• Outstanding women of Czech origin awarded at the Senate
    10/04/2007

    An award ceremony has taken place on Thursday evening at the Senate to honour five women of Czech origin for their outstanding achievement in art, science, sports, charity work, business, and public life. Among those nominated this year are the Britain-based architect and designer Eva Jiricna and the oldest granddaughter of the late shoe-magnate Jan Antonin Bata, Dolores Bata Arambasic.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Police to investigate switching of newborns
    10/04/2007

    Police have started investigating the switching of two newborn girls at the hospital in Trebic nine months ago. The parents of one of the babies recently began to doubt whether the child was theirs and a DNA test confirmed their suspicion. The other parents have not yet been informed. Four girls were allegedly born at the hospital on the 9th December, so there are three families that may possibly be raising somebody else's child.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech planes to guard Baltic airspace during 2009
    10/03/2007

    Three Czech fighter planes are set to patrol the airspace over Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia in 2009, after the Czech government approved the plan on Wednesday. It now needs the backing of both houses of the Czech parliament. Around 100 ground personnel would support the three Grippen planes. Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova said the country's military budget would cover the three-month mission, expected to cost CZK half a billion (around USD 25 million). None of the three Baltic states has a modern air force of its own.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Commission to oversee development in area earmarked for US radar base
    10/03/2007

    The government has set up a commission to co-ordinate development projects in the Brdy area of central Bohemia, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Wednesday. Brdy is where the United States hopes to build a radar base as part of an international anti-missile shield. The government has promised to invest in the region regardless of whether the US base is built. Most local municipalities are opposed to the radar, as, suggest a series of opinion polls, are the majority of other Czechs. Parliament is set to decide on the issue in the early part of next year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Nearly two-thirds live in areas with poor air
    10/03/2007

    Almost two-thirds of Czechs live in areas where the air quality is poor, according to a report presented to the cabinet by Environment Minister Martin Bursik. The worst affected areas are Prague and the industrial region of Moravia-Silesia. In 2006 levels of dust particles in the air exceeded EU limits for the second year in a row. The report does contain some positive news: the percentage of the country where air quality is poor has fallen; in 2005 it stood at 35 percent, while last year it was down to 29 percent.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Regional party leaders want debate on Greens remaining in government
    10/03/2007

    The heads of five regional branches of the Greens have called for talks on whether the party should remain in the coalition government. They have criticised the party's leadership for not standing by Dana Kuchtova, who on Wednesday resigned as education minister over the mishandling of applications for EU funding. The regional leaders want the conditions under which the Green Party would remain in government to be on the agenda at a forthcoming national conference. The Greens are the smallest party in the coalition, which also features the Civic Democrats and Christian Democrats.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Patient suing hospital over infection contracted during operation
    10/03/2007

    A patient who contracted a bacterial infection during a routine operation is suing Prague's Motol hospital, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. The woman says she suffered complications for two years after the operation and is suing the hospital for CZK 400,000 (over half a million USD). However, officials at Motol deny any responsibility in the matter. The lawsuit is evidently the first such legal action in the Czech Republic, said Mlada fronta.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • European police chiefs gather for conference on pickpocketing
    10/03/2007

    Police chiefs from a number of European capitals have gathered in Prague for a conference on fighting pickpockets, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. Prague police complain that Czech prosecutors are reluctant to remand pickpockets, who often leave the country after arrest. Police chief Petr Zelasko also said his officers were trying to persuade judges that pickpockets were often not individual criminals but members of organised gangs. The conference runs until Thursday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Pig farming in crisis says head of agricultural chamber
    10/03/2007

    Pig breeding and pork processing in the Czech Republic are in crisis, the president of the country's agricultural chamber, Jan Veleba, said on Wednesday. A steep rise this year in the price of cereals used to feed animals has led to a worsening of an already bad situation, he said. One in ten pig farmers quit the industry every year. Pig breeding accounts for a quarter of the country's animal production and about 10 percent of its total agricultural produce.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Woman dies after being knocked down by stampeding horses
    10/03/2007

    A woman died after evidently being knocked down by a herd of stampeding horses at a farm in near Ostrava in north Moravia on Wednesday. The woman, who worked on the farm, died after being admitted to hospital with stomach injuries, said a local rescue worker.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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