• Three-party coalition puts forward lower house speaker candidate
    07/26/2006

    Meanwhile, the centre-right coalition put forward its own candidate for the post of speaker of the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday. Christian Democrat Jan Kasal will face the Social Democrats' Lubomir Zaoralek in the election on Friday. The coalition says Mr Kasal will only pull out of the race if the Social Democrats agree to tolerate the coalition's proposed platform.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Lebanese children to be offered medical care in the Czech Republic
    07/26/2006

    Lebanese children, who are in need of medical care and cannot get it at home because of the ongoing Israeli-Lebanese conflict, may be offered treatment in the Czech Republic. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan proposed to increase the budget of the government's Medevac project by ten million crowns (an estimated 445,000 US dollars) to include Lebanon. The project makes it possible for children from war-torn countries to get medical attention in the Czech Republic.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech energy network calls off state of emergency
    07/26/2006

    The Czech electricity grid, which suffered an overload on Tuesday, has called off a state of emergency. The network CEPS balances electricity generation with consumption in the Czech Republic and battled its biggest blackout in thirty years. All large companies are still advised to minimise their energy consumption.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Finance Ministry projects economic growth of 6.2 percent
    07/26/2006

    The Finance Ministry expects the country's economy to grow by 6.2 percent this year. Its projection is up from previous estimates of 5.6 percent. The positive projection is based on external trade and an expected increase in household spending and investments. The ministry says economic growth will slow down next year to reach 5 percent.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech Railways to offer Pendolino lines to Vienna and Bratislava
    07/26/2006

    The Czech Railway company is planning to buy more Pendolino trains to cover destinations to neighbouring Slovakia and Austria. There are already seven Pendolino trains travelling between Prague and Ostrava and on the Prague-Brno-Breclav line. Seven more are expected to cover the Prague-Bratislava and Prague-Vienna lines as of December. A trip on the Pendolino, known for speed and comfort, is expected to cut travelling time by up to thirty minutes.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech energy network suffers overload and calls state of emergency
    07/25/2006

    The Czech electricity network is suffering an overload and has called a state of emergency. The network CEPS, which balances electricity generation with consumption in the Czech Republic, says the overload has led to several blackouts. All large companies are now obliged to minimise their energy consumption. The crisis committee is holding an emergency meeting to find ways of bringing the situation under control.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Centre-right coalition proposes to copy Social Democrats' policy programme
    07/25/2006

    The Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and the Greens, who have been trying to form a coalition government, have offered to base their policy programme on the pre-election manifesto of the Social Democrats. The centre-right coalition is one vote short of a majority in the lower house of Parliament and has been negotiating with the Social Democrats to gain their vote of confidence.

    Even though the coalition says it would copy the ten-point manifesto word for word, the Social Democrats have rejected the offer and called it a joke. Social Democrat leader and outgoing Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek accused the coalition parties of using the offer as a "marketing trick". Talks will continue on Wednesday to find other ways out of the political deadlock.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Senators seriously considering dissolution of lower house
    07/25/2006

    Meanwhile, some Czech senators have been drumming up support for a bill that could lead to early elections. Senators will hold a vote on the amendment to the Constitution that allows for the dissolution of the current lower house at a special meeting in August. One third of the Senate, or 27 senators, would have to vote in favour of the bill for it to be approved. The senators who proposed it are reacting to the political stalemate and are hoping the bill will lead to early elections. However, the bill will also have to gain the approval of the President and the lower house.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • VAT may be lowered for hard labour services
    07/25/2006

    The European Commission has proposed to allow 17 EU member states, including the Czech Republic, to lower VAT for services that demand hard labour. In the Czech Republic, this would mean that services like construction work, window cleaning, and home care would be taxed at five percent until 2010. The proposal has yet to be approved by the Council.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Vietnamese gang supplying drugs to Roma arrested
    07/25/2006

    Czech police say they have broken up a gang that has been selling drugs to members of the Roma community in the southern Moravian town of Brno. The four men from Vietnam were allegedly supplying heroin to some forty Romany drug addicts. They face up to five years in prison if found guilty of the illegal manufacture of drugs.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

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