Czech News 11.10.2012 - 08.10.2012

CR: Iraqi and Czech Republic sign agreement on business cooperation

Iraq and the Czech Republic on Thursday signed an agreement on business cooperation. It is the first such agreement between the two countries since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, who is heading a government delegation to Prague, said after talks with the Czech prime minister that Iraq was still interested in the purchase of Czech L-159 fighter jets for the army. The sales transaction is to be debated at a meeting between the two countries defence ministers on Friday. The Czech Republic has moreover expressed interest in investing in Iraqi infrastructure, agriculture and the oil industry.

PM Maliki on Syria

Commenting on the situation in Syria, Prime Minister Maliki said Iraq would never allow anyone to use its territory to supply weapons to Syria. He said his country’s borders were well guarded and Iraq was closely monitoring all flights across its territory. The prime minister said Iraq had already banned a certain country’s flight across Iraq, without specifying the country concerned. The US and some other states suspect Iran of supporting the Damascus regime by supplying weapons to it, using both air and ground routes via Iraq.

Interior minister acted within the law in sacking police president

A state attorney has said the interior minister did not break the law in sacking the former police president Petr Lessy. Although the police president cannot by rights be recalled from office unless he or she commits a crime Interior Minister Jan Kubice sacked Mr. Lessy shortly after bringing accusations of abuse of office and libel against him. Mr. Lessy’s lawyer Vaclav Laska said he intended to lodge another more extensive criminal complaint against the interior minister on his client’s behalf.

President Klaus in Poland

On an official visit to Poland on Thursday President Klaus met with his Polish counterpart Bronislaw Komorowski, to discuss bilateral ties, European and global issues. In the evening the Czech head of state will attend a dinner given in his honour and meet with the speakers of both chambers of Parliament. During the talks President Klaus praised the quality of bilateral relations saying the two neighbouring states were close in many ways and had developed close business and trade relations. Poland is the Czech Republic’s 3rd biggest export destination with 7.3 billion euros worth of goods being exported to the country last year. Polish imports to the Czech Republic amounted to 7.1 billion euros.

Yet another methanol poisoning reported

Another patient has been admitted to hospital with methanol poisoning. Doctors say his condition is serious. It is not clear where he got the contaminated liquor. There are estimates that isolated cases of poisonings can appear up to 6 months after the crisis and people have been warned not to drink uncertified spirits they have at home. Meanwhile the police have arrested another salesperson who had contaminated bootleg liquor in his possession bringing the number of people charged to 26.

Health minister calls on high-risk groups to get seasonal flu vaccine

Health Minister Leos Heger has called on the public for more people in high-risk groups to get a seasonal vaccine against the flu. At present only about 5 percent of the population get a flu shot which is a significantly lower number than in neighbouring countries. Annually 1500 to 2000 people die of flu-related complications, most of them are elderly or chronically ill patients. Minister Heger said that if 15 percent of the population got vaccinated it would not only lower the death toll but save millions of crowns in treatment.

Rail crossings to be modernized for safety reasons

The transport ministry has said it will invest close to two billion crowns into modernizing some 400 rail crossings around the Czech Republic. Many crossings are considered unsafe due to malfunctioning lights, no gates or poor visibility. There are around 1000 crossings in the Czech Republic at which trains need to slow down to ten km per hour because of poor visibility and in the past three years 105 people have been killed in accidents at rail crossings.

Czechs producing more waste, but more of it gets recycled

The amount of garbage produced in the Czech Republic per inhabitant has been steadily rising in the past decade, the Czech Statistical Office reports. In 2011 Czechs produced 320 kilos of municipal waste per head i.e. 41 kilos more than in 2002. However Czechs have also improved in sorting waste and 46 kilos of the waste produced annually per inhabitant can now be recycled.

14-year-old in serious condition after falling from school window

A 14-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after falling from a school window, the ctk news agency reports. The boy was airlifted to hospital and is reported to be in serious but stable condition. The incident is being investigated. The schoolmaster said the staff and the boy’s schoolmates were deeply shocked by what happened but he has ruled out negligence on the part of staff.

