News

Fischer meets Peres on Israel visit

The Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, has held talks in Israel with the country’s president, Shimon Peres. The two men praised relations between their states and agreed there was great room for co-operation in the fields of science and the economy. Mr Fischer, who started a three-day visit to Israel on Tuesday, also laid a wreath at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the country’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. The Czech leader is also due to meet his Israeli counterpart, Binyamin Netanyahu.

Ministry issues gloomier outlook for Czech economy

In a revised estimate, the ministry of finance says the Czech economy is likely to contract by 4.3 percent this year, which would be the steepest decline in GDP in the history of the Czech Republic. Three months ago the ministry predicted a considerably milder contraction of 2.3 percent in 2009. The minister of finance, Eduard Janota, told the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes that the government would have to reevaluate next year’s budget in the light of the new estimate.

The finance ministry also said the economy should grow next year by 0.3 percent, which again is a gloomier outlook than April’s prediction of 0.8 percent growth in 2010.

Czech Republic finally files ratification papers at ICC

The Czech Republic has filed ratification papers at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, becoming the 110th state to recognise the permanent tribunal’s jurisdiction. The statue will enter into force on the first of January next year. The Czech Republic was the last member of the European Union to sign up to the International Criminal Court, which led to criticism from Brussels.

Total number of swine flu cases detected in Czech Republic rises to 32

Three more cases of swine flu have been detected in the Czech Republic, bringing the total number to 32. The latest cases concern people who had been on separate visits to the United Kingdom; none of the three are seriously ill, a spokesperson for the Czech health ministry said on Wednesday.

Czech arms exports reach record level

Exports of arms and military materials from the Czech Republic reached a record CZK 4.9 billion (USD 270 million) last year, a spokesperson for Czech trade ministry said on Wednesday. Over 30,000 revolvers and pistols manufactured in the Czech Republic were exported last year, along with a range of other guns and weapons. The Czech arms and security industry association said its members should enjoy similar turnover this year to 2008.

Kasík dismissed as director of Czech Radio

Václav Kasík has been dismissed as the director of the public broadcaster Czech Radio (of which Radio Prague is part). He was removed by an extraordinary meeting of the Czech Radio Council, who appointed head of programming Richard Medek as acting head of the station. The council said it had replaced Mr Kasík because renovations of Czech Radio’s historic building on Prague’s Vinohradská St had gone over budget and for hiring a person without the required security clearance to head the station’s “secretariat”. Václav Kasík had headed Czech Radio since July 1999.

Three die in car crash in reported attempt to escape from police

Three people aged 18 and 19 died in the early hours of Wednesday when they were involved in a car crash as they reportedly attempted to evade a police control in the eastern town of Holešov. A fourth person, aged 28, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the accident. He denies having been the driver, and police say it is as yet unclear which of the four was at the wheel. A spokesperson said the police could not confirm that they were pursuing the car when the crash occurred as it was still under investigation.

First “electronic tram stop” goes up in Prague

The first stand featuring an electronic display informing passengers of when the next tram is coming has appeared at a tram stop in Prague, Mladá fronta Dnes reported. A spokesperson for the capital’s transport authority told the newspaper there were plans to introduce 260 of such LCD displays in the city centre and districts including Žižkov, Holešovice and Smíchov by the end of this year.

Suzanne Vega-Čechomor joint tour underway

The American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega and the Czech group Čechomor played a sold-out concert together in Loket on Tuesday night. Four and a half thousand people saw the joint show at an amphitheatre in the small west Bohemian town. The mini-tour continues with concerts in Prague and Žďár nad Sázavou. Suzanne Vega has appeared in concert in the Czech Republic several times.

Weather

The heat wave we are currently experiencing should continue, with temperatures set to reach up to 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Night time temperatures will reach around 20 degrees Celsius. It should be mostly sunny with some storms.