News

Poll: 62 percent of Czechs would prefer early elections

A new poll conducted by the STEM agency has suggested that a majority of Czechs would like to see early elections. June's national election ended in a parliamentary stalemate, producing only a minority government that has not yet been tested in a vote of confidence. A total of 62 percent of those polled in the survey replied they were "in favour" of early elections, while 38 percent said they were "against". The current cabinet led by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has pledged to hold office only in an interim period and to push for elections in the spring of 2007. The government faces its confidence vote on October 4th, but it is widely expected not to pass. According to some observers, at most the government can expect an even split in the vote, leading to the government's resignation.

Extraordinary parliamentary session to be held to look into wiretapping allegations

The Chamber of Deputies will hold an extraordinary session next week to discuss questions of alleged wiretapping of politicians and journalists - raised by Interior Minister Ivan Langer earlier this week. On Wednesday the interior minister suggested that some twenty senior officials and journalists could have been wiretapped under the past government in connection with the leak of a secret report by police unit head Jan Kubice. Mr Langer said that he received the information from journalistic circles. The opposition Social Democrats have expressed outrage over the allegations and demanded immediate proof.

New EU members form coalition to fight for dropping of US visa requirements

The foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four and the Baltic states have agreed to join forces in an effort to achieve a visa-free regime for travelling to the United States. At the instigation of Czech Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra they agreed in New York City on Thursday to form a so-called "Coalition for Visa Equality" within which they will coordinate future steps. Of the newest EU member countries, only Slovenian citizens are exempt from visas when travelling to the US.

EU's counter-terrorism coordinator - calls for lifting of visa restrictions

In related news, Gijs de Vries, the counter-terrorism coordinator for the European Union, has called for the lifting of US visa restrictions for all the EU newcomers, including the Czech Republic. Mr de Vries pointed that the US was the EU's number one partner in the fight against terrorism, while speaking at a conference on the subject in Prague on Friday. Mr de Vries said that the understood US concerns over safety but stressed that an equal approach was needed towards all EU citizens.

Members of "Respekt" editorial staff give notice

The majority of members of the editorial staff at the Czech weekly "Respekt" have handed in their notice in protest of proposed changes at the weekly. The step was taken on Thursday. According to one source the daily has lost some 80 - 90 percent of its writers. Milos Cermak, strategic director at the paper, was brought in to introduce changes to try and turn around the weekly's flagging fortunes: for four years now the daily has operated at a loss. Mr Cermak told the Internet server idnes.cz he didn't understand the rationale behind the staff's decision, saying he had given guarantees that coming changes would not affect "continuity" of authorship, nor change the target readership.

Respekt was one of the first weeklies to emerge following the Velvet Revolution: it has roots in the samizdat - "illegal" writing published clandestinely in Communist Czechoslovakia prior to November 1989.

Prague court rejects Pitr request for sentence deferral

A Prague court has rejected a request by businessman Tomas Pitr, asking for the deferral of a five year prison sentence he was handed down for tax fraud. As reason for the deferral Mr Pitr cited the birth of a new child - a reason rejected by the court. The businessman was sentenced for improper tax payment dating back to 1994. He has asked for a new trial, a matter that the court will look into in November.

Carrier in deal to purchase new Boeing jets

The largest private carrier in the Czech Republic - Travel Service - has agreed with Boeing to acquire two new Boeing 737-900 ER jets. The contract is said to be worth 1.8 billion crowns (the equivalent of around 81 million US dollars). The jets are to be delivered by 2009. The new planes will be able to travel farther than Travel Service's current flotilla - up to 6,000 kilometres, with 200 passengers.

Police involved in dramatic chase

Police in Prague were involved in a dramatic car chase in the Czech capital late Thursday. The chase at close to midnight put police on the tail of a stolen Peugeot, driven by a 17-year-old car thief. The suspect purposely drove into the opposing lane - into on-coming traffic - to try and lose his pursuers. He was said to be going at 150 kilometres an hour. According to reports, police shot and hit the car's tires a number of times, but the chase ended when the stolen car hit another vehicle. The suspect suffered light injuries.

Forecast

Sunny weather has been forecast throughout the weekend. Saturday and Sunday should see highs of around 22 degrees Celsius.