News

International drugstore chain drops appeal, apologises in discrimination case

Rossman, the international drugstore chain, has apologised for discriminating against a Romani woman whose job application was rejected for reasons of ethnicity. The woman's lawyer says her client received 50, 000 crowns - or a little over 2,000 U.S. dollars - in compensation as well as a written apology, an end to a case the drugstore chain had been planning to appeal. A Czech court first ruled in the Romani woman's favour in April last year.

Poll: majority feels Czech Republic can do without immigrants

A new poll just released has suggested that as many as 60 percent of Czechs feel the country does not need new immigrants, answering with ambivalence or in the negative to a question regarding whether foreigners should be allowed to stay. Responses were similarly negative to the question whether or not the Czech Republic needed immigrants for the future. The Czech Republic has an aging population, and experts generally agree the country would benefit from a new influx of immigrants. Some studies suggest that by 2050 a quarter of the population could be made up of immigrants, a number that echoes general EU estimates.

Record number of tourists visited Czech Rep in 2004

The Czech tourist office, Czechtourism, has revealed that a record number of tourists visited the Czech Republic last year. According to the numbers the Czech Republic saw 7.9 million foreign visitors in 2004, a 19 per cent rise, year-on-year. The greatest number of visitors to the Czech Republic traditionally come from Germany, but the number of tourists from Great Britain rose markedly in 2004, to almost 800, 000 - an increase of almost 60 percent.

Football: Baros comes under fire for late challenge

Liverpool footballer Milan Baros has drawn criticism from both rivals as well as a team mate following a late challenge against Everton's Alan Stubbs that saw the Czech player sent off the pitch on Sunday. After the match Liverpool team captain Steven Gerrard complained that Baros had complicated the team win. The Czech striker could now miss up to three matches in a row, which would leave Liverpool momentarily without a single regular line-up striker: Morientes, Mellor, and Cisse are all on the sick list.

Weather

The next few days should see continued sunny spells around the country, with temperatures rising to around 18 degrees Celsius in the middle of the week.