News

State attorney: Krejcir property was being sent to Seychelles

A state attorney has revealed that property belonging to fugitive Radovan Krejcir - a Czech billionaire wanted for fraud - was being sent to the Seychelles. Police seized the property, which had been 'frozen' because of charges of tax evasion, in August, stopping a lorry near Beroun, outside of Prague and finding items from Krejcir's household worth millions of Czech crowns. Items in the truck included: furniture, electronic equipment, motorcycles, and sports items. The name on the shipping address was not Czech and police are now trying to gather more information.

Supreme Court confirms verdict in Huskova case

The Supreme Court has confirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss Judge Petra Huskova from Hradec Kralove's municipal court in east Bohemia, over extensive delays in dozens of cases under her charge. The chairman of the disciplinary senate said on Thursday the Supreme Court had found no reason to cancel the earlier High Court's verdict from last November. Mrs Huskova has reacted by saying she would consider filing a complaint to the Constitutional Court. Before now, investigations revealed that between June 2002 and March 2004 Judge Huskova took no steps in 24 commercial and 22 bankruptcy cases, without citing any reasons.

In another two commercial cases, she failed to reach verdicts within set deadlines.

Unemployment up, inflation stable

Unemployment went up by one decimal point in August, according to Labour Ministry figures published on Thursday. The number of people looking for work rose to just over half a million, or 8.9% of the workforce. The chief economist of Raiffeisenbank in Prague, Pavel Mertlik, said that despite the increase, the figure was encouraging. With those leaving school entering the job market, August is traditionally the worst month of the year.

Inflation figures have also been published, showing that the year-on-year rate for August remained unchanged at 1.7%. According to the Czech Statistics Bureau rises in fuel prices were matched by a fall in the price of some foodstuffs. Consumer prices remained at July levels.

Archaeologists unearth unique statue of Persian goddess

Czech archaeologists have made what is being called a unique discovery near Prague: a statuette of a Persian fertility goddess known as Anahita. The item is believed to date back to the 4th century or earlier, and is likely to have originally reached Bohemia either through an ancient trade route or through military contacts along the northern border of the Roman Empire. The find was made by archaeologist David Danicek who unearthed an ancient burial ground dating back to the so-called Migration of Nations period (in the 5th and 6th centuries). One expert has compared the find in importance to the discovery of the famous Venus of Dolni Vestonice, in south Moravia.

Theatre biweekly praises 'American' version of Ledecky's Hamlet

The American version of Czech pop singer Janek Ledecky's musical 'Hamlet' has been praised by the Czech theatre biweekly Divadelni noviny, which called it the success of the summer. The paper wrote in its first September issue that the musical was fully-justified in its "Broadway ambitions". The English-language version is directed by American Robert Johanson and features a number of Broadway performers. It was presented in Prague several times in mid-August.

Weather

More sunshine is expected over the next two days with daytime temperatures reaching highs between 25 - 27 degrees Celsius. Thunder showers have been forecast for Sunday.