News
Police propose taking Dolezel,Peta, Rehulka into custody
Police have proposed that former head of the prime minister's office Zdenek Dolezel charged with blackmail and corruption and two other persons accused in the same case should be taken into custody, a spokeswoman said on Thursday. A court is to decide within 24 hours whether Zdenek Dolezel, Ladislav Peta and Miloslav Rehulka will be taken into custody. The charges against Mr Dolezel, Mr Peta, mayor of the small south Moravian town of Budisov, and Mr Rehulka, an Agriculture Ministry employee, were brought on Wednesday in connection with suspected corruption in the handling of EU structural funds channelled via the Local Development Ministry and blackmail of architect Marek Ricar who reported the planned fraud to the police.
EC issues last warning to Czechs over tobacco ads
The European Commission has issued a final warning to three countries, including the Czech Republic, over their failure to respect the EU's directive banning tobacco advertisements. The EC is taking Italy to the European Court of Justice in this matter, after the country failed to harmonise its legislation with EU rules. The Czech Republic could be taken to court, too, if it does not explain to the EC why it does not follow the common directives. Apart from the Czechs, a similar problem is faced by Spain and Hungary.
EU censures eight members over carbon emissions
The European Commission launched proceedings against eight members on Thursday for failing to say how many gas emissions permits they would give polluters under the EU's emission trading scheme. The EC said it was sending warning letters to Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain for ignoring an end June deadline to reveal their plans. The plans are supposed to set the total number of emissions allowances governments will give to industrial plants during the 2008-2012 period under the EU's innovative emissions trading scheme. The quotas are the cornerstone of the landmark trading scheme which was launched at the beginning of 2005 to help member states meet their greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
Two Czechs found dead in Croatia
The bodies of two Czech men who went missing on Sunday off the coast of Croatia have been found, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The bodies were recovered by Croatian divers from a depth of 67 metres. The ministry has notified the families of the two young men.
Poll: 3/5 of Czechs opposed to US anti-missile defence site
A new poll by the CVVM agency suggests that over three fifths of Czechs are opposed to a possible construction of a US anti-missile defence site in the Czech Republic. More than 75 percent of those polled said the matter should be decided in a referendum.
Delta to launch scheduled flights between Prague and Atlanta
Delta Air Lines of the United States announced on Wednesday it would launch scheduled flights between Prague and its Atlanta, Georgia hub starting on May 2 next year. The airline said it would be the only service between the two cities. Delta expects around 40 percent of travellers arriving in Prague to transit to another destination in Central and Eastern Europe. Delta, the third biggest US carrier, will operate five scheduled flights a week on the new route, it added. The airline is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which also includes Czech state-controlled carrier, Czech Airlines.
Czech Republic draws 1:1 with Ireland in Group D qualifier
The Czech Republic's national team drew 1:1 with Ireland on Wednesday in the European Championship Qualifying Group D match in Dublin. Ireland first took the lead through Kevin Kilbane after 62 minutes but Jan Koller equalised for the Czechs two minutes later.
Weather
We can expect clear skies with some cloudy periods over the coming days, with daytime temperatures reaching highs of 20 degrees Celsius.
