• Education minister wants to abolish entrance exams to grammar schools
    01/23/2007

    The new Czech education minister Dana Kuchtova has stated her intention to abolish entrance exams to grammar schools. According to statistics only around twenty percent of all students at Czech secondary schools are grammar school students, the rest are at vocational or apprentice schools. This is in sharp contrast to countries such as Poland or Sweden where the percentage of grammar school students is at around fifty. Minister Kuchtova said she wanted to facilitate students' entry to grammar schools by establishing new admission criteria - for instance admission on the grounds of their average grades and performance in primary school.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • HIV statistics for 2006
    01/23/2007

    The Czech health authorities say they have registered 93 new cases of HIV in the course of last year, which is a slight increase on 2005. The overall number of HIV cases registered in the country since 1985 is 920. Of the total, 209 have developed full-blown AIDS symptoms and 123 have died of the disease. The most afflicted regions are Prague and the Karlovy Vary region in west Bohemia.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Social Democrat leaders meet in Prague
    01/23/2007

    Czech Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek on Tuesday met with his German counterpart Gerhard Schroeder and the leader of the Slovak Social Democratic Party Robert Fico here in Prague. The three Social Democrat leaders, who also claim to be good friends, meet regularly for unofficial consultations regarding internal party matters, bilateral relations and EU policy.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Tennis - Vaidisova beats Safarova
    01/23/2007

    Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova beat Lucie Safarova, also of the Czech Republic, 6:1 and 6:4 in the quarter finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday. The tenth-seed will play her second-ever grand slam semi-final in which she faces Serena Williams.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • US to begin talks on deploying missile system in Poland, Czech Republic
    01/22/2007

    The United States has confirmed it will soon begin formal talks on deploying a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. The US embassy in Prague said in a statement on Monday that the United States had contacted the Czech Republic and Poland and would begin negotiations on the possible deployment of US missile defence assets on Czech and Polish territory.

    The system, including 10 interceptor missiles and a radar which US officials have said could be split between the Czech Republic and Poland, is aimed at warding off rocket attacks from North Korea or Iran. The Czech Republic and Poland had been identified by the United States as possible hosts for a missile defence base and US defence experts scouted locations for the base in Poland and the Czech Republic throughout last year.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • PM, Defence Minister dismiss Russia's fears of US radar site
    01/22/2007

    Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova have dismissed fears expressed by Russia concerning the construction of a US radar site in the Czech Republic. A high-ranking Russian military official said on Monday that US plans to set up an anti-missile system in the Czech Republic were "a clear threat" to Russia.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • President to discuss US radar site with officials, state security council
    01/22/2007

    In related news, President Vaclav Klaus is going to take part in Wednesday's meeting of the country's security council which is to assess the United States request for stationing part of its anti-missile shield on Czech territory. On Tuesday, President Klaus is to discuss the matter with Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Poll: half of Czechs would welcome early elections
    01/22/2007

    A new poll by the Median agency suggests that around half of the Czech population would welcome early elections. Fifty percent of those polled would prefer early elections to be held this spring. Around 75 percent of respondents said they thought the seven-month long political stalemate had harmed the Czech Republic's image abroad and around the same number were of the opinion that the protracted negotiations damaged the economy.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • President: EU integration should have strict limits
    01/22/2007

    President Vaclav Klaus has called for an alternative European constitution that would severely limit the bloc's evolution toward closer integration. In Monday's edition of Mlada fronta Dnes, Mr Klaus says the new document should be different from the one rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands. Mr Klaus's comments come only days before a scheduled visit to Prague by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who warned last week of a "historic failure" if the EU did not overcome the current constitutional impasse by 2009.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • State to provide financial assistance to people affected by gale
    01/22/2007

    People who have been affected by last week's gale-force wind are entitled to financial assistance from the state. They can receive a one-off contribution of up to 46,890 crowns (around 2,200 USD). Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petr Necas has said his office is ready to provide the money from its budget. It is not yet known how many people would be entitled to the financial aid.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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