-
12/20/2007
Experts warn that the number of sexually abused children and children forced into prostitution is growing in the Czech Republic and they fear that the country’s entry into the Schengen border-free zone may make the situation worse. Last year the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry registered over 1,600 cases of sexually abused children but according to Eva Vanickova, a specialist who has written a book on the subject, that number is very likely the tip of the iceberg.
-
12/20/2007
Opinion polls indicate that the opposition Social Democrats have outstripped the ruling party in popularity ratings. The results of a poll conducted by the STEM agency suggest that if elections were held today the Social Democrats would come out the winner with 35 percent of the vote. The ruling Civic Democrats would gain a mere 28 percent, followed by the Communists with 16.5 percent. The ruling party is attributing the sudden slide in popularity to the fact that it has been forced to implement painful reforms. A separate poll conducted by the CVVM agency confirms the turn-about in public support.
-
12/20/2007
Czechs are increasingly dissatisfied with the political situation in the country and with the work of the government and parliament. According to the polling agency STEM dissatisfaction with the country’s top officials has been growing since June and the situation is getting steadily worse. A mere 16 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the political situation, 6 percentage points down from November. Only 25 percent of Czechs are satisfied with the government's performance, down from 38 percent in June, and a mere 22 percent are happy with the performance of law-makers in the lower house and the Senate.
-
12/20/2007
The Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University on Thursday signed an agreement to jointly build a new centre for biotechnology and biomedicine near Prague. The centre is to attract leading scientists, both from the Czech Republic and abroad, and draw money from EU funds. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who attended the signing ceremony said the project had the government’s full support.
-
12/20/2007
The Supreme Administrative Court has confirmed a one million crown fine which the Czech Retail Inspection Office imposed on the supermarket chain Ahold in 2005 for incorrect price labels, a lack of information about the source of food products and incorrect weight entries. The fine was record-high at the time it was imposed.
-
12/19/2007
The Czech police have stepped-up their drive against illegal migration as the country prepares to join the border-free Schengen zone at midnight on Thursday, said a police spokesperson. According to police data, some 4,500 illegal immigrants have been arrested since June, and more than 4,000 of them expelled. On Tuesday, Czech police launched a final operation before the country becomes part of the Schengen zone this week. The spokesperson said that the raids were a ‘message’ to illegal immigrants that the opening of borders did not spell an end to police controls, but instead signified the very opposite.
-
12/19/2007
The Czech cabinet has approved a new draft Penal Code which would bring about tougher punishments for criminals, and lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 years of age. The revised Penal Code would change substantially the classification of crimes, dividing them into two categories, depending upon their seriousness. Serious criminals would be punished more severely than at present, being handed sentences of up to 30 years imprisonment. And courts would be given the power to fast-track lesser offences, and to hand out alternative punishments. If approved by parliament and signed by the head of state, the new Penal Code could take effect as soon as January 2009.
-
12/19/2007
The government has rejected a bill that would abolish healthcare fees, which are set to come into effect next month. On Wednesday, the opposition Social Democrats submitted the proposal, and gained the support of one of the governing coalition’s deputies, but in the end this was not enough for the bill to pass. As of January 2008, Czechs will have to pay 30 CZK for a visit to the doctor’s, and 90 CZK per visit to the emergency room. The health minister Tomas Julinek has said the move is necessary to cut wastage in the Czech healthcare system. The Social Democrats have also filed a complaint against the reform with the Constitutional Court, which is still to rule on the matter.
-
12/19/2007
Those who abuse sick-pay will face harsher punishments as of 2009, reported Hospodarske noviny on Wednesday. The Labour and Social Affairs Minister, Petr Necas, is drafting a law which would allow employers to dismiss workers who, they could prove, had taken time off sick when they were not ill. As of 2009, it will no longer be the state which provides workers with the first 14 days’ worth of sick-pay – the task will fall to employers instead. For this reason, Mr Necas wants to give employers increased powers to combat any abuse of the system. Under the proposed legislation, workers found to be abusing sick-pay could also face a fine of up to 20,000 CZK (1000 USD). Unions and the opposition Social Democrats have criticized the proposed reforms.
-
12/19/2007
The relatives of those who were condemned to death by show trials under communism are to receive compensation from the state. A government decree passed on Wednesday entitled surviving relatives of show-trial victims to additional benefits to their pensions. The new law will also apply to relatives of those who were shot dead when they attempted to cross the border to escape communist Czechoslovakia. Former political prisoners and their surviving relatives have been receiving supplements to their pensions since 2005. Relatives of show-trial victims can expect up to 3,000 CZK (150 USD) annually under this new decree.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 6098
- 6099
- 6100
- 6101
- 6102
- 6103
- 6104
- 6105
- 6106
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »