• Bahna 2007: Czech Army celebrates Day of the Ground Forces
    06/23/2007

    The Czech Army celebrated a Day of the Ground Forces on Saturday, showcasing modern and historic military technology to over 50,000 spectators. The celebration was held, as every year, in west Bohemia's Strasice near Rokycany. The event is held for the eighteenth time and also included presentations of various operations of Czech and also foreign forces.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Memorial Air Show honours WWII veterans
    06/23/2007

    Meanwhile, in the town of Roudnice nad Labem, some 80 aircraft from eight countries were presented to the public at a Memorial Air Show. Besides the B-52 Mitchell bomber, a favourite with spectators, the 15,000 visitors could also admire Jas-39 Gripen fighter jets or L-159 ALCAs (Advanced Light Combat Aircraft). This year, veterans who fought in the Second World War were invited as guests of honour. The event was ceremoniously opened by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Express train derails, no-one injured
    06/23/2007

    An express train travelling from Moravia's town of Olomouc to the Jesenik region derailed on Saturday afternoon but no one was injured. The accident was most likely caused by a tree, which fell on the train tracks during heavy winds.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Vets destroy bird flu flock
    06/22/2007

    State veterinarians have destroyed all birds on a poultry farm near the east Bohemian village of Tisova after they were discovered to have been infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. The farm is now being disinfected. The vets are expected to cull all birds in the surrounding district over the weekend in an effort to contain the outbreak of the disease, which is the first case of bird flu in the Czech Republic.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Krejcir extradition case suspended until Tuesday
    06/22/2007

    A court in South Africa has delayed the extradition hearing of fugitive Czech billionaire Radovan Krejcir until next Tuesday. The court deferred the case because one of the Czech police officers called upon to give evidence at the hearing was unable to attend because he is getting married. Mr Krejcir who is wanted in this country for various crimes including conspiracy to murder and extortion had eluded the authorities for two years before he was arrested wearing a disguise in South Africa two months ago. He is contesting the Czech Republic's efforts to have him extradited.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Aktualne.cz: Part of evidence against Cunek is inadmissible
    06/22/2007

    The Supreme State Attorney Renata Vesecka has told the Aktualne news website that part of the evidence compiled by police in a corruption case against deputy prime minister Jiri Cunek is inadmissible in court. The Christian Democrat leader is accused of taking a bribe of half a million crowns while he was mayor of the Moravian town of Vsetin five years ago. According to Aktualne, Ms Vesecka said that the police had gathered information from Mr Cunek's property dealings over the past twenty years without permission. This is apparently one of the reasons why Ms Vesecka controversially removed the state prosecutor and attorney who were in charge of the case.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Power supplies disrupted by storms
    06/22/2007

    Electricity companies have said that power supplies in eastern Bohemia have been seriously disrupted by storm damage. A spokesperson for the Czech Republic's biggest electricity company CEZ said on Friday that there had been hundreds of power cuts throughout the region as a result of the tempestuous weather. Power supplies have also been disrupted in central Bohemia and southern Moravia, but normal service should be resumed by Friday evening. Meanwhile one of the country's biggest insurance firms Ceska pojistovna says it has received more than 500 insurance claims in the wake of the storm. It estimates the damages involved to be in the region of 50 million Czech crowns (2.4 million US dollars).
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Union sends MPs objections to reform package
    06/22/2007

    The CMKOS umbrella trade union group has sent Czech MPs a list of its objections to a proposed financial reform package, which is being discussed by parliament. The union is opposed to the extensive tax and social welfare reforms, which the government says is necessary to reduce the public deficit. Several thousand union members are expected to attend a demonstration against the reforms on Wenceslas Square on Saturday.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Foreigners Police make arrests in crackdown on illegal immigrants
    06/22/2007

    The Czech foreigners police have arrested seven people in a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants. On Thursday, over 300 police officers detained and checked over a thousand people at marketplaces, hostels, construction sites and factories throughout the country. Four people were arrested for not having the right documentation while three people who are wanted by the authorities for criminal activities were also taken into custody. A spokeswoman for the police said that similar large-scale operations would be carried out in the near future. The crackdown is connected with the Czech Republic's upcoming integration into the Shengen area by the end of this year.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

  • Court bans family visits for boys at centre of abuse case
    06/22/2007

    Authorities have banned relatives from visiting two children at the centre of a much publicised child abuse case. Seven-year-old Ondrej and his nine-year-old brother Jakub were taken into care last month after Ondrej was found naked and tied up in a cupboard in his home. Brno City Court issued the ban on visits after the home they were staying in reported that the boys had been distressed after being visited by relatives.
    Author: Coilin O'Connor

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