• 11/20/2007

    Tuesday’s edition of Mlada Fronta Dnes reported that on Monday, American animation firm Walt Disney’s office in Prague expanded into the mobile telephone games market. A new Disney Mobile Games Studio has been opened in Prague, which, according to Mlada Fronta, puts the city on an even keel with Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beijing – all recognised centres of innovation in this field. The studio is expected to come up with around 10 different mobile phone games annually, and is set to employ 60 people by the end of next year. According to research conducted by Goldman Sachs, the worldwide mobile phone games market is expected to grow by 400% in the next 3 years and be worth some 8.4 billion USD by the end of 2010.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 11/20/2007

    The first lesbian publishing house in the Czech Republic has just been opened. The first books to be printed by the publishers, LePress, are two romantic novels by American authors Karen Williams and Karen Kallmaker. The aim of the publishing house, according to owner Marketa Navratilova, is to bring foreign lesbian fiction to Czech readers. At the moment, the books are only available over the internet. According to Mrs Navratilova, the initial reaction to the publishers within the Czech lesbian community has been positive.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 11/20/2007

    Italian team Juventus are lining up a bid for Czech striking prodigy Martin Fenin, the player’s agent has revealed. The 20-year-old is the top scorer in the Czech league having hit the back of the net seven times this season for FK Teplice. He has grabbed the attention of several top clubs around Europe but his agent Pavel Zika says his heart is set on a switch to the Old Lady of Turin. Negotiations with the club are set to start at the end of November. Fenin’s price-tag is expected to be around 9 million euros, but it is rumoured that Arsenal and Liverpool are also interested in him and could start a bidding war, according to the Channel Four Football Italia Website.

    Author: Rosie Johnston
  • 11/19/2007

    The Czech Republic will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh hit by a disastrous cyclone on Thursday. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has agreed to earmark 1.5 million crowns for the devastated region. The help will be distributed via the International Red Cross. The Adra humanitarian organisation has launched a fund-raising campaign and has sent its representative to southern Bangladesh. As of Tuesday, People in Need and the Czech Catholic Charity will also open special accounts for public contributions. The cyclone Sidr has so far claimed more than 3,000 lives.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    The Czech judiciary will in the future be faster, comfortable and transparent under plans to reform the justice system put forward by the Ministry of Justice. The plans were presented by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil at a news conference on Monday. One of the main points of the reform is digitalisation of the judiciary sector that should simplify people’s access to courts and speed up judicial proceedings. The ministry is also planning an audit of the administrative staff in an effort to increase the efficiency of the courts.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    The Czech Republic has managed to use up all of the money allocated by the European Union EQUAL programme promoting equal opportunities and employment of disadvantaged people, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Petr Necas said at a news conference on Monday. Altogether, the Czech Republic received more than 430 million crowns, or 24 million US dollars, from the European Social Fund. Mr Necas added that unemployment in the Czech Republic stood at 5.8 % in October, the lowest figure over the past nine months.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    Iran has lifted its embargo on imports of Czech goods, according to the weekly Euro. Until this August, every business transaction had to be approved by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Due to the restrictions, Czech exporters found it difficult to enter the Iranian market. Iran introduced the embargo at the beginning of 2003 due to the Farsi service of Radio Free Europe, which is based in Prague.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    Czech teachers and other education employees plan to go on strike on 4 December unless they are promised an increase in next year’s education budget of three billion crowns, or 165 million US dollars. According to a senior union official, the draft budget doesn’t include enough money to pay for teachers’ salaries, teaching aids and teacher training. The trade unions also argue that the 1.5% pay rise included in the draft is not in line with inflation. The trade unions expect that most schools will join the strike.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    The west-Bohemian town of Cheb has agreed to establish a military cemetery for German soldiers who died on Czech territory during the Second World War. Until now, the soldiers’ remains were kept in Usti nad Labem and Brdy. Cheb councillors have agreed to build the cemetery on the condition that it will not be just for German soldiers but for any victims of war. The cemetery will be built using German funds.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/19/2007

    The Gripen fighters fly without any limitations in the Czech Republic again after a Gripen accident that occurred in Sweden in April, the Czech Defence Ministry said. The Czech military first grounded Gripens and then limited their flights due to the accident, in which a pilot was ejected unintentionally. The Czech military took measures limiting the manoeuvres pilots can make in the air and adapted the ejector handles.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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