• Office for the Protection of Competition finds no wrongdoing in tender on police vehicles
    12/15/2008

    The Czech Office for the Protection of Competition has completed an investigation into the largest tender in the history of the Czech police force, finding no wrongdoing in proceedings. The tender on new police vehicles, worth 1.3 billion crowns (the equivalent of around 68 million US dollars) favoured the Mladá Boleslav-based car manufacturer Škoda Auto. The Ford Motor Company put forward a complaint alleging that the Interior Ministry set conditions which unfairly favoured the winning company.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Gross passes bar exam
    12/15/2008

    Former prime minister Stanislav Gross, who stepped down over a scandal involving unexplained finances in 2005 after just nine months in office, successfully completed his bar exam on Monday. It was Mr Gross’s second attempt after he failed to first pass the exam in March.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Parents held for suspected child abuse
    12/15/2008

    Police in Plzeň have charged the parents of a one-and-a-half year old toddler in a case of suspected child abuse. On Saturday, neighbours reported the boy’s injuries - heavy burns on both his face and feet - to the authorities. The boy remains in hospital. Both suspects were arrested at the weekend and are expected to remain in custody. If found guilty they could face between two to eight years in prison.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Police officers face trial over abuse of power
    12/15/2008

    Three Prague police officers face charges for the alleged abuse of power involving blackmail. The three allegedly blackmailed a driver stopped on the road earlier in the year without a driver’s licence. The man was then taken to a remote location, where he was reportedly threatened by the officers before he handed over 10 thousand crowns. The case will now go to court.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech Christmas shopping fever stretches to Dresden
    12/15/2008

    Shopping ahead of the holiday season has seen some Czechs travel all the way to Dresden, Germany, for lower prices, the regional German daily Sachsische Zeitung has reported. Clothing and electronic items are reportedly top items of interest. One local shopping centre conducted a study finding that for one hundred thousand consumers per day, three percent were Czech.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Football: Mišůn may head for Scottish Premier League
    12/15/2008

    Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic are on the verge of signing 18-year-old Czech left-back Milan Mišůn, the player's agent has reported. Currently with FK Příbram in the Czech league, Mišůn spent last week at Celtic's training centre, leaving an impression on manager Gordon Strachan. Mišůn has also attracted attention from Italian giants AC Milan, but after negotiations it appears the highly-rated player will go to Celtic.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Minister: Budget deficit could be far higher than figure approved on Wednesday
    12/14/2008

    The Czech Republic’s budget deficit could rise to CZK 70 billion next year due to a slowing of the economy, the minister of labour, Petr Nečas, said on a TV debate programme on Sunday. He said if there was a recession the shortfall could be even greater. The 2009 budget, which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, envisages a deficit of CZK 38.1 billion. Minister Nečas said the government would reassess the budget at the beginning of 2009 according to economic developments in the latter part of this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Germans not respecting free movement principle, says Czech Interior Ministry
    12/14/2008

    Almost a year after the Czech Republic joined the Schengen border-free zone, the Czech authorities say neighbouring Germany is not respecting the principle of free movement. A Czech Interior Ministry spokeswoman said Germany was subverting free movement, which she described as one of the basic principles of Schengen. Following the closing of border stations, the German authorities began carrying out frequent and thorough controls some kilometres on their side of the frontier. Earlier this year the Czech Interior Ministry called on Czech citizens to complain about such practices.

    Otherwise the ministry said it regarded joining Schengen on December 21 last year as a generally positive experience for the Czech Republic. Fears of difficulties with regards to security and migration have not been borne out, it said.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Nearly two thirds Most Czechs expect to feel pinch of global financial crisis
    12/14/2008

    Sixty-two percent of Czechs believe the global financial crisis will lead to a deterioration in their own personal financial situation next year, suggests a poll conducted this month by the STEM agency for Czech Television. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they believed the crisis would have a negative impact on the Czech economy.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Banks should avoid worst impacts of financial crisis and make record profits this year, says CNB deputy governor
    12/14/2008

    Banks in the Czech Republic should be able to avoid the most dramatic problems caused by the global financial crisis due to the fact they were in a healthy state beforehand, the deputy governor of the Czech National Bank, Miroslav Singer, said on Sunday. Mr Singer also said the banking sector’s record profits of CZK 47 billion in 2007 should be bettered this year. In the first three quarters of 2008 the banks’ profits increased by 12 percent.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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