete whitewash.
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11/06/2008
The famous Czech brewer Plzeňský Prazdroj has launched an 11-degree version of its brand Gambrinus. A 10-degree version of Gambrinus is the Czech Republic’s best selling beer. The brewers, who make Pilsner Urquell, say they are bringing out Gambrinus Excelent to meet a growing demand for slightly stronger 11-degree lager. The new brew will cost one crown more than ordinary Gambrinus.
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