Prague Monitor

ODS to present vision of Czech society until 2020

ČTK

The Civic Democrats will present their vision of the Czech Republic until 2020 at the upcoming party congress to be held in Prague on 21 and 22 November, ODS Chairman Mirek Topolánek told reporters yesterday.

Press: ČSSD leaders face criticism for EU commissioner deal

ČTK

The agreement between ČSSD and ODS leaders on candidacy of Štefan Füle for the Czech EU commissioner provoked disagreement among ČSSD members, the daily Právo reported yesterday.

Police deal with troopers smoking hashish

ČTK

Four members of the Czech KFOR unit in Kosovo smoked hashish or marijuana in the second half of October, chief-of-staff Vlastimil Picek said at a press conference today, adding that the soldiers have been withdrawn from Kosovo and put off duty.

Sociologist: Wages of women in managment positions lower than men's

ČTK

Salaries of women in management positions at big organisations and companies comprise 39% of salaries of men in similar positions, sociologist Alena Krížková said at a conference on women in leadership positions in Prague yesterday.

Ústí region publishes guidelines on tackling extremism

ČTK

The regional council in Ústí yesterday distributed manuals to all town halls in the region with guidelines to help mayors and officials cope with extremists's meetings, regional governor Jana Vanhová told journalists yesterday.

Wounded woman who set convicted husband free not in life danger

ČTK

The health condition of the woman whom police wounded while shooting at a couple they were pursuing on Wednesday is stabilised after a surgery and her life is not endangered, Plzen Teaching Hospital spokeswoman told ČTK yesterday.

Three Defence Ministry employees detained over child porn

ČTK

The police detained yesterday three employees of the Defence Ministry suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography as part of the Vilma action, regarded as the most extensive raid against the distribution of child pornography in the country's history, Prague Police Spokeswoman Iva Knolová told ČTK.

Extremist party calls dissolution proposal expedient

ČTK

The far-right Workers's Party says the proposal that it be dissolved is expedient and contains untrue facts, in a statement it delivered to the Supreme Administrative Court yesterday.

National Memory project to collect people's testimonies

ČTK

The National Memory Fund for the Future, established by the Post Bellum civic association, will collect testimonies of participants in Czech historical events, its authors told reporters yesterday.

Crisis worsens human rights implementation

ČTK

The economic and financial crisis has worsened the implementation of human rights in the country, Marek Hrubec told ČTK yesterday when the coalition Social Watch released a report on the state of poverty and gender inequality.

Poll: Two-thirds regard Velvet Revolution important

ČTK

Two-thirds of Czechs say that the 1989 Velvet Revolution was one of the most important events in modern Czech history, but only 43% are satisfied with the developments since then, according to the results of a STEM poll yesterday.

Unveiling former spies's identity may harm ČR

ČTK

The recent release of the list of names of former Czechoslovak communist intelligence members may have a negative impact on country's interests, the intelligence service UZSI said yesterday.

Study: Roma's situation not improved after revolution

ČTK

According to a study by Dženo association, the situation of Czech Roma has not improved much 20 years after the Velvet Revolution.

Police plan crackdown on extremists on 17 November

ČTK

Police are preparing a preventive crackdown on extremists who intend to stage demonstrations to frustrate the forthcoming celebrations marking 17 November on Prague's Národní street, David Janda of the Prague police said yesterday.

Secondary school in Cheb closed over flu

ČTK

The Karlovy Vary regional authority yesterday ordered to close the local secondary school in Cheb where three students contracted swine flu and another 270 students have been taken ill with viral diseases, regional authority spokeswoman Andrea Bočková told ČTK yesterday.

Czech humanitarian group to build hospital in devastated Gaza

ČTK

Czech humanitarian group Hand for Help (HfH) wants to build a small field hospital in the Gaza Strip, devastated by the recent Israeli military operation against the radical movement Hamas.

EU events require restrictions in Prague Congress Centre

ČTK

Security measures will be toughened in the vicinity
of Prague's Congress Centre (KCP) during the meetings of European
statesmen, diplomats and officials that the KCP will host within the Czech
EU presidency in the first half of 2009, Czech police deputy president Ivan
Bílek said Tuesday.

Poll: Most Czechs happy about Obama's election

Some 53% of Czechs are glad at Barack Obama
having been elected the new US president, according to a poll conducted
by the polling agency CVVM in December and revealed Monday.

Czech police accused of killing Vietnamese on duty

The state attorney today started criminal prosecution
of a Czech police officer, aged 31, for having beaten up a Vietnamese man,
43, who died from the serious injuries on the next day, state attorney's
office spokesman Hynek Olma told CTK.

Green MPs: Czech soldiers to be in Afghanistan by year's end only

Czech soldiers will participate in the Enduring
Freedom operation in Afghanistan till the year's end only, deputies Věra
Jakubková and Olga Zubová (Green Party) have said adding this is the result
of their meeting with Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová on Tuesday.

Cardinal Vlk: Pope's visit his own initiative

ČTK

The planned visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Czech
Republic has been organised on his own initiative, Czech Cardinal Miloslav
Vlk told journalists Thursday.

ČR joins cassette ammunition ban

ČTK

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg signed an international agreement in Oslo Wednesday, banning the use of cassette ammunition.

Klaus cuts phone contact with ODS ministers

ČTK

President Václav Klaus indirectly confirmed Thursday
that he has erased the numbers of several ODS ministers from his mobile phone.

Czech website for senior citizens launches operation

ČTK

A new Czech website www.seniorum.cz. for senior citizens who seek help in problematic situations has
been launched.

Survey: Czech towns unable to solve Romani housing problem

ČTK

Housing is the greatest problem Czech
Romanies and other residents of socially excluded localities face and local
authorities are unable to solve the problem as there is no law on social
housing in the Czech Republic, a survey conducted by Brno Masaryk
University experts revealed.

