News

The ruling Social Democrats have removed two prominent people from the party's candidate list for the general elections in June, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek. Former agriculture minister Jaroslav Palas was taken off the list for his role in allowing the company Cesky olej to take over Setuza, a chemical producer. MP Oldrich Nemec was taken off the candidates list for having publicly doubted the credibility of another party deputy, Michal Kraus, in his explanation of a questionable business trip to Ghana.

The Czech Environmental Protection Agency (CIZP) has confirmed reports that cyanides released into the Labe River were behind the death of tones of fish last week. An agency official told the state news agency CTK the hazardous material probably entered the river from Kolin, east of Prague, where several large factories are located. Fish farmers downstream have been forced to clear tones of half-dead fish from the river. The environment protection agency official said that the perpetrator, once identified, faces a fine of up to 10 million crowns.

Antonin Pecenka, the man in charge of the forced administration of the country's largest state-owned health insurance company, the VZP, has said the insurer should take up a 5 billion crown loan (the equivalent of almost 211 million US dollars). Mr Pecenka made the statement on a Sunday TV debate programme, suggesting that taking such a loan was one way the troubled insurer could eventually recover. Until now, the insurer has been reeling from significant debt, issuing late payments to doctors and other health workers, prompting the threat of strikes.

But, on Sunday, on the same television programme, the outgoing head of the VZP, Jirina Musilkova, said she opposed the organisation taking on the loan, stressing there was no way the firm could guarantee liability.

The Czech reality show 'Unmasking', which made world headlines late last year by offering a look into the daily lives of gorillas at Prague Zoo, has announced a "winner". With broadcasting of the programme coming to a close, the 200-kilo male Richard emerged as the winner having received the most text-messages from viewers. The proceeds from telephone messaging will go towards charity - the funding of a nature reserve in Africa.

The project was first launched on November 7th by Czech Radio in conjunction with Czech TV - "rivalling" local reality shows with human participants. As the winner, Richard the gorilla receives twelve melons - a play on the Czech slang word 'melouni' meaning "millions".