News
Electrical engineering Czech Republic's biggest industry
Electrical engineering has become the Czech Republic's biggest industrial sector, having more than doubled since the year 2000, and having posted a turnover of 436 billion crowns (19 billion US dollars) last year, the economic daily Hospodarske noviny writes. The steel and metal industry in the second place generated a turnover of 400 billion crowns and engineering, the third largest sector, 374 billion crowns last year. Behind the fast growth of Czech electrical engineering is modernisation of companies already integrated into the EU supply system and the launch of new large plants built by foreign investors at the turn of the millennium.
Theatre director Darjanin hot candidate for Czech culture minister
Theatre director and general commissioner of the Czech exposition at Expo 2005 Vladimir Darjanin is a hot candidate for the post of Czech culture minister to replace Pavel Dostal who died of cancer on Sunday, Czech dailies wrote on Wednesday. If Mr Darjanin were appointed, he would become the fourth non-party member in the coalition cabinet, besides Deputy Prime Minister Martin Jahn, Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan and head of the government Legislative Council Pavel Zarecky. Mr Darjanin who is still in Japan is expected to meet Prime Minister Paroubek later this week.
Former finance minister reports to prison
Former finance minister and member of the Social Democrat Party, Ivo Svoboda, has reported to a Prague prison to serve a five-year sentence for embezzlement. He and his former adviser, Barbora Snopkova were found guilty of embezzling funds worth 300,000 US dollars from a bankrupt baby carriage manufacturer between 1996 and 1998 and they lost a final appeal in the case last autumn. Mr Svoboda is the first member of a post-Communist Czech government to be handed down a prison sentence.
Assailant of Telecom CEO not found, case shelved
Police have not found the perpetrator of the May attack on Cesky Telecom CEO Gabriel Berdar and have shelved the case, a spokeswoman for Central Bohemia police said on Wednesday. Mr Berdar was attacked and beaten up outside his house by two men, who probably used an iron bar, in early May. On his way to hospital Mr Berdar started to shoot at a car he believed was driven by the perpetrators. Both men whom Mr Berdar labelled as the assailants denied their guilt.
Cinema attendance down by 1.4 million in first six months of 2005
After several successful years, cinemas in the Czech Republic are coping with dwindling attendances. According to the Film Distributors Association, the number of cinema-goers fell considerably in the first six months of this year, sliding from 6 million in the same period in 2004 to just 4.63 million. Sales also decreased sharply, from 553 million crowns (23 million US dollars) to 423.2 million crowns (17 million dollars). The Film Distributors Association attributes the fall to a lack of blockbusters, and also to increasing piracy. Some experts say that it may also reflect the growing debts of Czech households which have to reconsider their spending priorities.
Weather
The tropical weather we're enjoying right now should continue in the next couple of days with daytime temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius.