Fuel prices decrease slightly

Czech fuel prices are reported to have decreased in the past week, with petrol Natural 95 selling for 37.93 crowns a litre, a drop of 0.10, and diesel oil prices down by three hallers to 36.90 crowns per litre. Analysts say the drop is marginal in view of the price hikes over the summer and give drivers little hope of a significant decrease in the coming months.

Weather

It should be partly cloudy to overcast around the country with day temps between 9 and 13 degrees Celsius.

 

German president meets Klaus, honours victims of Lidice

German President Joachim Gauck arrived on Wednesday for a one-day working visit in the Czech Republic, the first in his capacity as president. On Wednesday morning, he met with his Czech counterpart Václav Klaus at Prague Castle and later with Prime Minister Petr Nečas. After his meeting with Mr Klaus, the German president praised Czech-German relations as the best they had ever been. On Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by President Klaus, he travelled to Lidice - a village which the Nazis razed to the ground in 1942 in retaliation for the assassination of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich. In Lidice, all 173 men were executed, women and children were sent to concentration camps, while some of the children were selected for re-education in Germany. After the war, only 143 women and 17 children returned to the country.

The visit to Lidice was on the agenda at the German president’s request and he became the first German head-of-state to visit the site of the village. Mr Gauck laid wreaths at the graves of those killed in the massacre and at the Lidice memorial.

Court rules Dalík can go free

A Prague district court has ruled that lobbyist and former close aide to ex-prime minister Mirek Topolánek, Marek Dalík, will not have to wait out a police investigation behind bars. The controversial lobbyist, who attended top meetings at the former prime minister’s behest, is charged with attempted fraud in the government purchase of 107 Austrian-made armoured personnel carriers. Mr Dalík is suspected of having asked for an 18 million euro bribe for helping to set up the 14.4 billion crown deal. The state prosecutor had asked for the suspect to be remanded in custody for fear he might try and influence witnesses or flee the country. Marek Dalík has hired Tomáš Sokol, one of the country’s best-known lawyers, to defend him in the case. If found guilty as charged, Mr Dalík could face up to 10 years in jail.

Topolánek on Dalík arrest

In related news, former prime minister and former chairman of the Civic Democrats Mirek Topolánek has suggested the arrest of former aide Marek Dalík could have political undertones, in his view a behind-the-scenes struggle within the centre-right party. In an interview for news site aktualne.cz, the former prime minister suggested that his successor as chairman, Petr Nečas, was fearful to the point of paranoia of Topolánek’s ‘return’ and could also benefit by trying to cow a group of rebels within the party who are opposed to a government-proposed VAT hike. In Dalík, Mr Topolánek suggested, current Prime Minister and Civic Democrat leader Nečas also had a ‘scapegoat’ if the party fared poorly in the upcoming regional elections. Mirek Topolanek made the statements via text message to aktualne.

idnes: relatives consider suing for damages over methanol deaths

Relatives of poisoning victims in the recent methanol crisis are considering legal steps, news website idnes reports, either against those who illegally laced alcohol with methyl for profit, or the state. The website cited a woman in the Ostrava region who had already sought legal advice from a local association which has offered to advise relatives of victims even outside of regular working hours. The association expects they will be contacted by others seeking to sue for damages, the daily indicated. State prosecutor Roman Kafka has said that relatives have enough time to file legal complaints, but some, like noted lawyer Klará Samková, advised those seeking damages to not delay. Twenty-eight people died of methanol poisoning between September 14 and October 9, having consumed bootleg liquor that had been laced with deadly wood alcohol.

New study suggests number of alcoholics in country double previous estimate

A new study by psychiatrists from Prague’s General Teaching Hospital suggests that the number of alcoholics in the Czech Republic is double the number previously thought: as many as 700,000 people reportedly have serious problems with alcohol in their daily lives, and only one percent are trying to tackle their addiction in detox programmes. The story was reported by Wednesday’s Lidové noviny, which outlined numerous alcohol-related problems from health (namely cirrhosis and other liver problems) but also, for example, job loss and domestic violence.

Construction of EU-funded super laser begins

The construction of the ELI Beamlines centre, to include the world’s most efficient laser, began in Dolní Březany on Tuesday. The project is being largely funded by the EU. The launch was attended by Prime Minister Petr Nečas and the education minister, Petr Fiala. The prime minister called the project the “most important scientific installation in the country”. The new centre has been designed to attract international experts as well as to curb the so-called brain drain in Czech science. The centre will focus on research into cancer treatment, medical imaging and diagnosis. The laser will also be used in the development and testing of new materials and the handling of radioactive waste. The centre is expected to begin operation in 2016, reaching full performance by 2019, Jan Řídký, the director of the Czech Academy of Sciences’ Physics Institute, said.

CBA revises Czech economic outlook downwards for 2012/13

The Czech Banking Association, in its updated forecast, made clear on Wednesday it expected the Czech economy to contract by almost one percent this year, while back in July it forecast a 0.6 percent drop. CBA representatives discussed the downward revision as related largely to a fall in household consumption. The government´s austerity measures and unstable expectations of further development had contributed to the forescast change. The CBA also cut its forecast of GDP development for next year: the association now expects growth of less than 0.5 percent, while in July it estimated one percent growth.

Dominator’s retirement from hockey draws international reaction

The decision by No. 39 – legendary Czech goalie Dominik Hašek – to retire for a third and final time from hockey drew reaction in media around the world on Tuesday and Wednesday. The two-time Stanley Cup winner and gold medal champion from Nagano ’98 opted to hang up the skates after negotiations with a final NHL team proved fruitless. The 47-year-old Hašek had been preparing for a return to the ice in the hope of playing in the NHL again – first in the minors if need be. No deal was reached in the end. Germany’s focus.de noted it was the end of a hockey icon, while former goalie Darren Eliott told USA Today that Hašek, known as the Dominator, could just as easily been nicknamed the Innovator – referring to Hašek’s now famous acrobatic style, often doing whatever it took, even throwing his stick, to keep pucks out of the net.

Tennis: Nadal says he may try to return to game by Davis Cup final or the ATP World Tour Finals

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who is recovering from a lingering knee injury, has not ruled out a comeback before the end of the year – either in the ATP World Tour Finals or the final of the Davis Cup to be played against the Czech team in Prague. The Davis Cup final is to take place on November 16-18. Nadal said it would be tough but that a comeback before the end of the year was “not impossible”.

Tennis: Czech players advance in Shanghai

In other tennis news, tennis players Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek have both advanced to the 3rd round in Shanghai. Berdych downed Italian Andreas Seppi 6:3, 6:3 and Štěpánek beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6:4, 6:4.

Slovakia and Poland lift ban on Czech spirits

Slovakia and Poland have lifted their ban on the import and sale of Czech spirits. Slovak Agriculture Minister Lubomír Jahnátek said on Tuesday that all Czech spirits imported to the country would have to have certificates of origin and a clearly marked date of production. He said Slovakia would recognize certificates issued in the Czech Republic. Special measures will apply to spirits produced between January and September this year which is considered high-risk. Poland is taking similar measures. Czech liquor producers recently protested against the ban arguing that their certified products were unquestionably safe.

Police arrest contaminated liquor salesman

Police have arrested a man suspected of distributing contaminated bootleg spirits in the Semily area, north-east of Prague. The man is reported to have bought cheap liquor from Moravia containing the deadly methanol. Police found over 3 thousand liters of it in storage on his premises. If convicted the man would face up to five years in prison.

TOP 09 considering Drábek’s successor

The leadership of the ruling TOP 09 party met on Tuesday to consider a possible successor to outgoing Labour and Social Affairs Minister Jaromír Drábek. Mr. Drábek is to leave office at the end of the month in connection with the bribery charges leveled against his first deputy Vladimir Siska. Minister Drábek, who is to be questioned by investigators on Friday said that he did not feel in any way guilty but was prepared to accept political responsibility for the actions of his subordinates. Among the names being floated are the party’s deputy chairwoman Helena Langšádlová and Deputy Health Minister Marek Ženísek. The final decision will be in the hands of party leader Karel Schwarzenberg.

Rebel Civic Democrat deputies offer compromise solution

The six rebel Civic Democrat deputies who will decide the fate of the centre-right government at an upcoming parliamentary session in October say there is still room for a compromise solution. Following Tuesday’s session of the party’s deputies club in Parliament, Petr Tluchoř said he and five other deputies who were not willing to support tax hikes had no interest in bringing down the coalition government. He said the group had offered the Civic Democratic party alternate ways of saving money which would not necessitate a 1 percent VAT hike next year. The proposal is reportedly a package of cost-cutting measures in the public sector. The row over tax hikes within the prime minister’s Civic Democratic Party threatens to bring down the government since the prime minister has linked a vote of confidence in his government to the controversial tax hike bill. The bill is to be debated at a session starting October 23.

