• Government approves family policy to boost EU's lowest birth rate
    10/13/2005

    The government has approved measures aimed at boosting the country's record-low birth rate by allowing maternity leave for up to eight years after a child's birth and boosting fathers' roles, the Labour Ministry has announced. Under the new plan, mothers would be able to take their three-year maternity leave not only during the first 36 months of their child's life, as now, but at any time until the child is eight years old. The national family concept agreed by the government late on Wednesday also entitles fathers to receive financial support if they decide to care for the child at home or take time off work if their child is ill.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • EP strips MEP Zelezny of immunity
    10/13/2005

    The European Parliament has decided to strip Czech MEP Vladimir Zelezny, the former director of the Czech commercial television station Nova, of immunity. The Czech judiciary has asked for Mr Zelezny's parliamentary immunity to be removed as he is under investigation for tax evasion and damaging a creditor.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Polish prosecutors, Czech colleagues discuss Unipetrol case
    10/13/2005

    Representatives of a Polish prosecutor's office have met their Czech colleagues in Prague to discuss cooperation in the investigation into alleged corruption in the privatisation of the Czech petrochemical company Unipetrol, the Prague City State Attorney's Office said. According to unofficial information, the Polish prosecutors will also want to interrogate leading Czech politicians, including Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and ex-prime minister Stanislav Gross, both from the ruling Social Democrats.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Police shelves case of flooding of Prague metro
    10/13/2005

    Police has once again shelved the case of the flooding of Prague metro in August 2002. No one will be prosecuted for the 7-billion-crown damage caused by the flood even though investigation revealed construction faults in several stations. The investigators were unable to determine who was responsible for the construction of the stations back in the 1970s.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Post office on highest mountain to open next year
    10/13/2005

    The construction of a new post office building at the peak of the Czech Republic's highest mountain Snezka should be finished by August next year. The new post office will be built on the foundations of the Ceska bouda chalet that was recently demolished. The wood and glass construction will also have a lookout terrace and sell refreshments to tourists.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Health Minister sacked
    10/12/2005

    Health Minister Milada Emmerova has been dismissed from office, after failing to deal with cash flow problems in the health sector. The health crisis reached a head when six of minister Emmerova's deputies offered to resign on Tuesday. Private physicians staged a one day strike last week. To help stabilise the situation, the government earmarked 3.8 billion crowns in emergency aid.

    Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek says there are two main candidates for the post. He has refused to reveal their names but expects to find Mrs Emmerova's replacement within a week. His deputy, Zdenek Skromach, will be leading the ministry until a new health minister is appointed, the presidential office announced on Wednesday.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Chamber of Deputies approves state budget for 2006
    10/12/2005

    The lower house of the Czech Parliament has approved the state budget for 2006 with a deficit of 74.4 billion crowns (an estimated 3.1 billion US dollars). The budget deficit should not exceed 4.6 percent of the GDP if the Czech Republic is to meet conditions under the EU convergence programme paving the way for the country to adopt the euro. The lower house will decide at the end of the year how the 2006 state budget is to be divided among individual ministries.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czechs win last World Cup qualifier to reach playoffs
    10/12/2005

    The Czech Republic have reached the playoffs for next year's football World Cup, after a convincing 3-0 win against Finland in Helsinki on Wednesday evening. The Czech goals were scored by Tomas Jun, Tomas Rosicky and Marek Heinz. The Czech Republic won despite the absence of key players such as Jan Koller and Marek Jankulovski. Their opponent in the play-offs will be decided on Friday.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech Republic sends aid to earthquake stricken Pakistan
    10/12/2005

    The Czech Republic has dispatched a special aid plane to Islamabad to help treat the victims of earthquake hit Pakistan. The plane was not loaded with humanitarian aid, as originally planned, but carried all materials necessary to fully equip a field hospital, including 30 beds. A team of 14 civilian and military medical workers and nine fire fighters are also on board the plane.

    The Czech government has earmarked 25 million crowns (a little over one million US dollars) for aid to northern Pakistan.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Krejcir will not be extradited
    10/12/2005

    The Seychelles will not release fugitive billionaire Radovan Krejcir, who is being prosecuted for extensive fraud and conspiracy to murder in the Czech Republic. Seychelles authorities are cooperating with the Czech police but have refused to extradite Krejcir on the grounds that he is a Seychelles citizen. Krejcir bought Seychelles citizenship back in 1996, a fact that has evoked criticism in the local press. He escaped from the Czech Republic this summer during a police raid of his villa.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

Pages