• Minister Emmerova discusses future of health care
    01/22/2005

    Government and trade union representatives failed to come to an agreement over the future of the Czech health care system at a meeting on Saturday. Trade unions, health insurance companies, and doctors, have been opposed to a health ministry plan that seeks stronger state involvement in the management and financing of health care. The meeting proved there was further disagreement over organisational issues.

    At the end of the month Health Minister Milada Emmerova hopes to introduce her long-term health care plan to the Czech cabinet. On Saturday, the country's trade unions, health insurance companies, and doctor associations were asked to draw up their proposals regarding financial aspects of the plan and forward them to the ministry.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Cuban couple reunite with their two children
    01/22/2005

    A Cuban refugee couple living in the Czech Republic were reunited with their two children in Prague on Saturday, 18 months after being separated. Liuver Saborit and his wife Mayda Arguelles came to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2003 and were granted political asylum in December. Their nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter were not allowed to leave Cuba and remained in the care of their grandparents.

    The couple say they were forced to leave after being threatened with prison following a large wave of repression against dissidents. Since then, they have staged a numer of protests in Prague to pressure the Cuban government into releasing their children.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Tennis: Vaidisova and Stepanek out of Australian Open
    01/22/2005

    Czech teenage tennis player Nicole Vaidisova is out of the Australian Open after Lindsay Davenport defeated her in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) in the third round of the single's match on Saturday. Lindsay Davenport, the 28-year-old American top seed, was pushed hard by the talented 15-year-old Vaidisova before her greater experience had her clinch victory.

    Czech Radek Stepanek is also out of the tournament, defeated by Guillermo Canas of Argentina 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Diplomatic row between Prague, Minsk following expulsion of Czech official
    01/21/2005

    A diplomatic row has erupted between the Czech Republic and Belarus; on Friday the Czech authorities expelled a Belarusian diplomat, soon after the expulsion of Czech diplomat Pavel Krivohlavy from Minsk. He had been arrested and briefly detained on Wednesday evening, reportedly while drinking alcohol with a 17-year-old boy. The Czech Foreign Ministry said the authorities in Belarus had contravened international law by failing to respect diplomatic immunity. The Czech charge d'affaires in Belarus, Vladimir Ruml, has also returned to Prague, at least temporarily.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Support for opposition Civic Democrats at all-time high
    01/21/2005

    Support for the opposition Civic Democrats has risen to 36%, the party's strongest ever backing, suggests a poll just released by the STEM polling agency. Last year the right-of-centre party came first in European Parliament, regional and Senate elections. Second in the latest poll were the Communist Party with 17 percent support, followed by the ruling Social Democrats with 14 percent.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Fresh charges pressed against former health minister Marie Souckova
    01/21/2005

    Former health minister Marie Souckova has been charged with abuse of office, in addition to earlier charges of breach of public trust. Both accusations follow a controversial contract Ms Souckova signed with a lawyer who represented the Health Ministry in an arbitration case. If found guilty the former minister, who recently quit the Social Democratic Party, could face up to ten years in prison.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Lower house votes to extend stay of Czech Army unit in Iraq
    01/21/2005

    The lower house has voted to extend the mission of a Czech military police unit in Iraq. If the decision is approved by the Senate next week, the Czech unit will remain in Iraq until the end of the year; they had been due to return at the end of February. The Czech soldiers, around 90 in total, are training Iraqi police officers in the south of the country.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bill banning privatisation of regional hospitals passed in lower house
    01/21/2005

    The lower house has passed a bill banning the country's regional authorities from transforming hospitals into private companies, overturning earlier approval from the Senate. Regional governors and the opposition Civic Democrats have strongly criticised Friday's vote, saying they may take the matter to the Constitutional Court.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Study: Czech salaries to remain below Western European standards for decades
    01/21/2005

    It will take Czechs, Poles and Hungarians decades to reach Western European income levels, according to a study by the Economist Corporate Network quoted in the Czech paper Lidove noviny on Friday. The report suggests the new EU member states will never catch up with Germany in terms of wages, but should reach the same levels as the Spanish and Portuguese in 14 to 18 years.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Austrian Chancellor warns Czechs against rejecting EU Constitution
    01/20/2005

    On a one day visit to the Czech Republic, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel warned Czechs against rejecting the EU Constitution in a national referendum. He said such a move would harm the small and medium sized members of the EU and would be a major step back for Europe. His Czech counterpart Stanislav Gross agreed that putting the Constitution in question would be a big mistake which would isolate the Czech Republic from the EU mainstream. Czech politicians are divided over the EU Constitution. Although the Czech coalition government supports it, the country's main opposition party of right-wing Civic Democrats as well as President Klaus are opposed to it.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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