• Deputy justice minister Vyvadil recalled from post
    02/28/2006

    Jiri Vyvadil has been recalled from his post of deputy justice minister and will now return to the Supreme Administrative Court. The decision was taken by the chairman of the country's court, Josef Baxa. Mr Baxa indicated that Mr Vyvadil did not sufficiently address judiciary reform in his post. But, Mr Vyvadil has primarily come under criticism in recent days for having met with controversial Czech businessman Tomas Pitr, appealing an eight-year sentence for tax evasion. Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek allegedly knew about the meeting, which took place in January. Vyvadil's relocation has diffused growing tension between Justice Minister Pavel Nemec who intended to sack him and Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek who said he saw no reason for his dismissal.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Goalkeeper named Czech footballer of the year
    02/28/2006

    Football goalkeeper Petr Cech was named Czech footballer of the Year on Monday evening when the results of the elite survey were announced during a gala event. The best Czech player is chosen by players and coaches alike, with Cech winning over his nearest rival Borussia Dortmund's Tomas Rosicky by 153 points. In all Cech, who plays for London's Chelsea, received 4,235 votes. Pavel Nedved, of Juventus Turin, came in third.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Gorbachev: Czech-Russian relations to further improve
    02/27/2006

    Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who turns 75 this week, told journalists in Moscow on Monday that he believed that relations between the Czech Republic and Russia would further improve in the future, indicating economic issues would play a dominant role. Mr Gorbachev made the comment ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to the Czech Republic this week. Discussing Czech issues, the former Soviet leader expressed regret over the 1968 Soviet-led invasion that crushed Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring - the reform movement dubbed 'socialism with a human face'. He called the decision to intervene "a mistake", indicating it had had a fateful impact on both countries.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • German minister reacts to Czech 'waste tourism' appeal
    02/27/2006

    Germany's Minister for the Environment Sigmar Gabriel has said that the German government will try to prevent the further importing of illegal waste from Germany to the Czech Republic. The minister was reacting to a recent letter from his Czech counterpart appealing German authorities to act to prevent illegal waste being transported across the border. A Czech environment ministry inspection team recently uncovered that no less than 15,000 tonnes of illegal waste were smuggled into the Czech Republic and stored at various locations around the country in recent months.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Antitrust office to start proceedings against medicine wholesalers
    02/27/2006

    The Czech antitrust office has said that will begin administrative proceedings against companies that halted medicine supplies to three teaching hospitals. The bureau will be attempting to uncover whether the companies entered into a cartel agreement. The announcement was made on Monday by the antitrust bureau's Martin Pecina, but the Czech Association of Wholesale Drug Distributors, has denied any cartel agreement. Two weeks ago four medicines wholesalers stopped supplies to three Czech hospitals over outstanding debt (Prague's Bulovka and Thomayer teaching hospitals and the St Ann Teaching Hospital in Brno). They owe distributors 400 million crowns - the equivalent of almost 17 million US dollars.

    One of the four members of the association, Pharmos, resumed supplies, but is expected to halt them again this week.

    The country's health minister, David Rath, is among those who suspect the medicines distributors of a cartel agreement. But, Mr Rath himself has come under criticism by the International Association of Pharmaceutical Companies, which has likened his plan to select a sole supplier as breaching rules of economic competition.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Hospitals to receive some 350 million crowns
    02/27/2006

    In related news, the teaching hospitals in debt will receive some 350 million crowns - divided up by the Health Ministry - this week to begin paying off some of their debt. The decision is in keeping with the health minister's plan to help the hospitals recover by the end of the current government's term in June 2006. On Monday, Health Minster David Rath and Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met to discuss the issue, with the health minister saying the Health Ministry would have to modify its annual budget. According to Mr Rath the hospitals' total liabilities are worth 2 billion crowns. The ministry expected to find between 700 and 800 million to help the hospitals out of financial difficulty.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Euro: Czech soldiers in Iraq to receive anti-mine jamming equipment
    02/27/2006

    The Internet server Euro on-line has reported that Czech forces in Iraq are due to receive special jamming equipment in March. According to the news site, the equipment should allow Czech specialists to safely de-fuse mines. But, further specifics of the delivery are not known. Currently a small contingent of Czech military police train Iraqi police in the country's second-largest city of Basra.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Veterinarians determine areas with higher risk of bird flu outbreak
    02/26/2006

    The head of the State Veterinary Authority Milan Malena has said that a potential outbreak of bird flu is more likely to occur in the Pardubice, Strakonice and Znojmo districts where there is a high density of poultry farms. If the deadly H5N1 virus were detected in those areas, Mr Malena said stricter precautionary measures would be adopted than elsewhere. The infection has so far been detected in 12 European countries, including three countries neighbouring the Czech Republic.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Healthcare workers considering general strike
    02/26/2006

    The President of the Chamber of Dentists Jiri Pekarek has said healthcare workers are considering a general strike in May, one month before parliamentary elections. Speaking in a TV discussion programme on Sunday, Mr Pekarek said during the industrial action many practices and surgeries would be closed and health care would be less available. Health Minister David Rath said he would not yield to the pressure of the disaffected health care employees. On Friday, thousands of health care workers staged a protest rally in Prague, demanding Health Minister Rath's dismissal.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Rath wants to repay hospitals' debts by elections
    02/26/2006

    Health Minister Rath also told Czech Television on Sunday that he would like the heavily indebted teaching hospitals, directly controlled by the Health Ministry, to repay their debts by the June elections. Mr Rath said the Health Ministry did not have the required 2 billion crowns and he would therefore need the help of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. Meanwhile pharmaceutical wholesalers have refused to deliver drugs to three most indebted hospitals until they pay for previous deliveries.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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