News

Condoleezza Rice: This is not 1968

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday before departing for Europe that Russia would not get away with occupying another country, like it did Czechoslovakia in 1968. “This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia when Russia can threaten its neighbours, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed,” Ms Rice told reporters.

In related news, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said on Wednesday that the Czech Republic would like to take part in an EU observers’ mission to Georgia. Speaking after an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, Mr Schwarzenberg said that Georgia’s sovereignty as well as territorial integrity must be fully respected.

Czech Republic loses blood plasma business dispute

The Czech Republic has lost an arbitration dispute with the firm Diag Human, and has been ordered to pay the company some 8.33 billion crowns, or more than 512 million USD, in damages. The feud between the Czech state and the firm, which deals in blood plasma, has been going on since the early 1990s. In 1992, then Health Minister Martin Bojar dissuaded other European companies from doing business with Diag Human, a court case found that the health minister did so unjustly, and ruled that the state should pay damages and apologise publicly. The state has subsequently appealed the ruling unsuccessfully on several occasions. Over half of the sum that the Czech government must now pay Diag Human consists of interest which has accrued on previously unpaid damages. The Czech state is likely to appeal the verdict.

Police arrest two in connection with Eurocity train crash

The police have arrested two men in connection with the Eurocity train crash which occurred in North Moravia last Friday. Seven people died and more than 70 were injured in one of the worst train crashes in recent Czech history. The accident occurred near the town of Studénka, in northern Moravia, after an overhead bridge, which was being repaired, collapsed onto the railway track just as the Eurocity train from Krakow to Prague was approaching. The CTK news agency reported that both men were employees of one of the building companies working on the bridge.

Czech economy growth slows down to 4.5 pct in Q2

The Czech Statistical Office reported on Thursday that the Czech economy’s growth in the second quarter of 2008 slowed down to 4.5 percent. Among the causes cited was the strengthening of the Czech crown against the euro and dollar with consequences for a number of Czech exporting companies, as well as the slowing consumption rate of Czech households. The Czech Statistical Office also lowered its estimate for the economy’s growth in the third quarter of this year to 5.1 percent.

State Attorney’s Office warns that some police units are severely undermanned

The Supreme State Attorneys Office warned on Thursday that some police units, particularly those dealing with economic and financial crime, were severely undermanned and could collapse as a result. In their annual report, chief prosecutors said that personal changes and an unfinished and ongoing overhaul of the police had very negative effects on its work An Interior Ministry spokesperson said that the ministry was dealing with the situation but denied that the current problems could affect criminal proceedings.

Czech speleologists rescued in Slovakia

Two Czech speleologists who were exploring a system of caves near the town of Rožňava, in eastern Slovakia, were rescued after more than 40 hours they spent underground. After rising water trapped two men inside the cave, one of the explorers managed to escape but then another went in to look for the one who couldn’t get out; local rescue teams got the two trapped speleologists out in the end.

Kateřina Emmons adds silver to her medal count

Czech shooter Kateřina Emmons won her second medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday after finishing second in the women’s three-position 50 m rifle event. Ms Emmons also won the 10 m air rifle on Saturday becoming the first athlete to win gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In Thursday’s competition, Kateřina Emmons finished sixth in the qualifier and her position ranged between second and fourth place in the final shootout. With her final shot, she passed Eglis Yaima Cruz of Cuba, who finished third, and China’s Du Li who landed the gold.

Sparta beaten by Athens

Sparta Prague lost 2:1 to Panathinaikos Athens in the first leg of the Champions League’s third qualifying round in Prague on Wednesday. The first score took place in the 24th minute of the game after Sparta’s defender Kučera netted an own goal. It only took the home side six minutes to equalize but the winning score by Simao, of Athens, came some 20 minutes before the game ended. The second leg of the qualifier will take place in Athens in two weeks’ time.

Weather

The end of the week is likely to be overcast with rain and storms, especially in Moravia and Silesia. The highest day temperatures will not exceed 21 degrees centigrade.