News

Czech population rises by 9,000 in first half of year

The Czech population increased by around 9,000 in the first six months of the year and now stands at just under 10.516 million according to the Czech Statistical Office. The increase is mainly due to a 5,700 difference between the number of births and deaths in the first half of the year. There were also 3,300 more people coming to live in the country than leaving it. Between January and June there were 17,100 marriages, a drop of 2,300 compared with the same period a year earlier. But the number of divorces also dropped by 430.

Gap between Prague and poorest regions widen

Differences in purchasing power between the wealthiest Czech region, Prague, and the poorest, Bruntál, have exacerbated according to a study by research company Incoma GfK. The average amount of disposable cash for purchases in Prague stands at 223,000 crowns a year, more than half as much again as the average 144,000 crowns in Bruntál. The survey found that Czechs have 42 percent weaker purchasing power than the European average.

Health and social workers increase pressure for pay deal

The Union for Health and Social Workers has given formal notice that it plans strike action for October 15 unless a pay and conditions deal can be agreed with the government. The union is calling for pay rises for its members in the face of government moves to cut pay for all state employees. As well as strike action, the union is also threatening to associate itself with mass resignations planed by doctors. Health Minister Leoš Heger has already tried to make peace with health and social workers by offering them an exemption from across the blanket pay cuts for state employees and has proposed their own special payment tariffs.

Varvařovský begins as ombudsman

Newly elected ombudsman Pavel Varvařovský was sworn into office on Monday by the speaker of the lower house of parliament to begin his six year term in office. The former Constitutional Court judge was elected to the office last week after winning the support of mostly right wing parties in the lower house. He follows in the footsteps of the highly respected Otakar Motejl who died earlier this year after building up the office after its creation in 1999.

Marta Kubišová wins courts battle with Helena Vondráčková

Czech singer Helena Vondráčková has lost a court battle against fellow singer Marta Kubišová. The high court in Prague ruled on Monday that Kubišová will not have to pay damages totalling 1.3 million crowns for failing to take part in a proposed tour entitled Golden Kids which was to feature both of them. The ruling confirms an earlier verdict from a lower court last year. The court battle has stirred up a lot of media attention with Kubišová winning backing from a series of high profile personalities and celebrities including former prime minister Jan Fischer and past president Václav Havel. The tour was supposed to take place last year. Kubišová maintained she never signed a contract and preparations for the concerts were chaotic.

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg in NATO talks

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg met with NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rassmussen in Brussels on Monday. It was the first meeting between the two since Mr. Schwarzenberg returned to the post as a member of the new centre-right coalition. Discussions featured planned transfers of Czech troops from Kosovo and incerases in the number serving in Afghanistan and the Czech role in a NATO early warning system against missile attack. Mr. Schwarzenberg said the NATO head was not very happy about the first move but welcomed the second. Prime Minister Petr Nečas is scheduled to meet with the head of NATO on Thursday.

Czech competition office fines tv screen producers

The Czech competition watchdog had imposed its biggest fine of the year on a series of multinational producers of television screens for an alleged cartel. The Brno-based Office for Protection of Competition imposed a total fine of 52 million crowns on five companies including Technicolor, Panasonic and Toshiba for the six year long cartel. The agreements covering prices and other market activities were uncovered after one cartel member, Samsung, blew the whistle on the others.

Former president of medical chamber to head ODS Prague list: ČTK

Former president of the Czech Medical Chamber, Bohuslav Svoboda, is in the front running to be the Civic Democrat candidate for Prague mayor in upcoming local elections on 15 and 16 October, the Czech News Agency reported on Monday. An official press conference to announce its candidate is expected from the party on Tuesday. Mr. Svoboda was president of the medical chamber from 1992-1998. He ran unsuccessfully for the upper house, the Senate, in 1998 for the now defunct Four Party coalition. The Civic Democrats look like they could lose control of Prague for the first time since 1990 with the main threat coming from the TOP 09 party.

Brno International Engineering Fair starts with more companies attending

The 52nd International Engineering Fair was launched in Brno on September 13th. This year the event has attracted 1,600 companies from 26 countries. Minister for Industry and Trade Martin Kocourek and Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Jaromíř Drábek were among the early visitors to the fair. Mr. Drábek said the increased corporate attendance compared with last year was a sign that the economic crisis had ended. The fair lasts until September 19th.

Municipalities will remain part of Brno

Voters from two peripheral municipalities in Brno - Přířenice and Dolní Heršpice – have voted in a referendum to remain part of the Moravian capital, rather than form a single separate town. The referendum, which took place on Sunday, was the initiative of a civic association protesting plans by the city to develop local property near existing homes in an area known as Slunná louka. Activists had criticised the city’s development plan that would allow for increased real estate and industrial development. Voter turnout among residents was 69 percent: 41 percent (353 people) voted to separate but would have needed almost one hundred more votes to see the decision through. Two-hundred-and-forty-three people voted against. Přířenice and Dolní Heršpice have been part of Brno since 1919, and come under the jurisdiction of the district of Brno-South.

Weather

The beginning of the week should see cloudy conditions and daytime temperatures falling to around 19 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Hotter, sunny weather should return on Thursday.