-
08/10/2007
The country's largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, has pledged to strike down fiscal reforms planned by the government - if approved - once the party returns to power. Party leader Jiri Paroubek said as much at a press conference on Friday, criticising the reforms put forward by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. He called them "bad" and said they would lower the living standards of 90 percent of Czechs. MPs will begin debating the government's reform package next Tuesday. The ruling parties enjoy a slim majority in the lower house, but a number of their own MPs, too, have expressed reservations on a number of reform issues.
-
08/10/2007
According to a poll released by the Factum Invenio agency, the ruling Civic Democrats would defeat the country's largest opposition party, the Social Democrats, were a national election held today. The poll suggests the Civic Democrats would win three percent more of the vote, earning 33.9 percent, while the Social Democrats would get 30.7 percent.
-
08/10/2007
Two senators from the Independents' Association deputies group have come out against a possible presidential bid by fellow party member and Euro MP Josef Zieleniec. Earlier this week the 61-year old former foreign minister indicated he might consider a bid if he found broader backing in Parliament. But at the moment his chances of finding support appear slim. Mr Zieleniec's candidacy, at the very least, would be opposed by the Communist Party and would also be unlikely to get support from many ruling Civic Democrats. They have already declared the intention of supporting current president and honorary party chairman Vaclav Klaus.
-
08/10/2007
Police are prosecuting a mayor in the Liberec area in North Bohemia for allegedly forging documents accompanying an application for an EU grant. The mayor allegedly forged and altered a building permit he needed for a project worth 38 million crowns, to be financed from EU structural funds. The man has been charged with abusing the power of a public official, forging and altering public documents, and attempted fraud. If found guilty, he could face up to 12 years in prison.
-
08/09/2007
Police suspect Christian Democratic deputy Pavel Severa of having leaked the so-called "Kubice report" to the media. The controversial report claimed that the state administration had been infiltrated by organized crime. Mr Severa has denied the accusation but has refused to comment.
Jan Kubice, head of the anti-organised crime unit, presented the report last year to the lower house's defence and security committee, of which Mr Severa was a member. The report was leaked only four days before parliamentary elections. The then ruling Social Democrats accused the Civil Democrats - the largest opposition party at the time - of being responsible for the leak which they say "reversed the election outcome".
-
08/09/2007
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek wants to call a meeting of the leadership of the three ruling parties - for August 13th to propose an individual income tax rate of 13.5 percent of the super gross wage (the gross wage plus health and social insurance) next year and 12 percent in 2010. According to the daily Pravo, the proposal is a reaction to pressure by fellow Civic Democrat Vlastimil Tlusty.
The governing collation of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Greens originally proposed a 15 percent individual income tax in a draft reform which was approved in May. Experts say fine-tuning of the proposal will be impossible to complete by August 14, when the draft is to be discussed at the Chamber of Deputies meeting.
-
08/09/2007
According to a survey by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs carried out between 2004 and 2006, Great Britain is the most popular destination for Czechs seeking jobs abroad, followed by Germany, Austria and Ireland.
Almost 55,000 workers from the Czech Republic registered in EU countries and Switzerland last year, out of which more than 17,000 in Great Britain. The reason for their choice is legislation, knowledge of the language, and the fact that the British labour market has been open since 2004. In comparison with other states that joined the EU in 2004, the mobility of work force in the Czech Republic is still very low.
-
08/09/2007
Communist MP Josef Vondruska, who was asked by the Czech police to be stripped of his political immunity, should offer to give it up himself, the deputy chairman of the Communist party Jiri Dolejs told the Czech Press Agency.
The police want to question Mr Vondruska as part of their investigation into the abuse of prisoners in Minkovice jail where he was a warden throughout the 1980s. It is alleged that he treated political prisoners with particular severity. The Committee on Mandate and Parliamentary Privilege will discuss the matter next week before referring it to parliament.
-
08/09/2007
After a pause of several months, the Czech Republic is once again allowing the adoption of Czech children by foreign couples abroad. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs banned foreign adoptions last years following the death of a three-year old Czech boy in an adoptive Swedish family due to alleged neglect. Adoptions will now be governed by stricter rules involving extensive psychological tests for both the children and their prospective parents.
-
08/09/2007
Guns from Ceska zbrojovka arms producer were stolen during their transport to the US in the past few days. The damage amounts to more than 80,000 Czech crowns (USD 4,000). According to the Pravo daily, it was the second arms theft from the delivery over the Atlantic Ocean in the past months and the third in the past year.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 5593
- 5594
- 5595
- 5596
- 5597
- 5598
- 5599
- 5600
- 5601
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »