• Historic Czech Radio building closed for renovation
    08/31/2007

    The historic Czech Radio building, part of the broader Czech Radio complex found on Prague's Vinohradska and Rimska streets, has officially closed its doors for renovation. A special ceremony was held at the building shortly after 11 am on Friday. It was headed by the director of Czech Radio Vaclav Kasik and attended by several hundred on-lookers. Czech Radio's Vinohradska address witnessed some of the most important events in 20th century Czech history, including fighting at the end of World War II and resistance to invading Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. Renovation work at the radio building is expected to cost 500 million crowns and should be completed in two years' time.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech javelin thrower wins gold at Osaka, Japan in world championships
    08/31/2007

    Czech javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova has won gold in the javelin event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics underway in Osaka, Japan. Spotakova threw a personal best of 67.07 metres, beating nearest rivals Christina Obergfoll and Steffi Nerius of Germany.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Slavia heroes named to national squad for upcoming qualifiers
    08/31/2007

    The head of the national football team, Karel Bruckner, has named Slavia Prague's Champions League qualification heroes, striker Stanislav Vlcek and goalkeeper Martin Vaniak, to the squad for upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against San Marino and Ireland. Vlcek scored a brace of goals against Ajax on Wednesday night, putting Slavia into the Champions League group stages for the first time. In the same game, Vaniak pulled off a string of spectacular saves. The Czechs play minnows San Marino away on September 8th and host qualification rivals Ireland four days later.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Average wages rise by over 7 percent in second quarter
    08/30/2007

    Average wages in the Czech Republic grew by 7.4 percent in the second quarter of this year. The average salary stood at CZK 21,462 (just over USD 1,000) in the April to July period. Accounting for inflation, the real wage increase is 4.9 percent. Analysts have put the rise down to a shortage of labour in many sectors of the Czech economy.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Interest rates at five-year high after second hike in two months
    08/30/2007

    The Czech National Bank has increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.25. The second such hike in two months puts interest rates in the Czech Republic at their highest level in five years. However, they remain the lowest in the European Union.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Consensus needed over US radar base, says Czech president
    08/30/2007

    The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, says 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 various potential problems in the future. The Czech Parliament is set to decide on the planned US base in the early part of next year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Taxation change to benefit Czech science
    08/30/2007

    Scientists in the Czech Republic are set to get an extra two billion CZK a year from the European Union, with the cancelling of value added tax duty due on chemicals used in EU-funded research, Hospodarske noviny reported. The change is part of an extensive reform package recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies. The tax had acted as something of a deterrent - the Czech Republic currently ranks 22nd in the union in terms of participation in EU scientific projects.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Slight fall in number attending elementary school
    08/30/2007

    There is a slight fall in the number of pupils attending Czech elementary schools this academic year; almost 850,000 pupils are enrolled, a fall of around 25,000 compared to last year. However, there is a small increase in the number of children going into first class, said the institute for education information.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • National Theatre wants Havel to change mind over staging of play
    08/30/2007

    The National Theatre hopes to reopen talks with representatives of Vaclav Havel on the possibility of staging the playwright's first work in nearly two decades, one of its directors said on Thursday. He said the institution now proposed to stage the play Leaving at its Estates Theatre. It was reported recently that Mr Havel had decided to take the long-awaited piece to another theatre, after the National Theatre refused to allow his wife Dagmar to take part in the production. The former president said he had written a key part in Leaving for her.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • CEZ hooking up with Hungarian oil company
    08/30/2007

    The Czech energy giant CEZ is teaming up with the Hungarian oil and natural gas company MOL, the Czech website Euro OnLine reported. The two companies' first joint project is the building of two natural gas power stations, in Hungary and Slovakia.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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