News Czech Republic 19.08.2012 - 17.08.2012

CR: Another request for Rath’s release to be considered Monday

District court in Prague will hear another request for release on Monday from the jailed former governor of Central Bohemia David Rath. The court will decide whether the defendant can be released from jail pending trial in exchange for bail payment and written affidavits, and will set the amount of bail. Mr. Rath’s girlfriend, father and mother of one of his children offered to pay half a million Czech crowns each for his release. Written guarantees were offered by 30 people, including Norbert Badal, personal secretary to cardinal Dominik Duka. Mr. Rath, who was arrested in May on corruption charges, spent three month under stricter regime confinement, to avoid possible influencing of witnesses. Currently, the former governor remains in jail with more lenient visitation and communication rules, because of fears of flight or continuation of illegal activities expressed by the prosecution.

CNB board member warns of worse prognosis for GDP

The Czech National Bank (CNB) will possibly lower its outlook for economic development this year, said a member of the bank’s governing board Lubomír Lízal on a Czech Television talkshow on Sunday. CNB’s August forecast estimated a 0.9 % fall of GDP in 2012. But Mr. Lizal said economic performance this year is actually worse than the CNB expected, and the forecast may have to be revised to reflect that. At the same time the CNB expects an economic revitalisation to begin at the end of the year and is predicting 0.8% expansion of the Czech economy in 2013.

Romani victims of the holocaust commemorated at Moravian camp

On Sunday, a ceremony commemorating the Romani victims of Nazi persecution during World War II took place in the town of Hodonín u Kunštátu in central Moravia. The ceremony was held on an anniversary of the largest transports of Roman to Auschwitz. Around 1400 Moravian Roma were interned at the so-called “Gypsy camp” in Hodonín in the years 1942-43. Three hundred of them died at the camp, while the others were sent to the death camps in Auschwitz. A memorial will be erected in Hodonín u Kunštátu most likely in August 1916 in commemoration of Romani victims. After the war, the Hodonín camp was used to intern Germans who could not be deported from Czechoslovakia, in accordance with the Beneš decrees, because of health problems or old age. And later briefly served as a Communist forced labour camp for political prisoners.

Pavel Kohout receives prize for supporting Austro-Czech relations

The first prize from the Waldviertel Academy in Austria was awarded to the Czech writer and former dissident Pavel Kohout for his long-time contributions to improving Austro-Czech relations. The 84-year-old novelist, playwright and poet was expelled from the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1969 and became one of the main initiators and signatories of the dissident document Charter 77. In 1979 he was not allowed to return to Czechoslovakia after a visit to Austria, where he remains to this day.

Kvitová ends in Cincinnati semi-final

Czech tennis player Petra Kvitová lost to the seventh seed Angelique Kerber from Germany in the Cincinnati Open semi-final. This year’s Wimbeldon semi-finalist Kerber beat fifth seed Kvitová 1:6, 6:2, 4:6 in one hour and 53 minute long match. Kvitová lost to Kerber in May of this year in Rome.

E-books grow in popularity in the Czech Republic

This year saw a considerable rise in the sale of electronic books and e-book readers in the Czech Republic. According to the internet server Huereka.cz, the number of e-books sold in July 2012 saw a year-on-year increase of 43%. E-books now make up one percent of all books sold in the Czech Republic, compared to 0.03% last year. The most popular genres of books downloaded in electronic form in Czech are fantasy and detective fiction. The increasing popularity of e-book readers in the country is partly due to their quickly decreasing prices. The average price for an e-book reader fell by a third from last year, to 3,049 Czech crowns, while for an e-book it is 169 crowns, according to Huereka.cz.

Weather

Sunday will be sunny with highs of 31 to 35 degrees Celsius, between 24 and 28 degrees in the mountains.

President Klaus criticizes coalition's tax bill

Czech President Václav Klaus criticized Prime Minister Petr Nečas for his determination to push through a bill that would raise the Value Added Tax rates by one percentage point as well as income tax for top earners. President Klaus told Mladá Fronta Dnes daily on Friday that raising taxes at this time is a fatal mistake that is “bordering on political and economic suicide.” The Prime Minister pledged to override the Senate veto of the bill, which is an essential part of the government’s economic consolidation package. Without the package the government will not be able to fulfill its main goal to bring the public deficit below three percent of the GDP. In that case, Mr. Nečas warned, there will be no reason for this government to continue its existence. The coalition government will have to get 101 votes, or absolute majority, in the lower house to pass the tax hike, which some analysts say will not be as easy as the Prime Minister claimed on Friday.

