• Jewish group says Plzeň authorities made mistake in allowing neo-Nazi march
    01/15/2008

    The League against Anti-Semitism say the authorities in Plzeň were wrong to grant permission for a neo-Nazi demonstration due to take place next Saturday, the anniversary of the first transport of Jews from the west Bohemian city in 1942. League against Anti-Semitism spokeswoman Věra Tydlitátová said a bureaucratic oversight allowed permission for the procession to be given, despite the rejection of another application to march a week later. Jewish leaders have organised a service in front of the city’s Great Synagogue as a counter to the far-right march.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • World sales of Škoda cars up 14.5 percent in 2007
    01/15/2008

    The Czech car maker Škoda Auto increased its sales around the world by 14.5 percent last year, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. Total sales of Škoda cars reached over 630,000 in 2007. The firm’s biggest single market is Germany, while over half of its vehicles are sold in western European states. Škoda, which is owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, sold almost 65,000 cars here in the Czech Republic. Car making has been one of the main motors of the Czech economy in recent years.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Press: Bursík wants plastic bottles to be refundable
    01/15/2008

    The minister of the environment, Martin Bursík, is preparing a new law under which plastic bottles would have to become refundable, in the same way half-litre glass beer bottles are at present, Mladá fronta Dnes reported. If approved, the new legislation would take effect from 2010. However, drinks producers and sellers are strongly opposed to the idea, the newspaper said.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Road deaths up last year, though number of accidents down
    01/15/2008

    There was a rise in the number of road deaths in the Czech Republic last year, according to figures just released by the Czech police. A total of 1,123 people were killed in road accidents, 167 more than in 2006. However, the number of accidents fell last year, the police said. A new points system aimed at curbing accidents was introduced in July 2006; it was initially judged a success, though after some months the fatality rate returned to more or less its previous level.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Social Democrats lead in polls
    01/15/2008

    The opposition Social Democrats have the support of 31 percent of the electorate, suggests a poll conducted at the start of this month by the STEM agency. The second strongest party in the survey were the governing Civic Democrats, with 24.3 percent, followed by the Communists with 13.1 percent.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Teacher charged for allegedly having sex with pupil in school
    01/15/2008

    Police in Kladno have charged a 38-year-old school teacher with endangering the morals of the young after she allegedly had sex with one of her pupils in a staffroom. The school informed the boy’s parents of the matter when it arose last year, but they declined to press charges. The teacher, whose subjects were physical education and aerobics, has since quit the school.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prague churches opening door for night of ecumenical activities
    01/15/2008

    Churches in Prague are planning a Night of Open Churches on January 21, as part of a week of ecumenical meetings and services. Organisers said they had been inspired by similar events in Austria, where such open nights are held annually in big cities. The whole thing is set to begin with a service at St Kliment’s Greek Catholic Church on Karlova Street near Charles Bridge.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Mixed fortunes for Czech tennis stars in Australian Open
    01/15/2008

    The Czech Republic’s tennis players have been having something of a mixed time of it in the first round of the Australian Open. With Nicole Vaidišová already through on day one, Tomáš Berdych advanced to round two with a win over Austria’s Werner Eschauer on Tuesday. However, his girlfriend Lucie Šafářová went out to Catalina Castano of Columbia, while the former Czech men’s number one Radek Štěpánek has also packed his bags early in Melbourne – he lost to Vincent Spadea of the United States.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czechs to engage China in human rights dialogue
    01/14/2008

    Czech European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra met with visiting Chinese State Councillor Hua Jianmin on Monday. At a news conference following the meeting, Mr Vondra said that the Czech Republic plans to engage China in a dialogue on human rights during the Czech presidency of the EU. Alexandr Vondra said that China was a country with “an improving human rights situation” but progress in this area is slow. According to the Czech European Affairs Minister, the Czech Republic has several concrete ideas how to foster human rights in China. The Czech Republic will assume the EU presidency in January 2009, a year which will mark 20 years since the fall of communism and the country’s return to democracy.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Czech PM denies increase in illegal migration
    01/14/2008

    Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has denied reports in the Austrian press that following the Schengen expansion a heightened number of illegal immigrants have been crossing the Czech-Austrian border. In an interview for the Austrian weekly Profil, published on Monday, the Czech PM said that problems with a large group of Chechen asylum seekers in Austria were caused by the fact that Austrian authorities had not reacted to a warning issued by their Czech colleagues. In other parts of the interview regarding free movement of the workforce, Mr Topolánek said that the Czech Republic has not been a problematic country in this respect. The Czech PM urged Austria to lift the moratorium which he considers to be a discriminatory measure against the Czech Republic.
    Author: Jan Richter

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