• Czech arms exports highest in 9 years
    07/11/2007

    Czech arms exports in 2006 were the highest in nine years, according to an annual report on the control of exports of military material and handguns for civilian use. The country exports aircraft, equipment and services, tanks, armoured vehicles and spare parts. Half of the exports went to Europe, 15 percent to North America and the rest were equally divided among other countries.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Inflation statistics
    07/11/2007

    Czech inflation rose to 2.5 percent in June on a 12-month comparison after 2.4 percent in May, the Czech Statistics Office announced on Wednesday. In June, consumer prices rose by 0.3 percent compared with the May figure. Consumer prices in May rose 0.4 percent from April.

    The 2.5 percent inflation rate is the highest so far this year, also reached in April. The main factors behind the latest price rises were more expensive alcohol, tobacco and transport costs, the office said.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czech unemployment falls to record low of 6.3 percent in June
    07/11/2007

    Czech unemployment fell to 6.3 percent in June from May's 6.4 percent, a record low since the new calculation procedure was introduced in July 2004, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said on Wednesday. The number of unemployed capable of taking up work immediately fell by 6,769 to 346,835 in June, the ministry added. The figure is in line with most analysts expectations.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Nedved stays on at Juventus
    07/11/2007

    The former Czech football international Pavel Nedved has decided to remain at Juventus. Nedved, who is 35 next month, had considered retiring after helping the club gain promotion to Italy's first division. The 2003 European player of the year told reporters that Juventus had increased his salary; it is believed he will now receive as much as some of the team's other star players.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • EU slams Czech Republic over public finances
    07/10/2007

    The European Union has criticised the Czech Republic over the state of its public finances. EU finance ministers called on Prague to tighten its budget policy in order to reduce the public finance deficit to below three percent - and as quickly as possible. This year the Czech Republic's budget deficit is set to reach 4 percent of gross domestic product, breaking a Czech government pledge to keep it below 3.3 percent. Tuesday's reprimand had been expected and is set to be followed by a similar admonishment later this year.

    Meanwhile, Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said the EU had given its backing to government plans to reform the Czech Republic's welfare and taxation systems.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Klaus: Prague and Warsaw should exchange info on missile talks
    07/10/2007

    The Czech Republic and Poland should exchange information on talks with Washington over the possible building of parts of a US anti-missile defence shield in their states, the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, said after talks in Warsaw on Tuesday with his Polish counterpart, Lech Kaczynski. For his part, Mr Kaczynski expressed gratitude for the support Poland received from the Czech Republic at a recent EU summit. The two leaders said their states would continue to support one another.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Senator accused of racism over recording
    07/10/2007

    The League against Anti-Semitism have accused independent senator Liana Janackova of racism following the release of a recording on which she appears to say the way to deal with difficult Romany neighbours is to blow them out with dynamite. She also appears to admit to being a racist and an opponent of the integration of Romanies. However, Ms Janackova, who is also mayor of a district of Ostrava, denies either making the comments or being a racist. A Romany rights organisation has put the recording on its website.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Army begins rotation of troops in Kosovo
    07/10/2007

    The Czech Army has begun rotating its soldiers taking part in an international peace-keeping mission in Kosovo. Around 70 members of the army's 11th contingent left Prague for Kosovo on Tuesday, with some of the troops they are replacing travelling in the opposite direction. The Czech mechanised battalion in the province numbers almost 450 soldiers. Their commander Milan Schulc said their main task was to ensure a secure environment for political negotiations on the future of Kosovo.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Three Ukrainians arrested over "slave labour"
    07/10/2007

    Czech police have arrested a group of Ukrainians alleged to have forced Ukrainian and Bulgarian citizens into "slave labour", the website iDnes reported. Three Ukrainian men are accused of luring workers to the Czech Republic, then taking their passports and forcing them to work under inhumane conditions. The three have been charged with people trafficking. Police in Ukraine are searching for a fourth member of the gang. The case was uncovered by a special Czech police unit set up to tackle "slave labour".
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bomb find disrupts traffic in Plzen
    07/10/2007

    Traffic in Plzen was disrupted on Tuesday following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb. Workers at the site of a new hotel being built in the city discovered the device, which was estimated to weigh 250 kilogrammes. The surrounding area was cleared as police waited for bomb disposal experts to remove it.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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