• 09/17/2004

    The Czech engineering company Skoda Praha has won a contract to supply energy equipment worth 600 million crowns to a power plant in Bulgaria. Skoda Praha will rebuild one block of the coal-fired plant. A spokesman said Friday that returning to a "traditional market" was important to the company.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/17/2004

    The much-respected Zlin-born businessman Tomas Bata is celebrating his 90th birthday at a reception at Prague Castle on Friday evening. Among the guests at the party will be President Vaclav Klaus and his predecessor Vaclav Havel. Mr Bata, the former head of the Bata shoe company, has been living in Canada for 65 years.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    The three parties in the governing coalition have reached agreement on the framework for next year's budget. At a meeting on Thursday morning party leaders agreed to cut the proposed budget deficit from 93 to 84 billion crowns. The original figure was above the limit set by the European Commission in its convergence programme. The cut is expected to hit social benefits.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    The Czech Anti-monopoly Office has fined the country's three mobile phone operators a total of 44 million crowns (almost 1.5 million euros) for cartel agreements. A spokesman for the Office said Thursday the operators had signed illegal agreements on direct network interconnection without using a third operator.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    President Vaclav Klaus has appointed Ivana Janu to the Constitutional Court. The 58-year-old lawyer previously served on the Court for eight years and has also been a member of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    On Thursday the president also met all the Czech athletes who won medals at the recent Olympic Games in Athens. Mr Klaus thanked them for representing the country in an exemplary manner, and wished them continued success in the future. The Czech Republic took one gold, three silver and four bronze medals in Athens.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    Four more Iraqi children with serious heart defects are to arrive in Prague to undergo operations at the city's Bulovka teaching hospital next week. The children have been selected by Czech doctors working at a British field hospital in Basra. Some 20 Iraqi children have already undergone heart surgery in the Czech capital.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    An Australian bookmaker, reportedly the first taking bets on the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, has said former Czech president Vaclav Havel is its favourite to win. Bookies Centrebet are giving 4-1 odds on Mr Havel being awarded the prestigious prize, though he has often been named as a potential winner in the past.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    With the beginning of the ice hockey NHL season delayed due to a players' strike, Czech star Jaromir Jagr is planning to turn out for his old team Kladno. Jagr, who is 32, is currently injured, but has been training with the Czech Extraliga club.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 09/16/2004

    Sparta Prague lost their first game in this season's Champions League away to Fenerbahce on Wednesday night. Sparta, who were without experienced midfielder Karel Poborsky, were beaten 1:0 by the Turkish club. Elsewhere in the competition, Pavel Nedved scored for Juventus before leaving the field injured, and Milan Baros got a goal for his club Liverpool.

    Author: Ian Willoughby

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