News Czech Republic 21.09 - 25.09.2012 09:00

CR: Government prepares to ease ban on spirits

The government is preparing to gradually ease the ban on spirits. Newly-produced spirits will be allowed on the market on condition they are marked with new tax stamps which have just been printed. Restaurant owners and salespeople are to be given sixty days to acquire certificates for alcohol they have in storage. Any alcohol without certification will have to be destroyed. These and other measures are to be discussed at Wednesday’s cabinet session and introduced within days.

PM: stricter control over imported methanol

The prime minister has promised to introduce stricter control over methanol imports to the Czech Republic and has said the government would consider levying a higher tax on it. Methanol is not produced in the country and is only imported for industrial use. Prime Minister Necas said that moreover there was a suitable locally-made substitute for it. Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that the methanol which was mixed into bootleg liquor was imported.

Methanol claims 26th victim

Methanol claimed its 26th victim on Tuesday despite the fact that for the past week doctors have been able to administer a Norwegian antidote to the poison to patients in critical condition. Despite the 12-day-long ban on spirits new patients turn up every day, most of them having opened spirits they’d had at home for some time and considered to be safe. A hospital in the eastern town of Havirov on Tuesday admitted another patient with methanol poisoning, the second in 24 hours. Both are reported to be on life support.

West Bohemian University inundated by requests after offering to test spirits for methanol

The West Bohemian University in Pilsen has had to suspend the testing of spirits for methanol free of charge after getting inundated by hundreds of requests from the public. The university made the offer on Monday and within an hour long queues of people had formed around the building all carrying liquor they had at home. The university says its laboratories are running at full capacity to service the public and it will take some time to process the requests received. The university made the offer in view of the fact that under normal circumstances the price of such a test would be far higher than the price of the alcohol itself.

Foreign minister critical of president’s veto of pension reform bill

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has accused President Klaus of damaging the country by vetoing the government’s pension reform bill. Speaking in New York, where he is attending a session of the UN General Assembly, the Czech foreign minister said the pension reform should have been effected 15 years ago and delaying it further was putting an immense burden on the state budget. President Klaus on Monday vetoed the bill on the grounds that the government had failed to secure consensus on the reforms among experts, politicians and the broad public. The bill must now go back to the chamber of deputies where the governing coalition will need to secure 101 votes to override the president’s veto. Since the government no longer has a majority in the lower house this may prove highly problematic.

TOP 09 urges Civic Democrats to restore discipline

Coalition party TOP 09 has warned that the government will fall if the Civic Democrats fail to restore party discipline and support its key reform bills. The coalition government’s long-term austerity plans have been thwarted by six rebel deputies from the prime minister’s Civic Democratic Party. The rebels rejected a bill on tax hikes which aimed to bring the gap in public finances under 3 percent of the GDP in 2013 and indirectly got the bill on church restitutions shelved. The future of the pension reform bill, which has just been vetoed by the president, will also hinge on their support. The government has linked the bill on higher taxes to a vote of confidence in the Necas administration.

President Gauck to visit Czech Republic

German President Joachim Gauck will pay an official visit to the Czech Republic in October of this year, the ctk news agency reported on Tuesday. President Gauck will travel to the Czech Republic at the invitation of President Vaclav Klaus. He is scheduled to meet with the Czech prime minister and may visit the town of Lidice. In June of this year, the German president said he was "deeply saddened and ashamed" by the 1942 destruction of the towns of Lidice and Lezaky by the Nazis in retaliation for the killing of Nazi top official Reinhard Heydrich. Germany is aware of its historic responsibility, he said.

Term of presidential elections to be announced on October 1st

The term of the country’s first direct presidential elections is to be made public on Monday October 1st. Under the Czech Constitution this prerogative goes to Senate chairman Milan Stech. Senator Stech said earlier that he would choose either January 11-12th or the following weekend for the first round of voting. A second round would take place two weeks later.

