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04/15/2008
The Czech anti-monopoly office has said that it will not reconsider its stance on the legality of building Jan Kaplický’s proposed National Library building on Letná plain. The anti-monopoly office was asked to look into the legality of the selection procedure which chose Mr Kaplický’s ‘blob’ as the winning design. Two months ago, its head Martin Pecina said that he saw no reason why the competition should not be recognized, but, he said, he subsequently came under pressure from the culture ministry to reverse his decision. The culture ministry denies the allegation. On Tuesday, Mr Pecina told Hospodářské noviny that he was in no hurry to reverse his decision and that the case had been shelved indefinitely. Jan Kaplický’s 'blob' has proved controversial since it was picked to become the new Czech national library building over a year ago. One of the project’s most famous and most vocal opponents is Czech president Vaclav Klaus.
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04/15/2008
The labour and social affairs minister Petr Nečas has said that he is against the idea of early retirement for those in jobs which are more physically demanding. The government recently drafted a bill which, as of 2030, would raise the retirement age for all Czech citizens to 65 years old. The reform has still to be approved by parliament. On Tuesday, Mr Nečas met with representatives of the miner’s union, who are pushing for the right to retire aged 55, because of the strenuous nature of their jobs. But following on from the meeting, Mr Nečas told journalists that he would make no concessions. The miner’s union is threatening protests as early as Monday, and potentially industrial action, should Mr Nečas fail to change his stance.
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04/15/2008
The biggest telecoms company in the Czech Republic, Telefonica O2, said on Monday that it would pay its main local rival, T-Mobile 2 billion CZK (127.3 million USD) claimed in unpaid phone bills. T-Mobile says it is owed the sum because Telefonica O2 and its predecessor paid insufficient connection charges dating back to 1997. Telefonica O2 said that it would make the payment because property worth more than the contested sum had been frozen as a result of a legal order taken out at T-Mobile’s request in the bitter battle between the companies. But it says it will fight on. Telefonica O2 said it would launch a legal challenge to existing Czech law covering the seizure of assets because loopholes had been exploited by its rival. Telefonica O2’s combined fixed and mobile phone businesses make it the biggest telecoms operator on the Czech market, closely followed by T-Mobile.
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04/15/2008
In more business news, the Czech Republic’s current account posted an 11.8 billion CZK (752 million USD) surplus in February. For 2007 as a whole, the country’s current account posted a deficit of 88.9 billion crowns, the Czech national bank recently announced. The current account measures trade, services and dividend flows into and out of the country and is seen as one of the main drivers of the Czech currency, the crown.
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04/15/2008
Commuters on the Prague public transport system will be able to purchase their period travel-cards over the internet as of August. Having purchased the tickets over the Prague Public Transport Company’s website, travelers can chose either to wait for their travel passes to be delivered by post, or to request a confirmation number, which they can then take to an outlet and redeem for a pass. At the moment, large queues build up at the beginning of each month at the handful of stations which sell period tickets in the capital. Recently, the Prague Public Transport Company introduced an SMS ticketing-service which won the firm a ‘Zavináč’ award for innovative use of new technologies.
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04/15/2008
Captain of the Czech football team Tomáš Rosický will recover from a recurring knee tendonitis which has made him doubtful for Euro 2008 in his homeland, the player announced on his website on Monday. The midfielder’s website said that following agreement with the Arsenal management, Rosický’s rehabilitation would continue in Prague. Rosický has been sidelined through injury since January. His continued absence from club and country prompted Czech football federation chiefs and team doctors to voice concerns last week over whether the key 27-year-old would be fit for June’s Euro 2008 championships. Rosický attempted to allay fears by saying that in the last few days he has been feeling a bit better.
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04/14/2008
A key labour union in the Czech Republic with more than half a million members has announced that from April 14, it will undertake what it describes as a “month of disruption”. The Czech-Moravian Association of Trade Unions are planning a series of demonstrations and have also threatened strike action, in protest at government reforms, which they blame for rising inflation levels in the country. Specifically, they oppose wide-scale reforms to healthcare and pensions proposed by the government. The news follows a tense meeting between union members and the Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in early April.
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04/14/2008
Police and transport specialists have reconstructed events which led to a tram crash that occurred in the northeastern Czech city of Ostrava on Friday. The head-on collision, which claimed three lives, occurred on a single track used for trams going in both directions. Monday’s reconstruction was undertaken in order to find out the precise circumstances behind the accident. Czech police have confirmed that the investigation into the incident may take several months. At present, human error on the part of one of the drivers – both of whom survived the crash - is being seen as the most likely cause.
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04/14/2008
Former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has continued to come under media scrutiny for the purchase of a luxury apartment near Miami, Florida. Czech newspapers have been looking into the apartment complex, called Hidden Bay which boasts 24 hour security and high fences. The daily Mladá fronta Dnes has estimated the flat to be worth 12 million crowns - or more than 800,000 US dollars. Mr. Gross was forced to stand down as the country’s Prime Minister in 2005 partly as a result of an inability to explain where he got 1.2 million crowns to purchase a luxury flat in the Czech capital.
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04/14/2008
Newly released figures suggest that last year the Czech Republic saw record levels of immigration with around 84,000 people moving into the country. An academic study from Charles University also suggests that the country has become the number one destination for immigration among post-communist European states. Some figures estimate that with an ageing populace, up to a third of the Czech population may comprise of immigrants by 2065, with people from Ukraine, Vietnam and China forming the largest immigrant communities. Recent government initiatives have been designed to make immigration into the country easier.
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