• Woman dies at Prague psychiatric hospital after eating her own excrements
    04/26/2006

    The family of a woman, who died at a Prague psychiatric hospital, have lodged a criminal complaint against hospital management, the Aktualne.cz internet news server has reported. The thirty-year old patient, who was being held in a netted bed, suffocated after she attempted to eat her own excrements. The case is also being investigated by the health ministry and the Czech ombudsman.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Lower House lowers VAT on foodstuffs
    04/26/2006

    The Chamber of Deputies has decided to lower value added tax on certain basic foodstuffs. VAT on coffee, tea, and chocolate products, for example, is currently 19 percent and is to be lowered to 5 percent. If the plan is approved by the Senate and signed by the President, alcoholic beverages would be the only foodstuffs with 19 percent VAT.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Diplomats and NGOs discuss future of Cuba in Prague
    04/26/2006

    European diplomats and representatives of NGOs discussed the future of Cuba at a meeting in Prague's Cernin Palace on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, who has just returned from a trip to Canada, also attended the meeting on Cuba and expressed concern over mounting attacks on dissidents and their families on the island. Mr Svoboda said an international effort ought to be made to help free all political prisoners of the Castro regime and called for the EU to voice a united position on growing numbers of human rights violations in Cuba.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Doctors prepare week of protests ahead of general elections
    04/26/2006

    Doctors, pharmacists, and some employees of smaller hospitals are planning to hold a week of protests in late May (20th - 26th), ahead of the general elections in June. The aim of what they call the Week of Doctors' Unrest is to prevent the current Social Democrat-led government from pushing through new legislation on non-profit hospitals. On Wednesday, a committee of 50 representatives of the protesting health care workers presented Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and both houses of Parliament with a petition signed by over 230,000 people against health reforms, which they say are crippling the health sector.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • John Major in Prague to support Civic Democrats ahead of elections
    04/26/2006

    Former British Prime Minister, John Major, visited Prague on Tuesday. The former leader of the Conservative Party came to the Czech capital to support the opposition right-of-centre Civic Democrats ahead of the general elections in June and take part in the Forum Populini 2006 conference. Following talks with Civic Democrat leader Mirek Topolanek, Mr Major said the party was well prepared and set for a good election result.

    The British Labour Party's Tony Blair visited Prague in March to take part in a meeting of socialist leaders and express support for the Social Democrats' election campaign.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Deputies relax controversial age limit in bill on assisted reproduction and sperm donation
    04/26/2006

    A bill that bans assisted reproduction or sperm donation after the age of forty will not apply to married couples and partners in serious relationships. Upon the Senate's request, the bill that was passed by the lower house of Parliament earlier this year was amended on Wednesday to apply only to anonymous donors. It has yet to be signed by the President to come into effect.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • German court: Roztocil to be extradited on condition of retrial
    04/26/2006

    A German court has ruled that a Czech fugitive prisoner will be extradited to the Czech Republic if he gets a retrial. Rostislav Roztocil, who was found guilty of murdering an Egyptian student in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, escaped from the Pilsen prison in West Bohemia last November. He turned himself in to the police in Germany a few weeks later but maintains his innocence.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • All confirmed cases of bird flu belonging to H5N1 strain
    04/26/2006

    All the twelve cases of bird flu that are confirmed in the Czech Republic to date belonged to the H5N1 strain, the State Veterinary Authority said on Wednesday. The strain that is potentially deadly to humans was found in swans in south Bohemia.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Conservationists research canvas painting featuring Maria Theresa and Lichtenstein Prince
    04/26/2006

    Czech conservationists are trying to determine the value of a large painting that was found stored at a depository of the Valtice Chateau near Breclav, south Moravia. The painting dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century and was believed to feature Prince Joseph Wenceslas Lichtenstein, who owned the estate at the time, and his extended family. More intense research, though, has uncovered that the Prince is standing next to the Empress Maria Theresa and her relatives.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • No Czech believed among Dahab victims; special hotline opened
    04/25/2006

    The Czech Foreign Ministry has said that there is no evidence suggesting that Czech tourists are among the victims of the blasts in the Egyptian resort of Dahab. According to the country's major travel agencies, their clients are safe and most of them do not plan to cut their stay short. A special telephone hotline has also been opened by the foreign ministry for those who have not been able to get in touch with their relatives in Egypt. Latest estimates say just under two dozen people have died in the blasts and around five dozen remain injured.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

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