• Thousands attending hops festival in Zatec
    09/01/2007

    Thousands of people have been attending a festival in Zatec, north Bohemia, which is known for the best hops in the Czech Republic. Among the events taking place during the two-day festival are beer tastings, a rabbit show and the crowning of Miss zlateho moku (Miss Golden Drink), with entrants selected from the staff of Bohemia and Moravia's breweries.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Mass held to remember settlement flooded in creation of dam
    09/01/2007

    A memorial mass was celebrated on Saturday at the church of SS Fabian and Sebastian by the former settlement of Zivohost in central Bohemia, which was flooded during the construction of the Slapy dam. The mass, served by Archbishop Miloslav Vlk, was part of celebrations to mark the 950th anniversary of the first recorded mention of Zivohost. The church and its parish house were the only buildings preserved when Slapy was created.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Jankulovski scores as AC Milan take Super Cup
    09/01/2007

    Czech footballer Marek Jankulovski scored for his club AC Milan on Friday night in a 3:1 victory over Sevilla in the final of the Super Cup in Monaco. The game is played between the winners of the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. Jankulovski this year became only the third Czech to win a Champions League medal, when Milan beat Liverpool in the final.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Stepanek and Safarova out in third round of US Open
    09/01/2007

    Czech tennis players Radek Stepanek and Lucie Safarova were both knocked out in the third round of the US Open on Friday. Stepanek lost to Novak Djokovic of Serbia, while Safarova was beaten by Marion Bartoli of France. Safarova's next challenge will be off the courts - she is preparing for her maturita school leaving exams.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • 206 people killed on Czech roads over summer holidays
    08/31/2007

    Police have revealed statistics showing that 206 people were killed on Czech roads over the summer months of July and August, a rise of one-third in the number of road deaths compared to the same period last year. According to road safety experts, last summer saw a drop in the number of fatalities on Czech roads as the result of new road safety legislation including a drivers' points system. The rise in accidents on Czech roads so far in 2007 cost traffic police chief Zdenek Bambas his post in July; his successor has promised improvements.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Klaus: consensus needed over US radar base
    08/31/2007

    Czech president Vaclav Klaus has said it is necessary to achieve a certain national consensus on the building of an American radar base in central Bohemia. Speaking after talks with US congressman Trent Franks in Prague, Mr Klaus said if the base was approved by the slimmest of majorities in the lower house it would create room for potential problems in the future. The Czech Parliament is set to decide on the US base - part of a broader defense shield planned by the US in Europe - in the early part of 2008.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Government to hire PR firm to head radar campaign
    08/31/2007

    In related news, the Czech government has revealed it is planning to hire a public relations firm to run a public campaign on missile defense to try and win over a sceptical Czech public. Polls have consistently shown that about two-thirds of Czechs remain opposed to the idea of a US radar base on Czech territory. So far, attempts - including a visit by US President George W Bush in June - have failed to make a difference. According to defense issues spokesman Tomas Klvana, five firms are vying to head the radar campaign.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Unions fail to reach agreement with ministers on state sector employee wage increase
    08/31/2007

    Trade unions representing state sector employees failed to reach agreement on a wage increase for next year in talks on Friday, although negotiations are set to continue. Workers in the sector would like to see an increase of about six or seven percent, something opposed by Labour and Social Affairs Minister Pet Necas and Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, who do not want to go beyond 1.5. Mr Necas has said a quicker pay increase is unacceptable for the government, aiming to tackle the public finance debt.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech soldiers take part in border operations
    08/31/2007

    Czech soldiers serving as part of a provincial reconstruction team in the Afghan province of Badakhshan have taken part in operations aimed at strengthening cooperation between international ISAF forces and the Afghan army. The operations took place towards the end of August and focused on reinforcing safety in areas along the border with Pakistan, the defence ministry said on Friday. Control of areas and routes on the border are key to stability in the province as certain routes are used by insurgents and drug smugglers to illegally cross.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Defence ministry fined for mistakes in tenders
    08/31/2007

    The Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS) has handed the Czech defence ministry fines to the total of almost 550,000 crowns, the equivalent of around 27,000 US dollars. The fines concern mistakes made in military tenders on soldiers' outfits and uniforms. The defence ministry can still appeal most of the fines handed down, as most are not valid yet.
    Author: Jan Velinger

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