Two Slavia fans charged in wake of football violence

Two people have been charged in connection with football violence after Sunday’s match between Dukla and Slavia. A dozen rowdies got into a fight in the Prague metro on Sunday night to which the police was called to restore order. Two Slavia fans have been charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm. Police said the attack had been exceptionally brutal with the attackers repeatedly returning to kick and punch the victims even after they lay on the ground helpless.

Bus catches fire near petrol station, 44 passengers escape to safety

A bus carrying forty-four passengers, many of them children, caught fire near a petrol station in Tabor, south Bohemia on Monday evening. Fortunately all of the passengers were evacuated safely and firefighters contained the blaze within minutes. Even so the bus was completely gutted. A preliminary investigation points to a technical fault in the engine.

Weather

Wednesday should be clear and sunny with afternoon highs reaching 26 degrees Celsius.

 

Main suspects responsible for methanol distribution arrested

The police have arrested and charged two men who knowingly distributed a methanol mixture that caused poisonings of at least 67 people in the Czech Republic, Police President Martin Červíček and state prosecutor Roman Kafka announced Monday at a press conference. The main suspect – a forty-two year-old man from Ostrava - made a full confession on Friday night saying that he and his accomplice prepared a lethal methanol and ethanol mixture that they then distributed through a middleman to liquor producers. According to Mr Kafka, the main motivation for his actions was financial gain. Police President Červíček warned that 15,000 liters of noxious methanol-laced alcohol had entered distribution, but not all of it has been accounted for yet. Charges have been brought against 42 people in connection to the distribution of methanol-laced liquor, which has killed 25 people in the Czech Republic. Twenty two of them are currently in jail.

President Klaus vetoes pension reform bill

President Klaus has vetoed the government’s pension reform bill. The bill introduced a so-called “second pillar” to the pension system which would enable Czechs to send part of their compulsory pension insurance contributions to private accounts as of next year. The president is concerned that there is no consensus over the reform among experts, politicians and the broad public. He also cautioned against introducing such a reform in an uncertain economic climate. The opposition-controlled Senate vetoed the same bill earlier, but the veto was overturned by the lower house of parliament in early September. The bill will now go back to the lower house for another vote in which the governing coalition would have to find 101 votes to override the president’s veto.

The 25th victim of methanol poisoning dies in Silesia

A 55-year-old man died of methanol poisoning in the north Moravian town of Havířov on Monday. The man was admitted to hospital on 3 September in critical condition. He is the 25th victim of the recent outbreak of methanol poisonings, and the 15th in the Moravia-Silesian region. In the meantime, a hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava admitted yet another methanol patient, in serious, but not critical condition. The patient was administered the Norwegian antidote drug Fomepizol.

Tripartite negotiations over the budget reach no consensus

Representatives of the government, trade unions and employers did not come to an agreement over the proposal for next year’s budget during tripartite negotiations on Monday. Union representatives rejected the budget proposals, and business representatives have reservations about it. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said the government will send the budget proposal to the lower house in its current state along with the statements from the trade union and employers’ representatives. These were the first such negotiations in the past half a year, and there were doubts about whether they would take place at all after a spat between Prime Minister Petr Nečas and the head of the Bohemian-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions last week. Trade union representatives have walked out of tripartite negotiations a number of times in the past.

Health Minister optimistic about decrease in hospitalizations

Health Minister Leoš Heger said on Monday that the number of cases of methanol poisonings is beginning to dwindle. Minister Heger announced that as of today, 18 people were in hospitals being treated for methanol poisoning and that only two people were hospitalized over the weekend. Since the beginning of the outbreak, 67 people were confirmed to have been intoxicated with methyl alcohol.

Finance ministry will alleviate financial pressure for alcohol producers

Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek announced on Monday that the ministry is prepared to change or delay tax advances for alcohol producers who have been negatively affected by the ban on hard liquor. A ban on the sale of alcohol with 20 or more percent alcohol content was instituted on 14 September, and a ban on exports six days later. The government is currently preparing necessary measures to allow newly produced alcohol to enter onto the market again.

