• Funeral of inter-war film star Svatopluk Benes held in Prague
    05/03/2007

    The funeral has taken place in Prague of the popular actor Svatopluk Benes, who died at the weekend at the age of 89. The main hall at Olsanse cemetery was packed out for Thursday's funeral service, which was attended by several of his friends from the worlds of film and theatre. Svatopluk Benes, famous for his good looks and chivalrous personality, was one of the leading Czechoslovak film stars of the inter-war period.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Police officers charged with taking money from pickpockets over six-year period
    05/03/2007

    Two Prague police officers are facing charges of abuse of authority for allegedly regularly receiving money from Romanian pickpockets operating in the city centre, Pravo reported. The daily said the two were given up to 1,500 CZK (70 USD) a week by a pick pocketing gang over a six-year period. Both officers have been dismissed from the force ahead of their court hearings.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Annual Book World trade fair begins in Prague
    05/03/2007

    The annual Svet knihy (Book World) trade fair has got underway at Prague's Vystaviste. The four-day event features 230 stands and guests from 34 countries around the world. The focus this year is on German literature.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Third of Prague Spring concerts sold out
    05/03/2007

    A third of the 50 or so concerts in this year's Prague Spring music festival have sold out, organisers said. In all 70 percent of the tickets for this year's festival have been sold. Prague Spring begins on May 12 with the traditional Ma Vlast by Bedrich Smetana, performed by the Czech Philharmonic and conducted by Zdenek Macal. It runs until June 3.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech rock band Kabat leave for Eurovision
    05/03/2007

    The rock group Kabat have left Prague for the Finnish capital Helsinki, where they will represent the Czech Republic in the annual Eurovision song contest. It is the first time the country is taking part in the international competition. Kabat bass player Milan Spalek said the fact his band play hard rock could work against them in the Eurovision. The Czech group will appear in the semi-final on May 10 and will be hoping to reach the final two days later.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Film star Angelina Jolie in Prague for film shoot
    05/03/2007

    The movie star Angelina Jolie is in Prague to begin work on a new film called Wanted, which also stars Morgan Freeman. The actress arrived in the Czech capital on Tuesday evening with her husband Brad Pitt and their four children. Shooting in Prague is set to last for 20 weeks, before production moves on to Budapest.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Jankulovski third Czech to reach Champions League final
    05/03/2007

    Marek Jankulovski will become the third Czech to take part in the final of the Champions League, club football's most prestigious tournament. His club AC Milan reached the May 23 final on Wednesday after beating Manchester United. However, Jankulovski's international team-mate Petr Cech has missed out on the big game, after his Chelsea lost to Liverpool on Tuesday. Vladimir Smicer and Milan Baros won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Berger set to remain at Aston Villa for one more season
    05/03/2007

    Former Czech football international Patrik Berger is set to stay at English Premiership club Aston Villa for another season. Villa manager Martin O'Neill said he would offer Berger a new contract after being impressed with his performances in the second half of the season. Berger, who is 33, has had a number of injury problems in recent seasons but has been playing regularly this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Lower house approves establishment of national memory institute
    05/02/2007

    The lower house has approved the establishment of a national memory institute which would study the country's communist past and the period of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Its main task would be to collect, analyse and publish documents from those times including materials concerning the activities of communist secret services. Left-wing parties were against the bill: the Social Democrats expressed their protest by not taking part in the vote. The bill has yet to be approved by the Senate, which had proposed it, and signed by the President.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Trade unions, employers, cabinet disagree on reforms
    05/02/2007

    Representatives of the Czech government, trade unions and employers have not reached agreement on the planned government reform of the tax and welfare systems. At an extraordinary tripartite meeting on Wednesday, the trade unions rejected the government proposal, arguing that the prepared changes would badly affect the situation of people with low and mid-level incomes and would reduce the budget revenues. The employers welcomed the reform steps but voiced a number of reservations. In order to reduce the country's fiscal deficit, the Civic Democrat-led cabinet intends to introduce a 15-percent tax on personal income and cut corporate tax from 24 to 19 percent. The basic five-percent VAT imposed on food, drugs and some services is to be raised to nine percent. The package will be submitted to the lower house in June. A vote should take place at an extraordinary session during the summer recess.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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