News

Flood warning for north-eastern parts of the country

Meteorologists have warned of the risk of local flooding in the north of the country after days of heavy rain and with more showers predicted over the next couple of days. Weather forecasters say that the flood alert could last until Wednesday morning. Up to 30 millimetres of rain are expected to fall in the next two days.

Teachers to get an extra 500 million crowns

Teachers are going ahead with plans for a one day strike on June 9th despite Education Minister Ondřej Liška’s promise of more money from the state budget. The minister said on Monday that the government would earmark an extra 500 million crowns for teacher’s wages this year, adding that this was the absolute maximum teachers can get. However, the teachers' trade unions have demanded an extra 3 billion this year to counteract inflation. According to the unions, more than half of the country's 200,000 teachers are in favour of striking, and are ready to close down nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Czech police to toughen measure against tourists in Brdy

The Czech military police who have been monitoring the ongoing Greenpeace protests in the Brdy military area against the US radar base which is to be stationed there will apply stricter measures against tourists entering the area. More and more tourists enter the zone without permission, often ending up at the military grounds prohibited for civilians. A person violating the ban of entry without a permit can face a fine of up to 3,000 crowns. Two weeks ago, around 20 Greenpeace activists set up a camp in a clearing called Site 718, the spot chosen by officials from the U.S. Missile Defence Agency for the radar facility.

Most Czechs not interested in Czech EU presidency

Most Czechs are not interested in the upcoming Czech presidency of the European Union, according to a poll conducted by the CVVM agency. Most people said they didn’t have enough information on the Czech EU presidency and only 24 percent of respondents said they were interested in the issue. The Czech Republic will assume the presidency of the European Union in January 2009. The motto of the Czech presidency is ‘Europe without barriers’ marking 20 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain and five years since the enlargement of the European Union.

Train accident leaves one dead, five others injured

An accident in which a freight train ploughed into a stationary passenger train early on Monday morning has left one person dead and five others injured. The cause of the accident is still being investigated, but preliminary findings suggest technical failure is to blame. The accident occurred in Pardubice region in east Bohemia.

Klaus appoints new professors

Czech President Václav Klaus has appointed 94 new university professors, including 19 women, who were nominated by academic and artistic councils of various universities. Most of the newly appointed professors are from Charles University.

Foreign ministry wants 520 million crowns for Expo 2010 in China

The Foreign Ministry will ask the cabinet on Wednesday to earmark 520 million crowns (around 32 million US dollars) for the Czech pavilion at Expo 2010, which is to be held in China. The total cost of the Czech participation at Expo 2005 in Japan amounted to CZK 300 million.

Czech retails sales down 2.1 percent

Czech retail sales in March decreased by 2.1 percent on the year after more than four years of continuous growth, the Czech Statistical office announced on Monday. The figure was affected by a lower number of working days and colder weather. A year-on-year decline in sales was recorded both for foodstuffs and other goods.

School-leaving exams start on Monday

Czech secondary schools launched their school leaving exams on Monday for nearly 100 000 students this year. A new unified state exam was to be introduced this year but deputies agreed to postpone the date as preparations have been slow. Under current legislation, each secondary school drafts its own school-leaving test. This has come under much criticism as some tests are harder than others.

Weather

The weather remains overcast and rainy. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius. A slight warming is expected towards the end of the week with occasional sunny spells and temperatures of up to around 20 degrees Celsius.