News

Civic Democrat leader: more jobs, less red tape

Addressing an ideological conference of the Civic Democratic Party on Saturday party leader and Prime Minister Petr Necas outlined the party’s main economic priorities in the face of Europe’s economic downturn. Mr. Necas said the party’s main aim was to support the creation of new jobs and the introduction of job sharing schemes as well as reducing the administrative burden for businesses. He also stressed the need to continue cutting state expenditures in order to gradually lower the deficit in public spending to below 3 percent of GDP.

Christian Democrats ready for comeback

The Christian Democratic Party, which lost its seats in the lower house in the 2010 general elections, is seeking new impetus and emphasizing the party’s traditional values in preparation for the regional and senate elections this autumn. At the party’s weekend conference its leader Pavel Bělobrádek said the Christian Democrats had learned from their mistakes and were ready for a comeback. He said the party would draft a new policy programme based on the party’s traditional values and the society’s present needs. The Christian Democrat leader slammed the ruling parties for conducting what he called “cynical, unscrupulous and confrontational” politics.

Over one thousand Czechs warned about theft of private data

Over 1300 Czechs have received a warning from the police regarding theft of their personal data by hackers. Commercial TV Nova, which aired the story on Friday evening, said the theft occurred in an attack on the US security firm Stratfor in late December and the stolen information allegedly includes people’s bank account numbers. People whom it concerns have been asked to contact their banks and not open suspicious-looking mails which could contain viruses. This is the first time ever that the police has contacted so many people on an individual basis rather than issuing a mass warning.

Police searching for hit and run driver

Police are searching for a hit and run driver who killed a 72-year-old cyclist in the early hours of Saturday. The incident happened near the town of Třebon and the police believe the cyclist was hit by a pick-up which was damaged in the collision. The cyclist was left lying on the road where he succumbed to his injuries. The police have asked possible eyewitnesses to come forward.

St. Sebastian Hotel damaged in blaze

A fire is reported to have destroyed large parts of St. Sebastian Hotel in the Chomutov region. The fire was reported at around 11 am on Saturday and although six fire brigades fought and eventually contained the blaze most of the roof and the upper floor were completely destroyed. There were only six guests in the building at the time of the fire and all were evacuated in time. No injuries are reported. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Tennis - Kvitova into last 16 after Kirilenko retires

Second seed Petra Kvitova blasted into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday when Russian Maria Kirilenko retired with a leg injury after the first game of the second set of their third round match, having lost the first 6-0. Kvitova had torn through the first set in 34 minutes and then broke Kirilenko in the first game of the second before the 29th seeded Russian walked to the net and shook hands with the Czech. Kvitova will next play either former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic or Vania King in the last 16.

Meteorologists issue snow, flood warnings

Meteorologists warn that the weather could bring serious complications in different parts of the country over the weekend. Some of the smaller rivers in southern Bohemia are swollen after several days of rain and a number of towns are on second-degree flood alert. Meanwhile heavy snow and strong winds in the higher altitudes are expected to worsen the situation on many Czech roads. Meteorologists expect between 10 and 30 centimeters of fresh snow in the next 24 hours. Maintenance crews are reportedly working around the clock to keep the main roads clear. Drivers have been warned not to set out for the mountains without winter gear.

Weather:

We should see more snow and sleet showers in the coming days with daytime highs hovering just above 0 and night time lows dropping to minus five degrees.