News

Vit Barta elected Public Affairs leader

The Public Affairs Party has overwhelmingly elected Vit Barta its new leader. Mr. Barta, a former businessman who set up the party in 2001 and who was long considered its de-facto leader, was elected on the strength of 80 out of 98 votes. He said he was ready to take up the party banner with dedication and humility and to fulfill those goals which Public Affairs had failed to meet during its time in government. The party walked out of the ruling coalition last spring following a corruption scandal involving Mr. Barta and ideological differences with its coalition partners. Its intention was to bring down the centre-right government but a small faction around Deputy Prime Minister Karolina Peake rebelled and stayed on under a different name.

Radek John elected honorary chairman of Public Affairs

Public Affairs outgoing leader Radek John, who did not run for re-election or aspire for a deputy post, was elected honorary chairman, getting a standing ovation from the assembly. Mr. John, a former investigative journalist whose popularity helped the party win seats in Parliament in the 2010 general elections, is returning to his former profession. In a closing address, Mr. John said the battle against corruption in the top echelons of power had proven harder than expected and advocated a radical change of the political system under which MPs, governors and mayors would be elected directly and would be re-callable.

Vehicle registration system faces new hurdle

The national vehicle registration system which was put into operation last summer and has repeatedly been criticized for malfunction, is facing another serious hurdle: the contract with its current operator is due to expire at the end of March and the Transport Ministry reportedly omitted to call a public tender for a new operator. According to the internet news site idnes.cz an operator will now have to be found within 30 days, moreover without a tender. Even after more than six months in operation the new vehicle registration system is said to be slower and less reliable than the one it replaced. The transport minister resigned in connection with the problems late last year.

Doctors warn against buying medicine over the Internet

Doctors have issued public warnings regarding the danger of buying medicines over the Internet. According to Czech Public Television some people are now using internet sites to acquire antibiotics, anti-depressants and even hormone therapy which are otherwise only available on prescription. Doctors warn that self-treatment with these medicines may be life-threatening. Many do not contain the substance stated on the packaging and some are past their expiry date.

German shops close to the Czech border accommodate Czech customers

German shops close to the Czech border are increasingly employing Czech-speaking staff to accommodate a growing Czech clientele, the internet news site idnes reported. The daily visited the town of Heidenau, Lower Saxony, where approximately 10 percent of the local clientele are Czechs from across the border. According to local businesses employing some Czech-speaking staff pays off. Their Czech clients spend on average 200 euro per visit and most come every weekend. Many shops in the border region now print leaflets in Czech as well as in German.

Air-pollution continues to plague Moravia-Silesia

Air pollution is reported to have worsened severely in parts of Moravia and Silesia with the concentration of dust particles in the air far exceeding permitted norms at all 15 monitoring stations. According to data from the Czech Hydro-meteorological Institute the concentration of harmful substances in the air is more than four times the permitted norm in the Ostrava and Zlin regions. The authorities have advised elderly people and children to stay indoors as much as possible. The situation is being closely monitored by city hall which has the right to call a smog alert and ask industrial plants to scale-down production.

Fresh snow and icy roads complicating traffic

Fresh snow and icy roads are complicating traffic around the country. Police report a heightened number of accidents in Prague and traffic is reported to be slow and difficult along the country’s main highways. Many roads in the mountain regions are impassible without winter chains and heavy snow contributes to poor visibility. Drivers have been asked to exercise extreme caution.

Weather

The coming days should bring more overcast skies and snow showers with day temperatures between 0 and -3 degrees Celsius.