• Veteran pop singer Vondrackova pulls out of contest to find Czech Eurovision entrant
    02/27/2007

    The pop star Helena Vondrackova has pulled out of Euro Song, the Czech Republic's search for a representative for this year's Eurovision song contest. The singer, who has been popular for four decades, said the organisation and promotion of the Euro Song competition cast doubt over its probity. But its organiser Czech Television said Vondrackova's people had themselves tried to influence the method of voting selection. The Czech Republic is competing in Eurovision for the first time this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Skier Neumannova takes gold in last major competition of career
    02/27/2007

    The Czech cross-country skier Katerina Neumannova has taken gold in the last major competition of her career. Neumannova finished almost half a minute ahead of her nearest rival in the 10 km free at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan. The 34-year-old Olympic champion is set to retire at the end of the season.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Anti-corruption unit investigates alleged Gripen corruption case
    02/26/2007

    The anti-corruption unit of the Czech police force says it is investigating the case of alleged corruption concerning the acquisition of Gripen fighter jets from the British-Swedish consortium BAE Systems/SAAB for the Czech air force. They say new facts and statements have emerged that need to be examined. Last week, the Swedish media reported that several politicians were bribed with the help of middlemen.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Social Democrats offer 126 million crowns to lawyer
    02/26/2007

    The opposition Social Democrats are offering 126 million crowns (5.8 million USD) to Prague lawyer Zdenek Altner, party chairman Jiri Paroubek said on Monday. Mr Altner says he is owed 93 million crowns (4.3 million USD) from the Social Democrats for services he gave them in a legal dispute over the ownership of the party's headquarters seven years ago and that the amount has now risen to 19 billion crowns due to fines and late-payment penalties.

    Zdenek Altner has filed a bankruptcy petition against the Social Democrats and says he will not accept an out-of-court settlement. The CTK news agency reports that many members of the Social Democratic Party are worried about the future existence of the party as they fear impending bankruptcy.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Paroubek blames predecessor for Social Democrats' alleged debt to lawyer
    02/26/2007

    The leader of the Social Democrats, Jiri Paroubek, has blamed former party head Milos Zeman for the current dispute between the Social Democrats and Prague lawyer Zdenek Altner over the party's allegedly huge debt, Monday's Pravo writes. Jiri Paroubek told Pravo that it was Milos Zeman who signed the contract with Mr Altner in 1997 and he was also party chairman until 2001.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Transport Ministry wants to increase speed limit on motorways
    02/26/2007

    The Transport Ministry says it wants to increase the maximum speed limit on motorways to 160 km/h from the current 130 km/h. A ministry spokesman said the proposal should be included in a new road law amendment this autumn. A recent survey suggests half of Czech drivers think the current speed limit contributes to greater safety, the other fifty percent think its effect is negligible.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Czech TV trade unions call on management to resign
    02/26/2007

    The trade unions at Czech Television are calling on some of the station's top management, including general director Jiri Janecek, and most members of the Czech Television Council to resign. The trade unions say the management has been breaking the law for several years by allowing Frantisek Lambert to be programming director even though he had been a member of the pre-1989 Communist Party's armed force, the People's Militia.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Pravo: over two thousand bridges in hazardous condition
    02/26/2007

    Over two thousand bridges that are used for traffic in the country are in very bad condition, the daily Pravo reports. The paper quotes the spokesperson for the Czech Directorate for Roads and Motorways as saying there is not enough money available for repair work as it has to be financed out of regional budgets. Some 44 percent of the country's 49,000 kilometres of secondary roads are in hazardous condition, Pravo warns.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Appeals court returns Diag Human case for reappraisal
    02/26/2007

    Prague Municipal Court has decided to return the case of former health minister Marie Souckova, who was acquitted last year of breach of trust and abuse of public office by a lower court, for reappraisal. Ms Souckova is being prosecuted for signing a contract between the Health Ministry and lawyer Zdenek Novacek which concerned legal aid in the state's dispute with the Diag Human company. The contract was allegedly disadvantageous for the state. It promised Mr Novacek 10 million crowns for representing the state and another 170 million if he won the case. If found guilty, Marie Souckova faces three to ten years in prison.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Czech minister wants to discuss child adoptions by homosexual couples
    02/26/2007

    Czech Minister without Portfolio Dzamila Stehlikova of the Green Party says discussion about child adoptions by homosexual couples should be launched in the Czech Republic. In an on-line interview for the Novinky.cz news server Ms Stehlikova said same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children in the future. She said one reason why a broad debate should be launched is the large number of children who are growing up in institutions. The Czech Republic legalised registered partnerships of homosexual couples in July last year.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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