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08/06/2008
A spokesperson for the Czech Bishop’s Conference has warned that the number of nuns, monks and friars in the Czech Republic is falling. The Czech Republic, which ranks as one of the most atheistic countries in Europe apparently has 1775 nuns and 785 monks and friars, whereas in 1995, the number was 2647 nuns and 959 monks and friars. The reasons that have been given are multi-fold, including the deaths of many older members and the fact that those lured by the church after the fall of communism have not been replaced with newer members in the ensuing years.
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08/06/2008
A new survey by the Median polling agency has found that a third of Czechs give priority to workplace success over matters of family. The survey also found that more men preferred work to family over women. However another finding suggested that 44% of Czechs do not seek to make extra money in their spare time, preferring instead to relax and enjoy themselves. Only 2% suggested that they prefer making more money on the side in their spare time.
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08/06/2008
The Prague Stock Exchange has been put up for sale by a majority of its shareholders. The stated reasons for the sell-off are a trend towards consolidating or merging financial markets as well as a perceived interest in buying this commodity. Among those seeking to sell-off their shares are the companies Patria Finance, Tiger Holding, Komerční banka and ČSOB, according to Czech television. These four companies together hold a 50.01 percent stake in the stock exchange. There is mounting speculation that the stock exchange could be bought by a similar foreign institution. Last year the Prague Stock Exchange made around 200 million crowns in profits.
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08/06/2008
Eleven senior representatives will attend the Beijing Olympics according to the newspaper Mladá Fronta Dnes. Factions within the government as well as numerous Czech NGOs remain highly critical of the regime in China. Chief among the Czech official delegation will be Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek – although he will be missing the opening ceremony on Friday. Ondřej Liska, Minister of Education and member of the Green Party will not be attending, despite being one of only a handful of Czech politicians to receive an official invitation. In several instances, high-level politicians will be represented by their deputies, while Interior Minister Ivan Langer is believed to be attending the Games as a private citizen.
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08/06/2008
The Christian Democrats may be hovering on the brink of parliamentary extinction according to most polls, but that has not stopped the party from taking on an unpopular subject – banking fees. In a statement, the party noted that Czech banking fees are the fourth-highest in the EU as a proportion of GDP, and that lack of a transparent and competitive environment is detrimental to consumers. Officials within the party have also called for a public debate on the issue.
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08/05/2008
Czech neo-Nazis are planning to hold their biggest ever gathering on August 16, Lidové noviny reported. One of its organisers told the newspaper they were expecting five to six thousand people to attend a so-called “musical-political afternoon”, at an as yet undisclosed location in east Bohemia. The date of the planned event is the anniversary of the death of leading Nazi Rudolf Hess.
Experts on extremism have told the Czech Press Agency they believe the Czech far right is planning to try to enter politics at the national level. The neo-Nazis long-term strategy involves a concerted effort to not break the law in order to gain broader support with an eye to eventually entering Parliament, a member of the Czech Helsinki Committee said. The Interior Ministry recently said it would put more energy into monitoring far-right groups.
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08/05/2008
A Taiwanese-owned factory in central Bohemia has announced layoffs, just two months are going into full operation, the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes reported. The company Foxconn employs 1,000 people in Kutná Hora and had said it was planning to hire 4,000 more. However, on Tuesday the firm said it would let 300 of its workers go by the end of the summer. A spokesperson said Foxconn was making the workers redundant because the town would not sell the company land beside the factory on which it wanted to build a satellite town. That suggestion is denied by the Kutná Hora authorities, who say the local zoning laws need to be changed before any such project can go ahead.
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08/05/2008
A Czech Airlines flight to New York had to be cancelled on Tuesday due to problems with the plane’s hydraulics, the news website idnes.cz reported. On Friday a CSA flight to New York had to turn back after just half an hour because of a defect in its motor. The Prague-New York route is served by Czech Airlines’ oldest aircraft, the Airbus A310. Airline officials said passengers booked on Tuesday’s flight would be given seats on other planes. However, the fact it is the summer season means many flights are sold out and finding room could be difficult, idnes.cz said.
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08/05/2008
July was the worst month for tourism in Prague since the floods of 2002, Lidové noviny reported. The city’s hotels, restaurants and souvenir sellers have been affected by the down-turn, the head of the Association of Czech Travel Agents, Tomio Okamura, told the daily. He attributed the poor figures to the strength of the Czech crown and low standards of service. Tourism outside the capital has not been affected so much because most tourists in the regions are from the Czech Republic itself.
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08/05/2008
The Czech Republic has the fourth lowest level of part-time work in the Europe Union, according to a study by Eurostat. Only 5 percent of Czech workers have part-time jobs, compared to 46.8 percent in the Netherlands, the EU state with the highest percentage in part-time employment. A new bill to be put forward by the Czech Labour Minister Petr Nečas later this year is intended to make it easier to allow the parents of young children to work part time.
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