• Unions fail to reach agreement with ministers on state sector employee wage increase
    08/31/2007

    Trade unions representing state sector employees failed to reach agreement on a wage increase for next year in talks on Friday, although negotiations are set to continue. Workers in the sector would like to see an increase of about six or seven percent, something opposed by Labour and Social Affairs Minister Pet Necas and Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, who do not want to go beyond 1.5. Mr Necas has said a quicker pay increase is unacceptable for the government, aiming to tackle the public finance debt.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech soldiers take part in border operations
    08/31/2007

    Czech soldiers serving as part of a provincial reconstruction team in the Afghan province of Badakhshan have taken part in operations aimed at strengthening cooperation between international ISAF forces and the Afghan army. The operations took place towards the end of August and focused on reinforcing safety in areas along the border with Pakistan, the defence ministry said on Friday. Control of areas and routes on the border are key to stability in the province as certain routes are used by insurgents and drug smugglers to illegally cross.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Defence ministry fined for mistakes in tenders
    08/31/2007

    The Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS) has handed the Czech defence ministry fines to the total of almost 550,000 crowns, the equivalent of around 27,000 US dollars. The fines concern mistakes made in military tenders on soldiers' outfits and uniforms. The defence ministry can still appeal most of the fines handed down, as most are not valid yet.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Historic Czech Radio building closed for renovation
    08/31/2007

    The historic Czech Radio building, part of the broader Czech Radio complex found on Prague's Vinohradska and Rimska streets, has officially closed its doors for renovation. A special ceremony was held at the building shortly after 11 am on Friday. It was headed by the director of Czech Radio Vaclav Kasik and attended by several hundred on-lookers. Czech Radio's Vinohradska address witnessed some of the most important events in 20th century Czech history, including fighting at the end of World War II and resistance to invading Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. Renovation work at the radio building is expected to cost 500 million crowns and should be completed in two years' time.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Czech javelin thrower wins gold at Osaka, Japan in world championships
    08/31/2007

    Czech javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova has won gold in the javelin event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics underway in Osaka, Japan. Spotakova threw a personal best of 67.07 metres, beating nearest rivals Christina Obergfoll and Steffi Nerius of Germany.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Slavia heroes named to national squad for upcoming qualifiers
    08/31/2007

    The head of the national football team, Karel Bruckner, has named Slavia Prague's Champions League qualification heroes, striker Stanislav Vlcek and goalkeeper Martin Vaniak, to the squad for upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against San Marino and Ireland. Vlcek scored a brace of goals against Ajax on Wednesday night, putting Slavia into the Champions League group stages for the first time. In the same game, Vaniak pulled off a string of spectacular saves. The Czechs play minnows San Marino away on September 8th and host qualification rivals Ireland four days later.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Average wages rise by over 7 percent in second quarter
    08/30/2007

    Average wages in the Czech Republic grew by 7.4 percent in the second quarter of this year. The average salary stood at CZK 21,462 (just over USD 1,000) in the April to July period. Accounting for inflation, the real wage increase is 4.9 percent. Analysts have put the rise down to a shortage of labour in many sectors of the Czech economy.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Interest rates at five-year high after second hike in two months
    08/30/2007

    The Czech National Bank has increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.25. The second such hike in two months puts interest rates in the Czech Republic at their highest level in five years. However, they remain the lowest in the European Union.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Consensus needed over US radar base, says Czech president
    08/30/2007

    The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, says it is necessary to achieve a certain national consensus on the building of an American radar base in central Bohemia. Speaking after talks with US congressman Trent Franks in Prague, Mr Klaus said if the base was approved by the slimmest of majorities in the lower house it would create room for various potential problems in the future. The Czech Parliament is set to decide on the planned US base in the early part of next year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Taxation change to benefit Czech science
    08/30/2007

    Scientists in the Czech Republic are set to get an extra two billion CZK a year from the European Union, with the cancelling of value added tax duty due on chemicals used in EU-funded research, Hospodarske noviny reported. The change is part of an extensive reform package recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies. The tax had acted as something of a deterrent - the Czech Republic currently ranks 22nd in the union in terms of participation in EU scientific projects.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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