• Ceremony at Czech Radio marks anniversary of 1968 Soviet-led invasion
    08/21/2006

    A remembrance ceremony on Monday in front of the Czech Radio building on Prague's Vinohradska Street marked the 38th anniversary of the beginning of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Officials laid wreaths in front of the Czech Radio building which was the site of the bloodiest fighting in August 1968 between the occupiers and the citizens of Prague. The invasion of Warsaw-Pact troops crushed the reform movement known as the Prague Spring and Soviet units stayed in Czechoslovakia until 1991. More than 70 people were killed and several hundred wounded in the first weeks of the invasion.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Wheat yields lower this year
    08/21/2006

    The Czech Chamber of Agriculture has said that wheat yields in the Czech Republic will be lower than last year and due to bad weather conditions less than half of the harvested crops is expected to reach standard quality. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, the head of the chamber Jan Veleba said the situation can affect the prices of some foodstuffs, such as flour, baked products or meat. An unusually hot and dry July was followed by heavy rain at the beginning of August which damaged a lot of the crops.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Analysts: Euro adoption to facilitate travelling but to increase prices
    08/21/2006

    Financial analysts approached by the CTK news agency have agreed that the major advantage of an early adoption of the euro for Czech citizens would be easier travelling. On the other hand, they warned that the economy might overheat causing a rapid growth of prices. The government have agreed that the Czech Republic should adopt the European currency in 2010 but the term has been put into question by some experts. For example, the deputy finance minister Eduard Janota said on Sunday that the Czech Republic's planned adoption of the Euro in 2010 was in danger because the Czech Republic was not going to fulfil all the Maastricht criteria by the middle of 2007.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Two police officers attempt petrol station roberry
    08/21/2006

    The district state attorney's office in the city of Plzen has said two young traffic police officers from the Tachov district attempted to rob a local petrol station on Sunday night. They were detained as they were trying to assault the staff. One of them was on duty and wearing a police uniform at the time of the attack. Both men, aged 26 and 27, have been accused of plotting a robbery and one of abuse of power.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Jiri Paroubek intends to push for early elections
    08/20/2006

    Outgoing Social Democratic prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, has confirmed that he intends to press for early elections to the lower house in 2008. Mr. Paroubek made the statements during a televised interview on Sunday, saying that he does not want to allow a minority Civic Democratic government to govern until 2009, when the Czech Republic will hold the presidency of the European Union. The Social Democratic chairman was reacting to his rival, the chairman of the Civic Democratic Party, Mirek Topolanek, who does not agree with the notion that the next government's mandate should end before the EU presidency term finishes in June 2009. Earlier, Mr. Paroubek had expressed the opinion that early elections would not hurt the Czech Republic's success during the EU presidency rotation.

    Mr. Topolanek and Mr. Paroubek are due to meet on Monday to discuss the conditions for Social Democratic support for a minority Civic Democratic government. Mr. Paroubek wants to approve key ministry postings and two possible Civic Democratic candidates are problematic for him: Alexander Vondra and Ivan Langer, who have been tipped as candidates for foreign minister and interior minister, respectively.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

  • 2010 Euro adoption threatened
    08/20/2006

    The deputy finance minister Eduard Janota says that the Czech Republic's planned adoption of the Euro in 2010 is in danger. Mr. Janota made the statement during a televised interview on Sunday. He says that the Euro's adoption is threatened because the Czech Republic must fulfill all the Maastricht criteria by the middle of 2007, and that includes criteria regarding the proposed state budget deficit. EU standards set deficit rates at a maximum of 3.3% of GDP, while the Czech Republic's proposed budget for 2007 stands at 88 billion crowns, including a deficit of 3.8% GDP.

    Meanwhile, outgoing prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, has reacted to the news by saying that it is better to delay the introduction of the Euro than to cut-back on social programs.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

  • Educational reform pilot project set to start
    08/20/2006

    The new school year set to begin in a couple of weeks will usher in the beginning of significant reforms to the educational system, says a spokesman from the Ministry of Education. The new educational techniques will first be tested at elementary schools designated for the pilot-program, meant to eliminate the traditional approach in Czech schools which saw children memorizing a great many facts and placed far less stress on creativity and discussion. The ministry also says that parents will have a greater opportunity to provide schools and teachers with feedback on their child's education. The educational reforms are marked as the most significant since the early 1990s and will come into effect on 1 September 2007.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

  • Prague currency exchange office robbed at gunpoint
    08/20/2006

    Police have secured the descriptions of three men who robbed a currency exchange office in the center of Prague on Saturday afternoon. The men got away with a reported 800 000 crowns, and police are currently gathering evidence, screening surveillance footage and interviewing possible witnesses. A spokeswoman from the Prague police department said that the thieves were not masked, and that they spoke Czech with a foreign accent. One of the three men used a firearm during the robbery, and local residents are being asked to provide any information they may have about the incident.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

  • D1 highway witness to tragedy
    08/20/2006

    One man died at the scene of a highway accident on the D1 motorway near Brno on Sunday, and the driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital with critical injuries.

    It is the second serious accident on the D1 motorway to take place over the weekend. On Saturday, the D1 was closed for over 10 hours as police conducted an investigation into a major accident involving a semi-truck and thirteen other vehicles.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

  • Jaromir Jagr takes home Golden Hockey Stick prize
    08/20/2006

    Czech hockey star Jaromir Jagr, who plays for the NHL's New York Rangers, has won the seventh Golden Hockey Stick Prize of his career. The award is given to the best Czech hockey player of the year. This year's runner-up was Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
    Author: Linda Maštalíř

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