Thousands attend Prague Pride Parade

The second gay Pride Parade took place in the Czech capital on Saturday, with thousands taking part. Organizers estimate that this year’s parade drew even more attendees and onlookers than last year, when the estimated participation was 8,000 people. Parade participants walked from Wenceslas square to Střelecký island accompanied by floats with music and dancers. Festival organizers said that their Facebook account was hacked on Friday night and false information about changes in the schedule was sent out to fans. But the event went ahead without any glitches. A few dozen supporters of the conservative group D.O.S.T. came to Wenceslas square to protest the event before the start of the parade. And some members of the Young Christians walked with the parade carrying signs and sometimes chanting slogans that were offensive to homosexuals, but no serious conflicts were reported. A number of political and public figures showed support for Prague Pride, including presidential candidate and vice-chairman of the Social Democratic party Jiří Dienstbier, members of the Green Party, Young Social Democrats and the U.S. Embassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen. The Prague Pride festival will finish on Sunday with an ecumenical service and a number of afternoon events.

Foreign Ministry troubled by Pussy Riot sentencing

The Czech Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the decision of the Moscow court on Friday to sentence three members of the punk group Pussy Riot to two years in prison. The ministry was surprised that an act that was not damaging to either health or property received such a strict punishment. In a statement, the ministry underscored not only the length of the sentence the defendants received, but also the fact that they were held in prison for over five months before sentencing.

Police arrest a Breivik sympathizer in Ostrava

Czech police arrested a 29-year-old man and found bombs, bullets and explosive substances at his apartment. In a press conference on Saturday, the police say the man, who was arrested on August 10, was most likely planning a sophisticated bombing attack. During the search of the man’s apartment, they found a police uniform and car siren, which the Ostrava resident was probably planning to use for the attack. The man’s internet communication led Ostrava police to suspect him of sympathizing with the Norwegian mass murdered Anders Breivik. The suspect had been arrested in the past for setting off a bomb explosion in an unpopulated area.

Number of self-employed up in 2012

The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic grew in the first half of 2012 by 10 thousand, bringing the total number to over 1.012 million people, compared to 1.002 million last December, according to figures from the Czech Social Security Administration. However the number of the self-employed paying for social and health insurance decreased by 6 thousand and 15 thousand respectively. Most self-employed people are residing in Prague, the Central Bohemia and the Moravian-Silesian regions. Companies with one to two employees make up 95% of all business in the Czech Republic.

Meteorologists warn of high temperature

Czech meteorologists warn of tropical weather coming to the Czech Republic on Sunday. High temperatures, going possibly up to 40 degrees Celsius, will last into next week. Authorities are warning against possible forest fires and urging people to stay well hydrated and limit exposure to direct sunlight to avoid health problems.

The biggest whisky bottle hanging on the wall

Glassmakers from the Czech company Kavalierglass created the biggest whisky bottle in the world. The hand blown bottle, which can fit 228 liters of whisky, is 1.7 meters tall and weighs 50 kilograms, will be registered in the Guinness book of records. The bottle was commissioned by a Scottish whisky producer Edrington Group. The Guinness book record will be the first for Czech glassmakers.

Foreign Ministry criticizes Pussy Riot sentencing

The Czech Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the decision of the Moscow court on Friday to sentence three members of the punk group Pussy Riot to two years in prison. The ministry was surprised that an act that was not damaging to either health or property received such a strict punishment. In a statement, the ministry underscored not only the length of the sentence the defendants received, but also the fact that they were held in prison for over five months before sentencing.

Police raid offices of Prague Transit Company

Anti-corruption police raided the offices of Prague’s Public Transit Company, or DPP, Friday morning. The case is supervised by the Prague High State Attorney’s office, which has not yet released any information about the cause or findings of the raid. The company’s newly appointed director Magdalena Češková said the search was connected to the charges filed on Wednesday by DPP’s former director general Vladimír Lich against potentially fraudulent activities of the company’s former managers. Ms. Češková also said that members of the non-profit organization Transparency International assisted the police in the raid, and that DPP will file a complaint as a result.

Lich was unexpected sacked from his post of chairman of the board of directors on Wednesday, and from his position as director the next day on the grounds of bad management. Prague mayor Bohuslav Sobotka expressed vehement disagreement with the move.

