• Patient suing hospital over infection contracted during operation
    10/03/2007

    A patient who contracted a bacterial infection during a routine operation is suing Prague's Motol hospital, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. The woman says she suffered complications for two years after the operation and is suing the hospital for CZK 400,000 (over half a million USD). However, officials at Motol deny any responsibility in the matter. The lawsuit is evidently the first such legal action in the Czech Republic, said Mlada fronta.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • European police chiefs gather for conference on pickpocketing
    10/03/2007

    Police chiefs from a number of European capitals have gathered in Prague for a conference on fighting pickpockets, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. Prague police complain that Czech prosecutors are reluctant to remand pickpockets, who often leave the country after arrest. Police chief Petr Zelasko also said his officers were trying to persuade judges that pickpockets were often not individual criminals but members of organised gangs. The conference runs until Thursday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Pig farming in crisis says head of agricultural chamber
    10/03/2007

    Pig breeding and pork processing in the Czech Republic are in crisis, the president of the country's agricultural chamber, Jan Veleba, said on Wednesday. A steep rise this year in the price of cereals used to feed animals has led to a worsening of an already bad situation, he said. One in ten pig farmers quit the industry every year. Pig breeding accounts for a quarter of the country's animal production and about 10 percent of its total agricultural produce.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Woman dies after being knocked down by stampeding horses
    10/03/2007

    A woman died after evidently being knocked down by a herd of stampeding horses at a farm in near Ostrava in north Moravia on Wednesday. The woman, who worked on the farm, died after being admitted to hospital with stomach injuries, said a local rescue worker.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Survey: Prague citizens want more night tram routes, increased lighting of metro stations
    10/03/2007

    Citizens of Prague would like to see an increase in the number of night tram routes in the city, suggests a survey carried out by the research agency Westminster. Those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for more routes, as well as increased lighting of parts of the city's metro stations. Passengers also complained that the city's public transport system is seen as mostly serving the relatively badly-off. On the positive side, respondents praised the fact the transport network covers so much of the city, and the affordable price of travel-cards.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Brno's namesti Svobody to get modern clock
    10/03/2007

    The main square in the Moravian capital Brno is to get a new clock. A competition has been launched to find a modern clock design for a shopping centre on namesti Svobody, the city's mayor Roman Onderka told reporters. Mr Onderka said he hoped the clock would become a landmark where people would arrange to meet.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Slavia Prague beaten by Sevilla in Champions League group game
    10/03/2007

    Slavia Prague were beaten by Sevilla in football's Champions League on Tuesday night. After falling behind in the 8th minute, Slavia drew level at 1:1 through a strike by Daniel Pudil, before the home side scored three more to open an unassailable lead. Substitute David Kalivoda got a consolation goal for the Czechs in time added on, leaving the final score at 4:2. Slavia's next game is away to group leaders Arsenal on October 23.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Simunek, 20, gets first call-up ahead of Euro 2008 qualifier
    10/03/2007

    Twenty-year-old defender Jan Simunek has been called up for the Czech squad for the first time ahead of a Euro 2008 qualifier against Germany on October 17. Simunek, who plays for German side Wolfsburg, captained the Czech Republic at this year's Under 20 World Cup, where the country reached the final. First team regulars Milan Baros, Marek Jankolvski and Jan Polak all miss the Germany game through suspension.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Two Czech soldiers face charges for dereliction of duty
    10/02/2007

    Two Czech soldiers serving at the Basra military base in southern Iraq face charges for failing to perform their guard duties properly. One of the soldiers allowed a vehicle into the base without checking it, while the other abandoned his post in order to take a ride on a borrowed motorcycle. The Czech Defense Ministry says it is planning to expel both soldiers from the service on the grounds that by their irresponsible behaviour they threatened the lives of hundreds of others. According to martial law, dereliction of duty carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Langer fined for leak of Kubice report
    10/02/2007

    Interior Minister Ivan Langer has been fined 9,000 crowns for the leak of the so-called Kubice report - a classified report by the country's intelligence service. The incident happened just days ahead of last year's parliamentary elections and the leak of the report, which claimed that organized crime had infiltrated the Czech civil service, caused a public uproar. Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek claims that his party lost the elections as a result of the ensuing scandal. Minister Langer has paid the fine but argues that he was not to blame. He says that at the time the committee was dealing with the Kubice report, he went to the bathroom for a couple of minutes, leaving the report open on the table. Any one of the people who remained in the room could have copied parts of the document then, Langer said. The fine was imposed by the National Security Office.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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