• North Moravian court sentences large gang of heroin dealers to prison
    12/22/2004

    The Ostrava Regional Court has found a 23 year-old Czech woman guilty of dealing in heroin and has sentenced her to eight years in prison. Her twelve Vietnamese accomplices are to be expelled and face jail sentences between nine and ten years. Two of Vietnamese nationals were staying in the Czech Republic illegally. Police say the heroin sold by the gang would have been worth close to two million crowns (some 66,500 euros) on the black market.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Last 2,000 conscripts in Czech Army to go home Wednesday
    12/21/2004

    The last 2,000 conscripts in the Czech Army are due to leave their barracks on Wednesday, ending 140 years of compulsory military service in the Czech Lands. Throughout the year the Army has gradually been replacing conscripts with career soldiers. The move makes the Czech Republic one of the first countries in the region with a professional military. However, Joint Forces Commander Josef Sedlak warned on Tuesday of overly high expectations of the new army. He also said professionals could expect tougher training than their conscript counterparts.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Radioactive leak at Temelin not dangerous, says spokesperson
    12/21/2004

    Around 20,000 litres of radioactive water leaked out of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the southwest of the Czech Republic on Monday. According to a spokesman, the leak, caused by a water-level measuring problem in a reservoir, was contained within a limited area and did not pose a risk to the environment or to workers' health. Temelin's opponents say it is unsafe and should be shut down.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Most members of Ostrava ice hockey team released after fatal crash
    12/21/2004

    Most members of the Ostrava ice hockey team injured in a motorway crash on Monday have been allowed home. The team's trainer Karel Metelka died in the accident, which occurred when their bus crashed into the back of a truck a short distance from Beroun, where the team were due to play a match.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Dismissal for police officers charged with abuse of power
    12/21/2004

    Two police officers charged with abuse of power have been dismissed from the police force. Zdenek Pichlik and Petr Sima, whose field was organized crime, were arrested by a team of inspectors from the Interior Ministry and have been in custody since Saturday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Coalition cannot agree on new head for Supreme Audit Office
    12/21/2004

    The vacant position of head of the Czech Republic's Supreme Audit Office is unlikely to be filled during the term of the current government, Labour Minister Zdenek Skromach said on Tuesday. He said the three parties in the coalition were unable to agree on a replacement for Lubomir Volenik, who died almost 18 months ago.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Mobile operator Eurotel loses appeal against fine for abuse of dominant position
    12/21/2004

    Mobile phone operator Eurotel has failed in a court appeal against a fine of 48 million crowns (over 1.5 million euros) for abusing its dominant position on the Czech market. Eurotel and another operator Radiomobil were found guilty in 2002 of charging customers more for calls to a third operator than between their own networks.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • One senator spends more than half Senate travel budget: MfD
    12/21/2004

    More than half of the Senate's budget for flights has been spent by one member from north Moravia, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported Tuesday. Ondrej Feber, the senator for Karvina, said that he flew so often because he needed to be close to his voters.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Svoboda, Shalom discuss EU-Israeli relations
    12/20/2004

    The Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda who is on a three-day official visit to Israel has met his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom for talks on the relations between the EU and Israel. After the meeting Mr Svoboda said that every country has a right to defend its territory and its citizens. He also said that the Czech Republic supports the Israeli proposal to add the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to the European Union's list of terrorist organisations. Mr Svoboda also spoke in favour of an increased participation of the EU and NATO in the Middle East peace process.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Palas to run for Social Democrat chairman at March congress
    12/20/2004

    The Agriculture Minister Jaroslav Palas has said he will run for the post of deputy chairman of the Social Democrats at the party's congress in March. The two candidates for the post of chairman are the acting head of the party, Prime Minister Stanislav Gross and the Labour and Social Affairs Minister Zdenek Skromach. After a series of election defeats, the ruling coalition party's leadership says it needs to find strong personalities who would come up with a new programme and present it to the voters.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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