Police arrest drug gang in south Moravia

Criminal police have cracked down on a gang of methamphetamine producers and marihuana growers in southern Moravia in the past few days. The police announced Monday they have ten suspects and six are already under prosecution. The main suspects were arrested in mid-September. Two methamphetamine labs and over 60 marihuana plants were discovered during raids. This is one of the largest drug operations uncovered in the region in the past decade. According to investigators, the drug producers were legally purchasing the medicine to produce the methamphetamine in the Polish city of Kladsko.

Golden Bull of Sicily goes on display

The Golden Bull of Sicily, one of the founding documents of the mediaeval Czech state, will be displayed at the National Archive in Prague to mark the 800th anniversary of its issuing. The bull, issued by Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1212, confirmed the royal title obtained by Ottokar I of Bohemia and granted him and his heirs the hereditary title of the Kings of Bohemia. The document will be displayed on Thursday until the end of the week.

400 thousand crowns worth of jewelry stolen from exhibit

Prague police are looking for a thief of 400 thousand crowns worth of jewelry from an exhibit of clocks, watches and jewelry in Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition grounds. The police has not revealed which pieces were actually stolen.

Primary school may be named after Václav Havel

A primary school in the town of Žďárec, that former Czechoslovak and Czech President Václav Havel had attended in childhood, may be renamed after the former dissident who passed away at the end of last year. The town council will discuss the change soon, and the mayor believes all the paperwork might be completed by the end of the school year. The Vysočina region so far has no public institutions or places that are named after Václav Havel.

 

Police uncover distribution network of methanol-laced liquor

The police have uncovered the entire distribution network of methanol-laced bootleg liquor, the head of Czech police, Martin Červíček, told Czech TV on Sunday. The police chief said investigators were now only following one version of what happened but shared no further details as it might interfere with ongoing investigation, he said. The police are planning to release more information at a new conference on Monday.

The methanol crisis has killed 24 people in the Czech Republic over the last several weeks. The police have charged 41 people in connection with methanol poisonings, 17 of whom remain in custody. A breakthrough in the investigation came on Thursday when detectives discovered some 6,000 litres of suspicious liquid in a warehouse in Opava.

President Klaus warns of destruction of democracy in Europe

Czech President Václav Klaus has warned of the destruction of democracy and the national state in Europe. In an interview for the UK paper the Daily Telegraph, Mr Klaus said that "two-faced" politicians had opened the door to an EU superstate by giving up on democracy. The Czech president, commenting on ways EU officials were considering to cope with the ongoing debt crisis, suggested that statehood and sovereignty needed to be restored which was impossible in a federation; the EU should therefore move in the opposite direction, Mr Klaus added.

208,000 people attend NATO Days air show

Some 208,000 people attended the annual NATO Days air show in Ostrava over the weekend, organizers said on Sunday. The air forces of 19 countries took part in the show, including the US Air Force with two strategic bombers B-52, the British RAF with its Red Arrows acrobatic team as well as the Ramex Delta team of the French Air Force. Visitors could also see Czech army’s Gripen fighters demonstrating in-flight refueling..

Firefighters evacuate building on fire

Firefighters evacuated 16 people including two children from an apartment building in Svoboda nad Úpou, in eastern Bohemia, in the early hours of Saturday, after a fire broke out in one of the flats. A police spokeswoman said no one was hurt in the fire that caused damage of around 950,000 crowns. Causes of the incident are being investigated.

Foreign Ministry building opens to public

Prague’s Czernin Palace, the seat of the Czech Republic’s Foreign Ministry, opens to public on Sunday between 10 AM and 4 PM, offering an opportunity to visit the 18th century palace. People can see among other things the apartment of former Czechoslovak foreign minister Jan Masaryk who tragically died there in 1948, and can also stroll through the palace gardens. Viewings last for about an hour. The Open Door Day also featured photo exhibits in the palace and concluded with a concert by the Allstar Refjudží Band.

Becher to launch “prohibition” liquor

Jan Becher, the country’s third largest spirits maker, on Sunday began producing a “prohibition version” of its Lemond liqueur. The new variety contains 19 percent alcohol which means it is not be covered by the government’s ban on sales of spirits with 20 or more percent of alcohol. The company’s production manager said the citrus-flavoured beverage should be available in most supermarkets on Tuesday. The government-imposed ban on the sales of hard liquor is widely expected to be at least partially lifted next week.

 

Methanol crisis claims 24th victim

The ongoing Czech methanol crisis has claimed its 24th victim when a 57-year-old woman died in the north-eastern town of Havířov on Friday night after two weeks in hospital. Doctors said the woman fell into a coma shortly after she was admitted to hospital on September 6. Another three patients with methanol intoxication remain in hospital in Havířov, one in critical condition.

Two new cases of methanol poisoning registered

Czech health workers have registered two new cases of methanol poisoning. An elderly woman was hospitalized in the early hours of Saturday with severe methanol intoxication in Kroměříž in east of the country; her condition is reported as stable. A man was also admitted to hospital in Čáslav, in central Bohemia but the levels of methanol in his blood were lower than toxic, Czech Radio reported. More than 30 people remain in hospitals in connection with the methanol crisis that has claimed 23 victims in the country so far.

No deal reached on Gripen lease extension

The Czech and Swedish defence ministers have reached no deal on the extension of the lease of Swedish Gripen fighters for the Czech Air Force. After Friday’s talks with Swedish Minister of Defence, Karin Enström, in Ostrava, her Czech counterpart, Alexandr Vondra told reporters should Sweden not come up with a better offer, the Czech government would launch a new tender to lease or buy jet fighters. The website novinky.cz reported Sweden offered a 25 percent discount on the lease on condition it will be signed for 10 years. However, Czech officials would only like to lease the fighters for five years.

The Czech military leased 14 Gripen jets in 2004 for 20 billion crowns; the lease will expire in 2014. Mr Vondra said the negotiations with Sweden would continue until November.

NATO Days air show attracts crowds

Thousands of visitors came to see the annual NATO Days air show, which began in Ostrava on Saturday. The air forces of 19 countries are taking part in the show, including the US Air Force with two strategic bombers B-52, the British RAF with its Red Arrows acrobatic team as well as the Ramex Delta team of the French Air Force. Visitors will also see Czech Gripen fighters that will demonstrate in-flight refueling. The NATO Days continue in Ostrava until Sunday.

Romanies attend pilgrimage at Hostýn

Some 400 members of the country’s Romany community on Saturday attended the a Romany pilgrimage at the Holly Hill near Olomouc in Moravia, one of Czech Catholics’ most scared sites. The event, held for the fourth time, included a procession to the top of the hill where a Romany priest served a mass in the Basilica of Virgin Mary, as well as performances by various folklore groups.

Hundreds protest planned shale gas exploration in eastern Bohemia

Around 200 people gathered on Saturday in the east Bohemian town of Trutnov to protest against plans to explore shale gas deposits in the area, the news agency ČTK reported. Organizers said the rally was also held in support of local mayors who oppose mining companies which push for exploration of local deposit of shale gas. Some 30,000 people signed a petition against those plans, the organizers said.

 

Police say they tracked down chief bootleg liquor distributors

The Czech police say they have tracked down the top of the distribution network of methanol-laced bootleg liquor. The head of a special police team investigating illegal alcohol producers, Václav Kučera, said on Friday the core of the network was located in the Zlín region in the eastern Czech Republic, with some of the main distributors operating in the Moravian-Silesian region which was worst affected by methanol poisonings.

Police find 6,000 litres of suspicious liquid, await tests results

In related news, the police discovered some 6,000 litres of suspicious liquid in a warehouse complex in the north-eastern city of Opava on Thursday. The authorities are now waiting for the results of tests to confirm whether the liquid was used in the production of bootleg liquor. The warehouse is used by a firm from Ostrava which deals, among other things, in windshield washer fluids that contains anti-freeze. No connection between the firm and the production of bootleg liquor has been established so far, the police said. Twenty-three people have been arrested to date in connection with the methanol crisis.

European Commission welcomes Czech ban on spirits exports

The European Commission on Friday welcomed the government-imposed ban on exports of spirits with higher than 20 percent volume of alcohol made in response to the methanol crisis. The Czech Health Ministry issued the immediate ban on Thursday night under pressure from the commission which threatened to impose their own ban that could last for up to two months, arguing consumers in other EU countries have the right to the same level of protection against methanol-laced spirits as those in the Czech Republic. Future lifting of the ban will however have to be consulted with the European Commission, a spokesman for the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy said.

Russia bans imports of Czech spirits

Russia on Friday became the third country – after Poland and Slovakia – which banned imports of Czech spirits. The move came a day after the Czech government halted all exports of Czech-made and Czech-bottled beverages with higher than 20 percent volume of alcohol. The Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s chief hygiene officer, Gennady Onischenko, as saying that in their experience, whenever goods are banned in Europe, they inevitably find their way to Russia.

Spirits producers suggest how to end partial prohibition

Czech spirits producers have come up with their own suggestions on how to end the state-imposed prohibition of hard liquor. At a news conference on Friday, members of the Union of Spirits Producers and Importers said the authorities should ban sales of spirits by firms in whose products dangerous levels of methanol were found while lifting the ban for products with certified origin. Products whose origin cannot be identified should also be pulled off the market. The producers also suggest that a coordination body should be established to oversee the regulation of the market.

Czech army chemical unit could take part in Syria intervention: foreign minister

Speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Friday, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said the Czech army’s chemical warfare unit could take part in a possible allied intervention in Syria. Ms Clinton acknowledged the offer and expressed gratitude that the Czech embassy in Damascus had taken over US consular agenda in the country, Mr Schwarzenberg added. At the meeting, the officials also discussed the Czech-US treaty on the protection of investments which Czech officials would like to amend. During his US trip, the Czech foreign minister will also attend a session of the UN general assembly.

Trade unions criticize draft of state budget for 2013

Czech trade unions on Friday criticized the draft of the state budget for 2013. Union leader Jaroslav Zavadil said the draft’s most serious shortcoming was that both its revenues and expenditures were based on legislation that has not yet come into effect. The draft state budget includes a deficit of 100 billion crowns, or 2.9 percent of GDP. However, the draft is based on the assumption that the Czech GDP will grow by around 1 percent next year, and that new tax legislation will come into effect in January 2013. However, trade union leaders said the deficit could in reality amount up to 160 billion crowns.

PM Nečas demands apology from union boss for “worst government since 1950” comment

Prime Minister Petr Nečas on Friday said he would not meet with trade union boss Jaroslav Zavadil until he apologizes for his comment in which he said Mr Nečas’ government was the worst the country had since 1950. Mr Nečas said the comment was outrageous as it compated his cabinet to communists governments which killed its political opponents. Mr Zavadil later said he would have chosen different words.

Hundreds attend funeral of actor Radoslav Brzobohatý

Hundreds of people came to Prague’s Strašnice crematorium on Friday to pay their last respects to the popular Czech actor Radoslav Brzobohatý who died last week at the age of 79. The funeral service was attended by the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Dominik Duka, as well as a number of Czech actors, singers and other artists. Radoslav Brzobohatý, who passed away on September 12, a day before his 80th birthday, appeared in more than 70 films during his long career, including the acclaimed movies All My Compatriots from 1968 and the Ear from 1970.

Football: Plzeň wins, Sparta loses in Europa League’s group stage

Viktoria Plzeň beat Portugal’s Academica Coimbra 3:1 in Plzeň on Thursday in their opening game of Group B of UEFA’s Europa League. Plzeň were losing 0:1 after the first half but scored three times in the second to win their first three points in the competition. The other Czech team which qualified for this season’s Europa League, Sparta Prague, lost 2:1 to Olympic Lyonnais in France on Thursday night.