• Foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg discharged from German clinic
    03/13/2008

    The Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg was discharged from a German clinic on Wednesday where he was under observation after undergoing heart surgery three weeks ago. A spokesperson for the ministry said that he would now spend the next couple of days at a German spa. The Foreign Minister is expected to return to work at the end of the month.
    Author: Rosie Johnston

  • Woman sues hospital for performing ineffective sterilisation
    03/13/2008

    A woman who was told she had been sterilised is seeking damages from a hospital in Liberec, Northern Bohemia, after giving birth to a healthy child. Šarka Doušová is asking for 250,000 CZK (nearly 15,500 USD) in damages after having suffered health problems as a result of the pregnancy. Ms Doušová was sterilised by the hospital after a road accident, when she was told that it would be dangerous for her to have any more children. But two months after the operation she fell unexpectedly pregnant and went on to have the child. The hospital in question has been unwilling to settle out of court as it says that Ms Doušová’s sterilisation failed because there was a problem with the method of surgery, and not the doctors performing the operation. The case will now be brought to a regional court.
    Author: Rosie Johnston

  • Škoda Auto posts net profit of nearly 16 billion crowns in 2007
    03/13/2008

    Czech car maker Škoda Auto recorded a net profit of 15.98 billion CZK (993 million USD) in 2007, said the company’s chief financial officer, Holger Kintscher, on Thursday. This figure is up more than 44 percent on that of the previous year, he added. Sales rose by nine percent year on year to 222 billion crowns in 2007, with the firm selling more than 630,000 cars. Last year, Škoda Auto’s production topped 661,000 units, and it is expected to break through the 700,000 unit barrier this year, said Mr Kintscher. The firm has been the Czech Republic’s biggest exporter for the last couple of years.
    Author: Rosie Johnston

  • Crown trades at record high against the dollar
    03/13/2008

    The Czech crown set a new record against the US dollar on Thursday, trading at 16.10 crowns to the dollar, according to financial news website Patria Online. Against the euro, however, the crown dropped in value, trading at 25.05 crowns to the euro at the market’s close.
    Author: Rosie Johnston

  • Prague leg of One World film festival comes to a close
    03/13/2008

    Thursday marks the close of the tenth One World festival of human rights documentary films in Prague. The festival will now move on to 28 other Czech towns and cities. This year, the Prague leg of the festival enjoyed a record attendance of around 45,000 visitors - a figure up nearly 10,000 on the previous year. The prize for best film at the festival was given this year to the Brazilian director Maria Ramos for her movie ‘Juizo’. Best director went to Tchao Liang for ‘Crime and Punishment’. Homegrown ‘Citizen Havel’, directed by Pavel Koutecký and Miroslav Janek, also won a special mention from the festival jury.
    Author: Rosie Johnston

  • Chamber to discuss Lisbon Treaty for first time next week
    03/12/2008

    The Chamber of Deputies is to hold its first discussion of the Treaty of Lisbon next week, the deputy chairman of the lower house’s foreign affairs committee told reporters. Also known as the Reform Treaty, the document amends the existing treaties of the European Union and replaces a failed EU constitution. However after the Czech lower house’s first reading of the treaty, the matter will be put on ice, possibly until after the summer. If all 27 members of the EU ratify the document, it should come into effect at the start of next year, during the Czech Republic’s presidency of the union.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Ceremonies held to mark nine years of NATO membership
    03/12/2008

    Ceremonies have been held at most of the military bases in the Czech Republic to mark the ninth anniversary of the country joining NATO. The Czech Army has undergone significant reform since the country became a member of NATO in March 1999, with the biggest single change the ending of compulsory military service and the creation of a fully professional army.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Právo: Czech court hands down first sentence for sham marriage
    03/12/2008

    A Czech court has for the first time sentenced somebody for entering into a fake marriage, Právo reported. A 35-year-old woman from Plzeň was given a suspended sentence after receiving around CZK 35,000 for marrying a Pakistani man so he could get permanent residence in the Czech Republic, the newspaper said. The Czech woman met the man for the first time shortly before their wedding ceremony at a registry office in Ukraine. A law came into effect last July making it illegal for Czechs to enter into such a union.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Industrial output rises almost 10 percent in January
    03/12/2008

    Industrial output rose by 9.3 percent year-on-year in January, according to figures just released by the Czech Statistical Office. That growth was mainly driven by increased production of electrical and optical instruments and transport equipment. Industrial revenues were up by 8.5 percent in constant prices and 8.8 percent in current prices in the first month of this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech crown again sets new high to US dollar
    03/12/2008

    The Czech currency the crown has reached another new high against the US dollar, trading at 16.17 to the dollar at lunchtime on Wednesday, the financial news website Patria Online said. The crown fell slightly to the US currency in afternoon trading. It has also set record highs against the common European currency the euro in recent weeks.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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