• 04/26/2007

    Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has apologised for some of his statements, mistakes and what he called "adolescent outpourings". Speaking in the lower house of parliament, Mr Topolanek said at 51 years of age he is young in spirit and makes mistakes like every human being. Former Social Democrat health minister, David Rath, said Prime Minister Topolanek approached his office as "one big party" instead of fulfilling his constitutional duties.

  • 04/26/2007

    The President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vaclav Paces, has said the academy may find itself in severe financial difficulties in 2008. Under an earlier 2008 state budget proposal, the academy was supposed to receive one billion crowns less than this year. Under a revised state budget draft, the amount allocated for research in 2008 would be by 80 million crowns lower than in 2007.

  • 04/26/2007

    The Prague City Court has ruled that British tourist Malcolm Tuffin, who was seriously injured when a 30-metre tall Christmas tree fell on him in December 2003, is entitled to compensation worth 560,000 crowns (27,000 USD). The court also overturned an earlier ruling ordering the city of Prague to pay more than 110,000 dollars in compensation. Mr Tuffin suffered fractures to the spine and femur bones when strong winds brought down the tree in a crowded Christmas market on Prague's Old Town Square. The court has also ruled the Prague City Hall and the company operating the Christmas market were responsible for the accident.

  • 04/26/2007

    The Police Presidium has said Vratislav Gregr is to become the new head of the Czech branch of the Interpol. He is replacing Pavol Mihal who was dismissed earlier this year after it was revealed that he previously worked for the Czechoslovak communist-era secret police, the StB. Vratislav Gregr will resume office in October after he finishes his duties at the Europol headquarters in The Hague. His predecessor Pavol Mihal bypassed a 1991 law barring former secret service agents access to top public posts. He used the name Pavel instead of Pavol when applying for a security clearance.

  • 04/25/2007

    The head of the Hyundai Motor company, Chung Mong-Koo was in the Czech Republic on Wednesday to launch the construction of the South Korean car giant's first European production plant in Nosovice, Moravia. The company is investing more than a billion dollars in the factory, the biggest ever single investment in this country. The plant is due to open in 2009 and should produce 300,000 cars a year when it achieves its full production capacity in 2011. Around 3000 people are expected to be employed at the plant.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor
  • 04/25/2007

    A special team at the Supreme State Attorney's Office has cast doubt on the so called Kubice report which claimed that organized crime had infiltrated the Czech civil service. The head of the Office for Investigation of Organized Crime Jan Kubice told a parliamentary committee last June that the outgoing Social Democrat prime minister Jiri Paroubek and other top officials had hindered his unit's work in order to shield party colleagues and that criminals had infiltrated the civil service. A special team set up at the Supreme State Attorney's Office to investigate the claims has concluded that these claims were unfrounded. Its spokeswoman Irena Valova said on Tuesday that in none of the cases mentioned was the supervising state attorney contacted by anyone with the intention of influencing the criminal proceedings, nor had there been any attempt to influence the work of the police.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor
  • 04/25/2007

    In related news, Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek, who claimed from the start that Kubice report had been fabricated in last year's general elections has called for the resignation of Interior Minister Ivan Langer, who is believed by many to have been responsible for leaking news of the confidential report to the press. The Social Democrats have also called for a public apology from Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek over the matter. The prime minister says he'll study the findings of the Supreme State Attorney's office before making any further comment. Like many of his party colleagues he remains sceptical with regard to the outcome of the investigation - and says that many things remain unexplained, in particular the high number of wiretappings that were ordered when the Social Democrats were in office.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor
  • 04/25/2007

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra represented the Czech Republic at the former Russian president Boris Yeltsin's funeral in Moscow on Wednesday. Mr Vondra arrived late for the event after technical problems with his government jet. Earlier, Czech president Vaclav Klaus sent a letter of condolence to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in which he said that Boris Yeltsin would remain one of the symbols of the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union. Mr Klaus is expected in Moscow later this week for an official visit which is reported to be going ahead as planned.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor
  • 04/25/2007

    Prague City Court ruled on Wednesday morning that a suspected Swedish terrorist arrested in Prague airport a year and a half ago can be extradited to the United States to face trial. Oussama Kassir - a Swede of Lebanese origin - has been in Czech custody ever since he was apprehended on the basis of an international arrest warrant by police during a flight stopover at Ruzyne Airport in December 2005. He is wanted by the United States for conspiring to build a Jihad training camp at a farm in Oregon and could face life imprisonment if found guilty. Kassir denies the charges and his Czech lawyer's say they will appeal against Prague City Court's decision to extradite him to the US.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor
  • 04/25/2007

    A court in Dublin decided on Wednesday that two suspected members of the so-called "Berdych Gang" can be extradited to the Czech Republic. Tomas Puta and Maros Sulej are alleged members of a gang - named after their leader David Berdych - accused by the Czech authorities of a number of crimes, including murder, kidnapping and robbery. The two men fled the Czech Republic separately in 2002 and 2003, but were arrested together in Ireland in August of last year. They have fifteen days to appeal the Irish court's decision.

    Author: Coilin O'Connor

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