Iraqi PM to head delegation to Prague

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki will head a Czech delegation to Prague on Thursday. His meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas is expected to focus on security matters, business ties and the debated sale of Czech L-159 fighter jets to the Iraqi military. The Iraqi ministers of defense, foreign affairs culture and trade will be holding separate talks with their Czech counterparts. An unnamed diplomatic source told the CTK news agency on Tuesday that the Czech Republic had invested a great deal into the reconstruction process in Iraq and logically wanted to tap the existing business potential.

Growing number of suicides linked to financial concerns

Work pressure, job uncertainty and financial problems are believed to be behind the growing number of suicides in the Czech Republic. According to the National Health Institute 1600 people took their own lives last year as compared to 1375 in 2007. The number of people getting treatment for depression is also on the rise. Psychiatrists report over 100,000 patients last year and say the number of people suffering from depression without getting treatment is likely to be six times higher. The number of depressions and suicides has always hit a peak at tumultuous times in the country’s history such as 1934 when the country hit by an economic crisis or after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Forum 2000 to focus on media and democracy

The 16th Forum 2000 – the first to be held since ex-president Vaclav Havel’s death – will be attended among others by former US secretary of State Madelaine Albright, the head of the Tibetan government in exile Lobsang Sangay and Serbian Deputy PM for EU affairs Suzana Grubjesic. According to the Forum 2000 website this year’s debate will focus on media and democracy, a topic proposed by the late Vaclav Havel at the close of the previous conference a year ago. Forum 2000 was established by Vaclav Havel as a meeting of minds on the issues of the present day. The conference is scheduled to start on October 21st.

Nineteen rowdies charged over Skalka incident

Nineteen football fans have been charged with disorderly conduct after starting a fight near Prague’s Skalka metro station ahead of Monday’s game between Sparta Slavia and Baník Ostrava. Police say they are still analyzing material from security cameras in the vicinity and are not ruling out further charges. The fight was allegedly planned in advance but the police managed to separate the groups and prevent serious injuries.

Czech Stamp wins Grand Prix at WIPA world exhibition in Vienna

A stamp honoring Prague´s Postal Museum has won the prestigious Grand Prix competition for the world´s most beautiful postage stamp at the WIPA world exhibition in Vienna, Czech Post said on Tuesday. The stamp depicts an old postage emblem surrounded by a map and mail carriers of olden times. Stamps from Liechtenstein and Slovakia came second and third.

Dominator announces retirement

The legendary Czech hockey goalkeeper Dominik Hašek has announced his retirement. In an interview for the Czech daily Sport, the 47-year-old “Dominator” said he had been preparing for another season in the NHL but received no offers from any of the clubs. The 1998 Olympic champion and two-time Stanley Cup winner, who won six Vezina Trophies for best goaltender in the NHL said he had received some offers to play in Europe, but had decided to end his career.

 Police arrest former PM’s aide over Pandur deal

The police have arrested Marek Dalík, a former close aide to then prime minister Mirek Topolánek, in connection with alleged corruption in the 2009 purchase of Pandur armoured vehicles for the Czech military. Prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová said on Monday Mr Dalík, who is the only person detained so far, had been charged with attempted fraud.

The Czech government paid 14.4 billion crowns, or some 750 million US dollars, for 107 Austrian-made Pandur armoured personnel carriers; the deal has come under criticism as overpriced. Last year, a manager of the Austrian arms producer Steyr accused Mr Dalík of demanding an 18-million-euro bribe. The case has been under investigation by Czech and Austrian police since 2010.

Methanol crisis claims 28th victim

Methanol-laced bootleg liquor has claimed its 28th victim. An autopsy confirmed on Monday that a 60 -year-old man, who died in his home near Uherské Hradiště in south-eastern Moravia last week, was killed by methanol. A police spokeswoman said a bottle of spirits was found in the man’s house but the police had not yet traced its source.

Government committee calls for ban on spirits sales at street stands

In related news, a government committee dealing with the crisis has called for the introduction of a general ban on spirit sales at streets stands. Speaking after the committee’s session on Monday, Health Minister Leoš Heger said the government would also consider introducing harsher fines for selling alcohol to minors as well as for counterfeiting excise stamps. Under the tougher rules, proprietors who breach the regulations could lose their licences. The committee has also called on spirits retailers not to dispose of alcohol without certified origin and wait until further instructions from the customs.

Health minister dismisses suspended chief hygiene officer

Czech Health Minister Leoš Heger on Monday dismissed the country’s chief hygiene officer, Michael Vít, who has since March been on an unpaid leave due to corruption charges. The police accused Mr Vít with abuse of power over his role in an overpriced IT tender. Minister Heger said he would propose the government to appoint the head of the Liberec region’s hygiene service, Vladimír Valenta the new chief hygiene officer. The absence of a chief hygiene officer during the recent methanol crisis was criticized by the opposition.

Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg welcomes post-election developments in Georgia

Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg has expressed appreciation of post-election developments in Georgia. Speaking after a meeting with his Georgian counterpart, Grigol Vashadze in Prague on Sunday, Mr Schwarzenberg welcomed the smooth transfer of power which matched the highest international democratic standards. Georgia is the only country in the region where the government was changed through democratic elections without manipulations, which is something the country needs to be congratulated for, Mr Schwarzenberg added. For his part, the Georgian foreign minister expressed gratitude that the Czech Republic’s continued support for his country’s Euro-Atlantic orientation.

Unemployment rate grows slightly in September

The Czech unemployment rate grew slightly in September to reach 8.4 percent, up by 0.1 percent in the previous month, according to figures released by the Czech Statistical Office released on Monday. The number of people seeking employment grew by some 6,500 while there were around 4,000 fewer vacancies registered in that month. The lowest unemployment rate – around 3.5 percent – was recorded in Prague while the highest rates was seen in the north Bohemian district of Most with 15.8 percent and the district of Bruntál, in the north-east of the country, with 15.6 percent.

Dick Cheney slams Obama administration for scrapping anti-missile defence

Former US vice-president Dick Cheney has slammed the administration of Barack Obama for its decision to scrap plans to build an anti-missile defence shied in the Czech Republic and Poland. Speaking at a conference in Prague on Monday, Mr Cheney said that in light of recent developments in the Middle East, the treaties between the US, Czech and Polish governments to build the system were “very good”.

Dick Cheney served as vice president during the terms of George W. Bush whose administration was planning to build parts of its anti-missile defence shield in the Czech Republic and Poland. The plans were abandoned after Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Profits in agriculture sector more than double

Profits in Czech agriculture more than doubled from 7.6 billion crowns in 2010 to 17.1 in 2011, according to revised data from the Czech Statistical Office; the revised numbers are around 700 million crowns higher than the preliminary result made public at end of February. The earlier result was already a record high. The Czech agriculture sector has generated profits since 2004 when the Czech Republic joined the European Union, mainly thanks to EU subsidies. The value of production in agriculture expressed in current basic prices increased by almost 16 percent compared with 2010 to 118.9 billion crowns. Crop cultivation grew by more than 23 percent, while livestock production dropped by 6.2 percent.

Czech authorities order recall of GlaxoSmithKline vaccine

The Czech Institute for Drug Control on Monday ordered the recall of one batch of children’s hexa vaccine, produced by the firm GlaxoSmithKline, over a risk of microbiological contamination. The decision came after the company reported that a component of the Infanrix Hexa vaccine had been produced in an environment that was microbiologically contaminated; however, the firm said no tests confirmed the contamination of the vaccine itself. GlaxoSmithKline is the sole supplier of the vaccine to Czech health care providers; the code of the batch to be recalled was given as A21CB191B.

Smart Wings to suspend Ostrava-Paris connection

The Czech low-cost carrier Smart Wings announced on Monday it would suspend its regular Ostrava-Paris flights for the winter season. The suspension will begin on November 5 and the firm said it would resume flights between Ostrava and the French capital in the spring. The carrier also said it was planning to introduce new connections between Prague and Miami in the US.

Weather

The coming days will be mostly clear with some rain setting in later in the week. Daytime highs should range between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius.