• Baby twins lost and found
    05/15/2008

    Six-week-old twins went missing in Olomouc, central Moravia, on Wednesday evening after their mother let a 13-year-old girl she barely knew mind them. The girl, who promised to take them round the block in their pram, took them instead to her home in another part of the city. The Olomouc police only took some 3.5 hours to find the missing twins. The babies appear unharmed but have been admitted to hospital for observation. It is not clear what motivated the girl’s actions.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Czechs knocked out of World Ice Hockey Championships’ quarter-finals
    05/15/2008

    The Czech Republic has been knocked out of the World Ice Hockey Championships in Quebec, after losing 3:2 to Sweden in overtime on Wednesday. The Czechs were leading 2:1 and were just four minutes from advancing to the semi-finals when Sweden equalised to make it 2:2 in regular time. It is the second year in a row that the Czech Republic has exited the World Championships in the quarter-finals. Coach Alois Hadamczik announced he was stepping down after Wednesday’s defeat.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Šírl wins UEFA Cup with Zenit St Petersburg
    05/15/2008

    Radek Šírl has become the fifth Czech football player to win the UEFA Cup. His Zenit St Petersburg beat Glasgow Rangers 2:0 in Wednesday’s final in Manchester. The former Bohemians midfielder was widely praised for a superb tackle which denied Rangers a chance to score in the first half. Šírl has been with the Russian club for five years.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Government rejects referendum on US radar base
    05/14/2008

    The government on Wednesday rejected a proposal by Communist deputies to enact a one-off referendum on the stationing of a US radar base in the Czech Republic. The Communist Party says the radar would infringe on the country’s security and sovereignty. The proposal is yet to be assessed by Parliament. Previous proposals to hold a public referendum on the radar failed to win approval. The ruling Civic Democrats, who are against the plebiscite, are strong enough to block the law on a referendum in both the Lower House and the Senate.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Foreign minister: Czech Republic likely to ratify Lisbon Treaty
    05/14/2008

    The Czech Parliament will most likely ratify the Lisbon Treaty on the future arrangement of the EU, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said after a meeting of ten EU foreign ministers in Paris on Tuesday. If the treaty is ratified by the end of the year, the Czech Republic will be the first country to take up the rotating EU presidency in line with the new model. Migration and the role of new EU institutions, as outlined in the Lisbon Treaty, were also on the agenda of the talks.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Radar treaty to give Czechs preferential protection
    05/14/2008

    The main Czech-American treaty on the stationing of a US radar base on Czech soil will guarantee preferential protection against a missile attack to Czechs, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The Czech Republic will be also able to participate on the development of plans for anti-missile protection in Europe.

    Under the treaty, the Czech Republic will be responsible for providing external security for the US radar base on Czech soil and the base will be guarded by Czech military police. The US will be responsible for internal security and order at the base and the radar will be guarded by US troops. The agreement is yet to be approved by the Czech Parliament.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Judges oppose the ban on physical punishment
    05/14/2008

    The Czech Judges’ Union objects to an absolute ban on the physical punishment of children as proposed by the minister in charge of human rights and minorities Džamila Stehlíková and supported by the Council of Europe. The president of the Judges’ Union Jaromír Jirsa told the daily Právo that a total ban would not reduce the physical abuse of children. He said the state should not interfere unreasonably in family life.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Four million crowns raised for Burma
    05/14/2008

    Czech humanitarian organisations have raised about 4 million crowns in aid of the victims of the devastating cyclone in Burma. The biggest sum, over 3 million crowns, was raised by the NGO People in Need. The Foreign Ministry last week earmarked five million crowns for the devastated region. Czech humanitarian workers are also helping directly in the areas hit by the cyclone.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Slav Epic by Mucha to be displayed in Prague
    05/14/2008

    Prague City Council would like to bring the Slav Epic, a collection of huge paintings by Alphonse Mucha, to Prague despite the fact that it has failed to meet the artists’ condition to build a special pavilion for the works. Mucha donated the paintings to Prague in 1913 but they were only displayed in the Czech capital once, in 1928. For the past 45 years the Slav Epic has been exhibited in the town of Moravský Krumlov which is not happy about having to give up the treasure, pointing out that not having built a suitable gallery for the works Prague does not have the moral right to take possession of them.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Norwegian airplane makes emergency landing in Prague
    05/14/2008

    A Norwegian Air Shuttle airplane carrying 131 passengers had to make an emergency landing at Prague’s Ruzyně Airport on Wednesday afternoon, after the pilot reported a fire onboard. The plane, owned by a low-cost Norwegian airline, landed safely and no rescue operation was needed.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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