Schools allowed to punish cyberbullying

ČTK

Czech headmasters will be able to punish pupils for
cyberbullying as of January under a new Education Ministry regulation.

Czech-Vietnamese Society questions ČR's green card list

ČTK

The Czech-Vietnamese Society considers it an offence
to Hanoi that Vietnam does not figure on the list of countries whose
citizens can gain a green card in ČR as of 2009, society
chairman Marcel Winter said Monday.

Obama may visit ČR 2 April, NATO summit's eve

ČTK

The new US president, Barack Obama, could pay a
visit to the Czech Republic 2 April, 2009, shortly before the NATO
summit, the Czech ambassador to the EU, Milena Vicenová, indicated at a
meeting with journalists in Brussels Thursday.

ČR sees toughest clash of police, extremists since 2000

ČTK

Hundreds of police officers clashed with supporters of the far-right Workers' Party near a Roma-inhabited quarter of Litvínov Sunday. The crowd of about 500 extremists was faced by 1,000 police with
heavy equipment, a helicopter and water cannons. It was probably the biggest such clash since the 2000 session of world financial institutions in Prague.

Poll: ČR just over EU average of immigrants per inhabitants

ČTK

The Czech Republic was just above the EU average
of slightly over six immigrants per 1000 inhabitants in 2006, according to
a Eurostat survey released Tuesday.

Extremists announce another public march in Litvínov

ČTK

Members and followers of the extreme rightists Workers' Party are preparing another protest march in Litvinov, citing unability of the town hall to resolve the situation at
the Janov housing project.

Czech opposition wants to postpone Senate debate on US base

ČTK

The opposition Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) do not
want the Senate to discuss the treaties on the planned US radar base on
Czech soil this week because their new senators did not have enough time to
get fully acquainted with the issue, ČSSD senators' head Petr Vicha told
ČTK Tuesday.

KDU also wants Czech parliament's prompt vote on Lisbon treaty

ČTK

The Czech junior ruling Christian Democrats
(KDU-ČSL) want to initiate sessions of the two houses of parliament that
would vote on Lisbon treaty ratification before the end of the year, party spokesman Martin Horálek said.

NGOs: State fails to deal with foreign migrants

ČTK

Czech non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said Monday the government has no plan to solve the problem of illegal migration.

New map highlights places of frequent road accidents

ČTK

The Czech police Tuesday presented a new e-map showing
how safe various Czech roads and their sections are and where road
accidents occur most frequently. The map is available to the public on the police website.

Town hall against Romani activists in Litvínov

ČTK

Litvinov Town Hall does not want to cooperate with Romani activists on resolving the problems in the housing estate Janov, with a large Romani population, Deputy Mayor Martin Klika (ČSSD) said Wednesday.

Czech regions to cover health fees despite ÚOHS objections

ČTK

Opposition leader Jiří Paroubek said Thursday the party would not backpedal on its
election promise to abolish patient fees.

Slovak, Czech presidents to mark Czechoslovakia's anniversary

ČTK

Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič and his wife will visit the Czech Republic today to mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia together with Czech President Václav Klaus.

First permanent residence seekers pass Czech exams

ČTK

According to the Education Ministry's estimates, almost 30,000 foreigners might be interested in the Czech language exam in the next two years.

Denial of crimes of communism to be punishable

ČTK

Public denial and challenging of the crimes
committed by the Nazis and communists against humanity will be a crime
punished with up to three years in prison, according to the new Penal Code
passed by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday.

Study: MPs' immunity reduction would help in fighting crime

ČTK

Reduction of deputies' immunity is desirable as a way to combat organised crime, the Czech Institute for Criminology and Social Prevention, at the Justice Ministry, says in a study that the daily Lidové noviny quoted on Monday.

National Theatre to have second solar plant

by Pavel Baroch | aktuálně.cz

After dark panels covered the roof of the theatre's operational building last year, technicians are now installing photovoltaic modules on top of the Nová scéna building.

Scientists seek reckless drivers

Týden.cz

Cameras installed inside passenger cars, buses and trucks will monitor other drivers.

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Heavy snowfall cripples Czech roads

ČTK

A snow calamity at night and a strong wind have caused problems in road and railway traffic in the Czech Republic, with snow and falling trees stopping tens of trains mainly in mountainous areas in north Bohemia and east Moravia.

AFP photographer wins Czech Press Photo prize

ČTK

Joe Klamar, photographer of the French news agency AFP, won the 15th Czech Press Photo main prize for a photo depicting US President Barack Obama's visit to Prague last April.

Rath plans regional referendum on US radar

David Rath, potential ČSSD regional governor for Central Bohemia, wants a referendum on the planned US radar base.

Russian press comments on Czech elections' impact on radar plans

The opposition ČSSD's victory in last weekend's regional elections may complicate the efforts of the centre-right government to push through the US radar treaty in parliament, the Russian paper Kommersant wrote on Monday.

Archives full of explosive revelations

The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is gradually throwing history back at the Czechs. Some are finding it hard to cope with.

Armed corps member trained radicals

ČTK

A member of a Czech armed corps trained the rightist radicals whom the police detained during a raid on Wednesday and whom they suspected of planning terrorist attack in the Czech Republic, Police President Oldřich Martinů said on Sunday. Robert Šlachta, head of the police Squad for Uncovering Organised Crime, spoke of military training of the radicals on Friday when he assessed the film recording of the training.

Czech unions against Charter optout signing, strike not ruled out

ČTK

Czech unions plan to take steps to prevent the Czech Republic's envisaged exemption from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which President Václav Klaus set as a condition for his signing the Lisbon Treaty, Vít Samek, deputy head of the ČMKOS umbrella union, said Friday.