-
02/29/2008
Embattled Czech Green Party leader Martin Bursík has said that he will take very seriously a request by the party’s regional representation in the district of Olomouc to consider stepping down as chairman. Mr. Bursík has been under fire since an email leaked earlier this week in which he called a fellow Green MP a “cow”. Critics have accused Mr. Bursík of losing control over an increasingly fractious party ever since the dismissal of Dana Kuchtová as education minister late last year. The Greens leader and Environment Minister is set to formally consider his future position when the party meets for a regular conference on March 7.
-
02/29/2008
Czech Labour Minister Pavel Nečas has announced that pensions will rise in the country by an average of 465 Crowns (around 27 USD) from August. The official reason for this rise is the unexpected increase in the price of a number of basic goods in recent months. However, government rules state that such exceptional rises in pensions can only be implemented when prices rise by an average of 10%. At present, price rises are around 5.1% a month. As a result, Mr Nečas has proposed an amendment which would allow pension rises in conditions of price rises of 5% or more.
-
02/29/2008
The Czech Army is set to purchase up to 107 armoured vehicles from the Austrian company Stejr, the magazine Euro reported on Friday. A previous contract under which the Czech Army was to purchase 234 armoured transport vehicles was cancelled last November after the Austrian company revealed that it would not have enough time to fulfil the order. The as yet unconfirmed new numbers have raised eyebrows among critics of the deal, who point out that the initial contract was suspicious in that far more vehicles were ordered than were actually required. The Czech Defence Ministry has so far refused to comment.
-
02/29/2008
The head of the Czech Republic’s largest opposition party, Jiří Paroubek, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today, as part of a week-long visit to the country. The Social Democrats chairman has rejected criticism by PM Mirek Topolánek that the visit is at odds with current Czech foreign policy, pointing out that both the Slovak and Austrian presidents had recently visited the country. Mr Paroubek’s visit is intended to strengthen economic and political ties between the Czech Republic and Syria.
-
02/29/2008
A Czech woman has been awarded 80,000 Czech crowns (around 5000 USD) in compensation by a court in the Czech city of Brno for an unsuccessful abortion carried out in 2000. The woman, who was expecting twins, only had one foetus aborted, and subsequently gave birth to a baby girl. The award specifically relates to emotional damages caused to the mother.
-
02/29/2008
Around 35,000 packets of Russian-sourced peanuts sold by the Czech Vitana company may have been contaminated by illegal levels of Aflatoxins, the Czech food safety Inspectorate warned today. The packs of salted peanuts are to be re-called, although the Inspectorate is re-assuring Czech’s that safety limits on the toxin have only been marginally exceeded. Aflatoxins are formed by moulds that form on nuts during storage. Excessive exposure can lead to liver damage.
-
02/29/2008
Saturday will mark the 30th anniversary of the first flight by a non-Soviet and non-American astronaut. The flight was made Czech born air-force pilot, Vladimír Remek. Today, the 59-year-old Mr Remek, a life-long communist, ia a member of the European Parliament. Following his eight-day flight aboard the Russian Soyuz 28, Mr Remek was awarded the title of Hero of The Soviet Union.
-
02/29/2008
Marketa Irglová, along with her song-writing partner Glen Hansard have signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group. The pair, who recently won the best original song Oscar for “Once” will now issue previous as well as future work under the umbrella of this new contract.
-
02/28/2008
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek decorated Josef and Ctirad Mašín, the controversial anti-communist resistance fighters, at the Czech embassy in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. The Mašín brothers, together with another young man Milan Paumer, formed a resistance group in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s. During their escape to the West in 1953, they killed five police officers and a cashier. Mr Topolánek said that after he returns to Prague, he would present the same award to Mr Paumer as well.
The Mašín brothers, who live in the United States, and Mr Paumer have been repeatedly proposed for the highest Czech decorations but Czech politicians have been divided on the issue.
Communist Party leader Vojtěch Filip has condemned PM Topolánek’s initiative saying that the three fighters were murderers, and a lawsuit against Mr Topolánek was filed on Thursday for “approving murder and armed assault”.
-
02/28/2008
U.S. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday that his country was “very close” to signing an agreement with the Czech Republic on building g an American radar base in central Bohemia. Mr Bush’s remarks came after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in Washington. Mr Topolánek said that only minor details needed to be sorted out and that negotiations on the issue would be concluded very shortly. Both President Bush and Prime Minister Topolánek rejected Moscow’s claims that the U.S. anti-missile shield in Central Europe was to be used against Russia. Mr Bush said that the system was meant to address potential threats coming from countries run by extremist ideologies.
For his part, Prime Minister Topolánek said that Czech-U.S. relations would be elevated to the level of ‘strategic dialogue’, similar to that between the United States and Great Britain. This will involve the exchange of sensitive information as well as regular meetings of the countries’ top officials and expert teams.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 5413
- 5414
- 5415
- 5416
- 5417
- 5418
- 5419
- 5420
- 5421
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »