News Czech Republic 12.10.2012 - 14.10.2012

CR: Klaus: Election results clear and comprehensible

The Czech president, Václav Klaus, has described the outcome of regional and Senate elections as clear, unequivocal and comprehensible, and said that everybody should draw their own conclusions from them. The right-of-centre Civic Democrats, who lead the Czech coalition government, suffered a drubbing in the polls. The Social Democrats came first in nine out of 13 regions, though they had won in all of them in 2008, and the biggest winners were the Communist Party, who triumphed in two regions. The Civic Democrats and the Mayors for the Liberec Region each placed first in one.

The first round of elections was held for one third of the seats in the Czech Senate. The Social Democrats saw 23 of their members make it into next weekend’s two-candidate runoffs, while the Communists will have 12 in the running and the Civic Democrats 10. If the Social Democrats and the Communists take 15 of 25 possible mandates they would together have a constitutional majority.

Talks underway in some regions about forming governments

Negotiations have already begun in some regions about the formation of regional governments, with the Social Democrats likely to lose at least some of their current 13 governorships. In the Karlovy Vary region the Communists, who came first, have held talks with the Social Democrats about forming a coalition, though the issue of who should become governor has been postponed. While the Civic Democrats triumphed in the Pilsen region, the current coalition of the Social Democrats and Communists is likely to continue. In other regions the Christian Democrats, the Zemanites and regional groupings have a chance of playing a role in government.

Hackers call Communist voters idiots on party website

Following the electoral success of the Communists, hackers saying they were from the group Anonymous attacked the website of the party’s Brno branch on Saturday. The hackers placed a message on the site calling those who had voted for the Communists idiots who were not watching which way the Czech Republic was headed. They said that communism had halted progress in the country for decades, and that the modern-day Communist Party was attempting to do likewise.

Brno scientists working on programme to identify neurological diseases by voice

Scientists from the Brno University of Technology are working on a computer programme that uses voice analysis to identify some neurological diseases. University spokesperson Jitka Vanýsková told the Czech News Agency that the software could pick up on whether somebody had for instance Parkinson’s disease, even in its early stages. She added that voice analysis could be as useful at detecting some diseases as blood testing is with others.

Rotating house wins environmental building award

A house that rotates and follows the sun has received the top prize in this year’s E.ON Energy Globe Awards Czech Republic, which honour environmentally friendly structures. The building, which is located in Velké Hamry near Jablonec in north Bohemia, can also retract two metres into the ground, making it easier to heat in winter, and has a swimming pool heated by solar panels. It was built by its owner Bohumil Lhota over a period of around 20 years.

Štěpánek and Paes take Shanghai Masters doubles trophy

The Czech tennis player Radek Štěpánek and his Indian partner Leander Paes have taken the doubles trophy at the Shanghai Masters. The pair beat the Indian duo of Mahes Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna 6-7(7) 6-3 10-5 in Sunday’s final to give them their third title of the year. Štěpánek and Paes, who has in the past enjoyed success in the mixed doubles with Czech-born Martina Navrátilová, joined forces at the start of this season.

Baroš makes generous donation to Baník Ostrava

The former Czech soccer international Milan Baroš has made a generous donation to his first club, Baník Ostrava. The striker, who now plays for Galatassary in the Turkish league, paid CZK 1,000,000 in an auction for an Ostrava shirt from the team’s league-winning 2003/2004 season, on the condition that half of the money go directly to the club’s players and half to the club itself, the website of the newspaper Sport reported. The auction was part of an event marking 90 years since Baník’s foundation. The club, which also struggled to avoid relegation last season, is currently at the bottom of the Czech top flight.

Weather

There should be a good deal of sunshine in the Czech Republic in the coming days, but some places will see rain. Temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 17 degrees Celsius.

Social Democrats ahead in regional elections but set to lose power in three regions

After the counting of three-quarters of votes in regional elections in the Czech Republic, the opposition Social Democrats are ahead in 10 of the 13 regions being contested. The Civic Democrats, who head the right-of-centre Czech government, are so far topping the polls in one region, as are the Mayors for Liberec Region group and the Communist Party. Prior to the weekend’s elections, the Social Democrats held power in all 13 regions. Prague is the only region where voting has not taken place. Voter turnout reached 35.6 percent.

In terms of national breakdown per party with three-quarters of votes counted, the Social Democrats had received 24.2, the Communists 20.9 percent, the Civic Democrats 11.9 percent, the Christian Democrats 9.8 percent and TOP 09 6.3 percent.

Elections have also been held for one third of the seats in the Czech Senate. The Social Democrats are hoping to make up ground in the upper chamber, where they would enjoy an absolute majority if they capture three more seats. Constituencies in which no candidate receives more than 50 percent will see run-off votes between the two leading candidates next weekend.

PM Nečas: failure of right due to government reforms

The Czech prime minister, Petr Nečas, has said the regional elections were a marked success for the Czech Republic’s left-wing parties and a defeat for the right. He told reporters that the results had resulted from necessary government reforms, which have included a raft of austerity measures. Mr. Nečas conceded that the poor showing of his Civic Democrats could also reflect internal divisions within the party.

Czech animator Břetislav Pojar dies at 89

The great Czech animator Břetislav Pojar died on Friday at the age of 89. In a career stretching back to the late 1940s, Mr. Pojar wrote and directed many short films in the puppet animation and stop motion animation styles. He emigrated to Canada in the 1960s, where his work for the Canadian Film Board won numerous awards. Those prizes included a Best Short Film Award at Cannes in 1972 for Balablok, which satirised armed conflict.

Monks murdered by 17th century mob beatified in Prague

A group of Franciscan monks who were killed by a Prague mob in the 17th century were beatified in a ceremony at the city’s St. Vitus’ Cathedral on Saturday. The beatification – the first to take place in the Prague archdioceses, according to a representative of the Roman Catholic Church – accompanied a mass celebrated by the Vatican-based Cardinal Angelo Amato. Fourteen Franciscans were put to death at a Prague monastery in 1611 after the city’s inhabitants suspected them of collaborating with an invading army. The head of the Czech Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Dominik Duka, said the killings had arisen as the result of a moral crisis in Europe and could therefore serve as a warning today.

Man dies after setting himself on fire at court

A man who set himself on fire on Friday on the steps of the court in the central Bohemian town of Litoměřice has died. The man, who was 57, was transported by helicopter to the burns unit at a hospital in Prague’s Vinohrady district but succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Saturday, a hospital spokesperson said. A police investigation is underway but no motive for the self-immolation is yet known.

Berdych loses to Djokovic in Shanghai semi-final

Tomáš Berdych has been beaten by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of tennis’s Shanghai Masters. The Czech men’s number one lost 3–6 4–6 to the Serb, who has defeated Berdych in 10 of their 11 meetings to date. However, reaching the semi-finals in Shanghai for the first time could help the Czech – who is ranked seventh in the world – earn a berth at the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Bílek backs Peckhart to score more after debut strike in 14th appearance

The manager of the Czech national soccer team, Michal Bílek, says he hopes forward Tomáš Peckhart will continue to impress are finally getting his first goal in a 3:1 win over Malta in a World Cup qualifier on Friday night. It was the 14th international appearance by the tall Nuremberg striker, who is 23. Bílek told reporters he believed Peckhart would now hit the net more often, adding that a weight had clearly fallen from the player’s shoulders after his debut strike. Theodor Gebre Selassie and Jan Rezek also scored in Friday’s game, which left the Czechs third in Group B behind Italy and Bulgaria, who they face in Prague on Tuesday.

Polling stations open for regional and Senate elections

Polling stations opened across the country at 2 PM on Friday for Czechs to vote in Senate and regional elections. Voters will choose assemblies in 13 of the country’s 14 regions – with the exception of Prague. Voting is held in conjunction with elections to a third of the Senate. Polling stations will close at 10 PM on Friday to reopen the next day between 8 AM and 2 PM. Some 10 percent of the voters turned up in the course of first few hours, the news agency ČTK reported.

At present, the opposition Social Democrats head governments in all the regions and look set to maintain much of that advantage. The elections are widely perceived as an indicator of public opinion on the government’s austerity drive.

President Klaus: Nobel Peace Prize for EU "tragic error"

Czech President Václav Klaus considers the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for the European Union "a tragic error". Mr Klaus, who first did not take the news of the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision serisouly, told reporters later on Friday the Nobel Peace Prize had a meaning when awarded to an individual for their unique actions; however, it turned into an "empty award" when handed to a bureaucratic insititution, the Czech president added.

For his part, the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize for the EU as the right decision. However, Mr Schwarzenberg also said that he would have personally preferred to see the prize go to an individual.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the European Union deserved the award for its role in advancing peace in Europe. According the committee, the EU helped to transform Europe "from a continent of war to a continent of peace".

Police charge another distributor of methanol-laced liquor

The police on Friday levelled charges of posing a threat to public safety against another distributor of methanol-laced bootleg liquor. A 54-year-old man from Zlín faces up to 20 years in prison, or even an exceptional sentence of life imprisonment, for distributing the deadly beverage mix. The police had earlier charged two distributors of methanol-laced liquor; in total, 40 people have been charged in the case of methanol poisonings which killed 28 people in the Czech Republic over the last month.

Police warn 12,000 litres of methanol-laced alcohol still unaccounted for

In related news, the police warned on Friday that 12,000 litres of methanol-laced liquor were still unaccounted for. The head of the special police team investigation the methanol crisis, Václav Kučera, said only 3,000 litres of the deadly beverage had been found to date. Mr Kučera also appealed to the public to exercise caution when drinking spirits, and said he himself had been very careful in doing so since the outbreak of the crisis.

Iraq to buy Czech-made L-159 aircraft

Iraq has agreed to buy 28 Czech-made L-159 jet training aircraft for 19.2 billion crowns, or around one billion US dollars, a spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister told the Reuters news agency on Friday. Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki is in Prague on a working visit, heading a political and business delegation. Details of the deal have been agreed at a meeting of the Czech and Iraqi defence ministers. Four planes will be shipped to Iraq within seven months’ time while the remaining 24 aircraft will be newly produced and delivered in two years. The Iraqi contract is the first successful sale of the aircraft which the Czech government has been trying to sell for years.

Man in Litoměřice sets himself on fire

A 57-year-old man set himself on fire in front of a court building in Litoměřice, some 50 km northwest of Prague, on Friday evening, a police spokeswoman told the news website idnes.cz. The man was airlifted to a Prague hospital in serious condition, the spokeswoman said, adding the police were working to establish the motive of the man's action.

Police question labour and social affairs minister in his deputy’s case

The police on Friday questioned Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Jaromír Drábek in connection with bribery charges raised against his deputy, Vladimír Šiška. Mr Šiška was arrested last week over alleged corruption related to an overpriced IT deal at the ministry. Minister Drábek, who said he would step down from his post at the end of the month because of the scandal, reiterated on Friday he believed in his deputy’s innocence.

Inspectorate: controversial police response to Anděl incident adequate

The inspectorate of the Czech security forces found that Saturday’s controversial response by Prague municipal police to an incident at the Anděl intersection was adequate. The incident involved several municipal police officers who tackled a pair of homeless people for were drinking alcohol at a tram stop. An onlooker who thought they used excessive force intervened and the officers used a pepper spray against him before they handcuffed him and took him away. The inspectorate said they only error the officers committed was the use of pepper spray.

Tennis: Berdych reaches Shanghai Masters semifinals

Czech tennis player Tomáš Berdych beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6:3, 7:6 in the quarterfinal of the Shanghai Masters tournament on Friday and reached the event’s semifinals. The fourth-seeded Czech had a great serve in the match and only made few errors to wrap the game in one hour and 34 minutes. Another Czech player, Radek Štepánek, was knocked out of the tournament when he lost to third seed Andy Murray of the UK 4:6, 6:2, 6:3.

Football: Czechs beat Malta 3:1 in World Cup qualifier

The Czech Republic’s national football team beat Malta 3:1 in Plzeň on Friday, in their second World Cup qualification game. The Czechs had a good start but failed to score in the opening phase of the game, allowing the visitors to press on. But 34 minutes into the game, Limberský sent in a pass from the left which Gebre Selassie finished with a header, ending the Czech team's a 412-minute long goalless streak. Malta equlized just four minutes later but in the second half, the dominating Czechs added to more strikes, by Tomáš Pekhart in the 52th minute and Jan Rezek 15 minutes later. The Czechs are currently ranked second with four points in their World Cup 2014 qualification group.