Copyright (c) 2010 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Friday, January 29th, 2010
By: Daniela Lazarova
* European Union President Herman Van Rompuy is on his first official
visit to Prague.
* UNESCO has sent a team of urban experts to the Czech capital to
investigate a number of controversial building projects.
* Fresh snowfall has caused more traffic complications around the
country.
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EU President on first official visit to Prague
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European Union President Herman Van Rompuy is on his first official
visit to Prague. On Friday morning the EU president met with the Czech
prime minister, Jan Fischer, for talks that focused on the economy,
climate change and the EU's humanitarian effort in Haiti. In the
afternoon Mr. Rompuy met with President Vaclav Klaus, a well known
opponent of EU integration and the Lisbon Treaty. The two officials
said little about the content of their talks, though President Klaus
told journalists the meeting had done nothing to change his view of the
European Union.
Only last week Mr. Klaus criticized the new working structure of the
European saying that there was no clear delimitation of powers and
responsibilities. Mr. Herman Van Rompuy took up the post of EU
President on January 1 and has since conducted a tour of EU member
states.
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UNESCO sends experts to check out controversial building projects
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UNESCO has sent a team of urban experts to the Czech capital to
investigate a number of controversial building projects which could
damage the character of Prague's historic city centre. One of the
projects in the spotlight is the Blanka road tunnel, a vast
construction scheme, which includes several multi-level road junctions
just a few hundred meters from Prague Castle. Another is a highly
controversial plan to tear down eleven buildings just off Wenceslas
Square to make way for a huge shopping centre. The UNESCO team has also
looked into the ongoing reconstruction of Prague's Charles Bridge which
some critics say has damaged the historic value of Prague's most famous
monument beyond repair. The Czech Culture Ministry has tried to dispel
rumors that the insensitive approach to the city's historic centre
might lead to Prague's being struck off UNESCO's list of world heritage
sites.
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Heavy snow causes traffic complications around the country
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Fresh snowfall overnight has caused more traffic complications around
the country. Czech Railways announced on Friday morning that ten of its
regional tracks were impassable and had to be closed down. A number of
mountain villages have been cut off from the outside world and a number
of buses on inter-city bus routes ended up stuck in snow drifts.
Traffic police report that many of the smaller roads remain impassable,
since maintenance crews have their hands full clearing the country's
main highways. Drivers have been warned to exercise extreme caution and
not set out for the mountains without chains and shovels. Fresh snow is
expected in the coming days.
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Thousands of people file snow-related insurance claims
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The heavy snow over the past few weeks is reported to have caused
millions of crowns in damages. The country's leading insurer Ceska
Pojistovna said on Friday its clients had filed over 4,400 claims to
the tune of over 100 million crowns. The vast majority of the claims
concern damage to roofs, which collapsed under the weight of heavy snow
or cars demolished by falling snow and ice when the cold snap was
replaced by a thaw. Other insurance companies around the country also
report a steep rise in claims. The hardest hit regions appear to be
central Bohemia and north Moravia.
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National Security Council halves the number of mandatory vaccinations
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The National Security Council has ordered mandatory swine flu
vaccination for 8,000 Czech soldiers. The issue was discussed at the
highest level after President Vaclav Klaus, who is commander in chief
of the armed forces, intervened to prevent mandatory vaccination for
16,000 soldiers, many of whom did not want the shot. Mr. Klaus said it
was unacceptable to enforce this decision unless there was a serious
threat of an epidemic. He asked the country's hygiene officer to
clarify the position at a meeting of the National Security Council.
After hearing the report the council halved the proposed number of
mandatory vaccinations.
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Thirteen percent of Czechs still pay exclusively in cash
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Thirteen percent of Czechs do not own a credit or payment card and make
their payments exclusively in cash, according to the results of a
survey commissioned by GE Money Bank. The reasons cited included fear
of credit card fraud, the fact that they spend less when handing over
cash, have a better idea of the state of their finances and the fact
that there are still shops where paying with a card is not possible.
Twenty one percent of respondents said they own more than one card, and
81 percent of respondents said they prefer to use a card over carrying
cash. GE Money Bank says this is a big improvement on the situation
three years ago when a third of the population said they did not own
any kind of bank card.
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Number of foreigners growing, but country still below European average
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According to figures released by the Czech Statistical Office the
number of foreigners in the Czech Republic has been steadily growing.
In 1997 they made up just over two percent of the population; in 2009
they accounted for 4 percent of the country's 10.5 million inhabitants.
The highest number of foreigners come from Ukraine, followed by Slovak,
Vietnamese, Russian and Polish nationals. Despite the steady rise, the
Czech Republic is still below the European average which is currently
at 6 percent. Luxemburg is at the opposite end of the scale with
foreigners making up 40 percent of the population.
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Czech truckers refueling abroad
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Higher oil prices are leading Czech transport companies to refuel
outside the country's borders, according to DKV, a company issuing
payment cars for motorists. Czech truck drivers are said to be topping
up their tanks most frequently in Luxembourg and Spain where prices of
diesel oil are currently the most advantageous, while those heading
east prefer to refuel in Slovakia or Poland. At an average price of
29,39 crowns per liter in the Czech Republic, diesel oil is 12 percent
cheaper in Poland and 8 percent cheaper in Austria. The increase in oil
prices on the Czech market is due to a higher consumer and VAT that
went into effect as of January 1.
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Pliskova makes it to Australian Open juniors final
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The Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova has made it to the final of the
Australian Open Junior's Championship in Melbourne. The 17-year-old
Pliskova could have faced her twin sister, Krystina, who was ousted in
the other semi by the UK's Laura Robson. In other tennis action, Czech
player Jaroslav Levinsky and his playing partner, Russian Jekaterina
Makarova, have made it to the final in the mixed-doubles.
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Avalanche alert
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The Krkonose or Giant Mountains rescue service has called a
third-degree avalanche alert on a five point scale, warning skiers not
to stray from marked ski-trails. The service said a combination of
strong wind, eighty centimeters of fresh snow on the ground and
relatively high daytime temperatures increased the risk of an avalanche
several-fold. The Jeseniky Mountain rescue service has issued a similar
warning. Hikers leaving on a day's outing have been cautioned to follow
weather reports and inform their friends or hotel management of their
plans.
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Weather
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Fresh snow is expected over the weekend, with a strong wind which has
led meteorologists to issue a warning about snowdrifts on the road. Day
temperatures between 0 and minus 7 degrees, night time lows at around
minus 14 to minus 18 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Current Affairs
All kinds of historical monuments under threat in Czech Republic, says
conservationist
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Many historical monuments in the Czech are under threat and action
needs to be taken to save them. So says the state-funded National
Monuments Institute, which has just launched a campaign to draw
attention to the subject. But what kind of sites are actually in
danger? That's a question I put to the Institute's Vera Kucova.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/124545
Current Affairs
First-ever smog alert called by Czech Hydrometeorological Institute
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This week saw the country's first-ever smog alert issued by the Czech
Hydrometeorological Institute, calling on plants in northern Moravia to
cut production volume until atmospheric conditions improve. The
institute has had the competency since last November under the Air
Protection act and did not hesitate to act as the situation in Moravia
worsened.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/124544
Current Affairs
EU President Van Rompuy discusses economy and more with Czech PM in
Prague
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The recently appointed first president of the European Union, Herman
Van Rompuy, visited Prague on Friday. His first stop was the Office of
the Government, where he held talks with the Czech prime minister, Jan
Fischer. The meeting was dominated by economic issues, though the two
men also discussed climate change and the situation in Haiti.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/124537
Arts
New electronic music/dance album by Jitka Charvatova (aka. Ji) earns
rave reviews
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Anyone familiar with the Czech electronic and dance music scene will
have come across the work of Jitka Charvatova, also known as Ji, the
charismatic and talented former singer for cutting edge groups like
Skyline and the late Milan Hlavsa's 1990s band Fiction. Now Jitka has
reset her career with a recently released but already highly-lauded new
solo album called Feed My Lion, featuring 8-bit, electro pop and
elements of hip hop.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/124532
Business News
Business News 1.29.2010
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In this week's Business News: steady recovery predicted for the
economy; citizen's bond issue looks unlikely; cinemas boost income in
spite of audience fall; small shareholders taste victory at steelworks;
and Skoda Auto targets dozy drivers.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/124530
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