• 03/12/2006

    The Association of Pharmacists has announced that its members would refrain from further protest actions until they have discussed their grievances with the Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek. They say they no longer want to deal with Health Minister David Rath who lowered their profit margins at the start of this year as part of a package of cost-cutting measures across the health sector. The Association of Pharmacists has protested against the measure for weeks saying that it would lead many of them into bankruptcy.

  • 03/12/2006

    Czech ski jumper Jakub Janda came fifth in Sunday's World Cup Ski Jump event in Oslo. He now holds the overall World Cup lead with a 175 point advantage on Finland's Janne Ahonen, who came in twelfth.

  • 03/11/2006

    The Czech President Vaclav Klaus outlined his vision of a future European Union to university students in Trento, northern Italy, where he received an honorary doctors' decree on Saturday. In his lecture, Mr. Klaus said the European Union had integrated more than was necessary or rational. He criticized what he called supranational decision-making in Brussels and recommended that the EU be redefined in line with the original idea of a free trade, open market region of strong, independent states.

  • 03/11/2006

    The ultra-right National Party staged a demonstration outside the Office of the Sudeten German Association in Prague, which defends the interests of Germans expelled from the Sudetenlands at the end of WWII. About thirty members of the National Party unfurled banners reading "No Sudeten Germans in Prague" and "Send German waste back to Germany", the latter in reference to illegal imports of German waste to the neighbouring Czech Republic. The head of the party Petra Edelmannova slammed Czech politicians for allegedly failing to defend Czech national interests. The demonstration was to mark the 67th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.

  • 03/11/2006

    A Czech airliner bound for New York was forced to turn back to Prague thirty minutes after take-off due to a technical problem on Saturday. A spokesman for CSA, the Czech national carrier, said a problem with the plane's computer system had necessitated the turn-back. The faulty component was replaced and the plane took off with a four hour delay.

  • 03/11/2006

    A 31-year-old Czech woman, Jana Tylova, became the top sudoku player in the world Saturday after winning the first world championships for the numbers-based game in Italy. Tylova, an economist from the city of Most, beat two citizens of the United States to triumph in the final after a two-day competition involving 85 players from 22 countries

  • 03/10/2006

    British Prime Minister and Labour Party head Tony Blair has met with his Czech counterpart, Jiri Paroubek, in Prague. On Friday Mr Blair arrived in the Czech capital ahead of a meeting of European Social Democrats. He offered Mr Paroubek - and Czech Social Democrats - his support in upcoming national elections. Following talks, Mr Blair praised the Czech Republic, saying Britain saw the country as a "strong" and "reliable" member of the European Union and NATO. Mr Blair also praised strong Czech economic results.

    In addition, the British prime minister donated an English double-decker bus for the Social Democrats for use in their pre-election campaign.

    Author: Jan Velinger
  • 03/10/2006

    The lower house of Parliament has rejected a Penal Code amendment that would have explicitly banned promotion of communism or Nazism in the Czech Republic. The amendment, drafted by the country's Senate, was rejected in a reading with 135 deputies present. 68 voted against. All Communist MPs and a majority of Social Democrat deputies voted in favour of rejecting the bill. However, authors of the proposal say they will submit the amendment again - following supposed changes in the balance of power in the lower house, following national elections in June.

    Author: Jan Velinger
  • 03/10/2006

    Czech Social Democrat and chairman of the lower house Lubomir Zaoralek met with the president of the European Parliament Josep Borrel on Friday, discussing issues of European integration. After their meeting Mr Zaoralek revealed that the EU Parliament's president indicated that the current text of the European Constitution treaty - rejected in two referenda last year - would have to be scrapped; this, in favour of a new treaty following new negotiations. The view stands in contrast to the stance taken by the majority of EU leaders, until now unwilling to bury the proposed constitution, opting for a freeze on ratification and renewed public debate instead. The Czech Republic is expected to take a stance on the treaty by 2007.

    Author: Jan Velinger
  • 03/10/2006

    According to the Justice ministry, Czech businessman Dalibor Kopp, suspected of illegally exporting weapons to several countries including Iraq, will be extradited to the Czech Republic from Belgium. Mr Kopp, who is 43, was arrested in Brussels in January after a tip off from Prague. He had been wanted on an international arrest warrant since 2004. Mr Kopp and an accomplice have been charged with illegal trade in military materials and illegal arms possession. A search of Mr Kopp's company premises in the Czech Republic revealed an illegal production line for ammunition. Czech police said in January in a statement that if found guilty the suspect could face up to ten years in prison.

    Author: Jan Velinger

Pages