PM defiant as Senate rejects government plan for VAT hike

Prime Minister Petr Nečas on Friday pledged to override the Senate’s veto of a bill that would raise the Value Added Tax rates by one percentage points to 15 and 21 percent, cancel cuts on tax insurance for employees, and raise taxes for people earning more than 100 thousand crowns a month. The tax hikes are one of the key components of the government’s consolidation package aimed at bringing the gap in public finance to under three percent of GDP in 2013. The Prime Minister is confident that the coalition parties will secure the 101 votes necessary for the lower house to overturn the Senate’s decision.

First leaving exam court case ruling sides with student

The regional court in Brno made the first ruling in a case connected to the controversial secondary school leaving exams. The case was brought by a female student against the South Moravian Regional Authority for a negligent assessment of her appeal of her exam results. The Regional Court ruled on Friday that the Regional Administration has to re-evaluate with greater care the student’s appeal against a failing score in the Czech language written exam.

This year, Czech students took the first unified state leaving exams, with a 21.2 percent rate of failure, which is an increase of 1.7 percentage points from last year’s test run. Many students have filed complaints over the grading of the test, especially the essay sections. Regional Administrations have complied with approximately a third of the complaints. Education Minister Petr Fiala recently sacked the head of the company that created the tests and ordered and audit of the exams.

Owner of slum buildings charged with making necessary repairs

The Building Authority in Ostrava has called on the owner of houses in the Přednádraží slum to make repairs in six of the buildings within the next 60 days. The authority deemed 74 apartments as uninhabitable. Residents, who are for the most part Romani, and chose to remain in the buildings were told they must vacate the premises. The owner is facing a fine of 200 thousand crowns if he does not carry out the repairs in due time.

Authorities have already issued eviction notices two weeks ago. At the time, over 100 residents had refused to leave. The Building Authority has filed a petition Friday for court-sanctioned evictions. The owner, Oldřich Roztočil, had previously expressed willingness to carry out repairs on his property but said he will not do so unless the city fixes the sewer system that is municipal property.

Number of self-employed up in 2012

The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic grew in the first half of 2012 by 10 thousand, bringing the total number to over 1.012 million people, compared to 1.002 million last December, according to figures from the Czech Social Security Administration. However the number of the self-employed paying for social and health insurance decreased by 6 thousand and 15 thousand respectively. Most self-employed people are residing in Prague, the Central Bohemia and the Moravian-Silesian regions. Companies with one to two employees make up 95% of all business in the Czech Republic.

Prague Pride festival will culminate this weekend

The week-long Prague Pride festival celebrating diversity and the gay and lesbian community in the Czech Republic will be coming to an end this weekend. On Saturday, the Prague Pride parade will take place in the Czech capital, starting at Wenceslas Square and finishing at the Střelecký island. While on Sunday, an ecumenical service will be held for festival participants in cooperation with the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. The festival has been criticized by a number of conservative and religious groups, some of whom will most likely be present at the Saturday parade to protest the event.

Přemysl Sobotka will support popular election of MPs

Civic Democrat presidential candidate, deputy speaker of the Senate Přemysl Sobotka opened his campaign headquarters in Prague on Friday. At the opening, Mr. Sobotka highlighted several issues that he is likely to campaign on, such as the introduction of direct voting in the elections for the lower house. Czech MPs are currently elected on party tickets. Mr. Sobotka also announced that if elected he would oppose the adoption the euro in the country. The Civic Democratic candidate is one of around 15 people who have announced their intent to run for president in the first Czech popular presidential elections in the winter of 2013.

City Hall to purchase mobile facilities for the homeless

Prague city hall will purchase mobile residential containers for approximately eight million crowns that will be available in crisis situation to people without shelter or drug addicts. Containers with health and sleeping facilities should be available during the winter months. Civic Democratic councilman Ivan Kabický announced this on Friday as part of Prague City Hall’s plan to aid the homeless. The city hall will lend the mobile containers to providers of social services for free this winter. There are at least 4 000 people in Prague living on the streets, who are at particular risk during the winter months.

Social Democrat presidential candidate expressed support for gay adoption and registered partnerships

Jiří Dienstbier, the Social Democratic candidate for the 2013 presidential elections, has expressed his support for new laws to permit gay couples to both enter into registered partnerships and adopt children in the Czech Republic. Discussing his position, Dienstbier stated that he believed that no institute could supplant an upbringing provided to a child by a stable couple. Recent opinion polls have Dientsbier achieving around 6% support while independent candidate Jan Fischer leads the pack with 34.5%, according to the Meridian agency.