Copyright (c) 2010 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
By: Jan Richter
* Members of Czech doctors' trade unions have threatened to resign en
masse over the government's plan to shake up salary scales.
* Czech environmental organizations have criticized the EIA study for
the completion of the Temelin nuclear power plant.
* Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych has been defeated in the first round
of the US Open.
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Government's plan to revamp salary scales angers doctors
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Members of the Czech doctors' trade unions threatened on Thursday to
resign en masse over the government's plan to shake up salary scales.
The Czech Labour and Social Affairs Ministry has proposed to introduce
a single salary scale which would see the wages of doctors at the start
of their career slashed by 14 percent, while those of experienced ones
by up to 40 percent. The head of the doctors' trade union, Martin
Engel, said the only adequate response would be for doctors to resign
en masse. Prime Minister Petr Necas said the government would come back
to the issue, which is part of the cabinet's cost-cutting drive.
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Environmental NGOs criticize Temelin EIA study
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Four Czech environmental organizations criticized on Thursday the
environmental impact assessment, or EIA, for the completion of the
Temelin nuclear power plant. The study was put together by the plant's
owner, the Czech energy giant CEZ, and submitted to the Environment
Ministry. The environmentalists said the study was in breach of EU
legislation, lacked a more complex evaluation of the planned two new
nuclear blocks. The NGOs suggested it should be rejected by the
ministry. A CEZ spokesman said that the EIA was in full compliance with
the law.
CEZ is planning to build two new blocks at the Temelin power plant that
should be finished by 2012. The French company Areva, the US firm
Westinghouse and Russia's Atomstroyexport for the multi-billion public
contract that has been dubbed the tender of the century.
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Court says fugitive businessman channelled money abroad legally
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A high court in Olomouc, central Moravia, ruled on Thursday that
on-the-run Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir channelled funds abroad
legally. Mr Krejcir was charged with transferring 272 million crowns,
or more than 14 million US dollars, to an off-shore company based on
the British Virgin Islands in 1997. The Czech prosecution claimed the
deal was fictitious; however, the court in Olomouc confirmed a previous
verdict according to which the transfer was above board. The fraud
charge is just one of many faced by Radovan Krejcir, who is also wanted
in the Czech Republic for conspiracy to murder, and is now residing in
South Africa.
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Russian president appoints new ambassador to Prague
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appointed on Thursday career diplomat
Sergey Kiselev the new Russian ambassador to the Czech Republic. Mr
Kiselev will replace Alexei Fedotov, who has been posted in the Czech
capital since 2004. The newly appointed ambassador, 63-year-old Sergey
Kiselev, previously served as the Russian envoy to the Seychelles and
Singapore, and held several positions at the Russian Foreign Ministry
in Moscow. The outgoing ambassador met with Czech President Vaclav
Klaus on Thursday, and later told reporters that Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev might visit the Czech Republic in the near future.
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Number of whooping cough cases in 2009 highest since 1966
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The number of whooping cough cases registered in the Czech Republic in
2009 was the highest since 1966, an expert from the National Institute
of Public Health told reporters on Thursday. A total of 955 cases were
registered in the country but experts believe the situation may be much
worse than that. Three babies have died of whooping cough in the Czech
Republic since 2005; prior to that, the last death was recorded in
1970. Vaccination of babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers against
whooping cough in then Czechoslovakia was introduced in 1958; last
year, the rising number of cases made authorities re-vaccinate children
aged 11 and 12.
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Human rights representative denies claims of resignation
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The Czech government's representative for human rights, Michael Kocab,
denied late on Wednesday the prime minister's claim that he had
tendered his resignation. Prime Minister Petr Necas said he accepted Mr
Kocab's resignation, and thanked him for his work in the field of human
rights; Michael Kocab however said that at Wednesday's meeting, the
prime minister pushed him to resign which he refused. Speculation about
Mr Kocab's demise appeared as soon as PM Necas appointed the
conservative pundit, Roman Joch, his advisor for human rights. Mr Joch
said several times the position of human rights representative was
redundant. Mr Kocab, formerly a rock musician, also served as the Human
Rights Minister in the previous cabinet.
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Aristocrats lose legal battle over chateau property
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The Czech Constitutional Court rejected on Thursday a complaint by
Jerome Colloredo-Mansfeld and his cousin Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld,
who sued the Czech Republic over movable property in the chateau of
Opocno, in eastern Bohemia. The aristocrats wanted the state to return
historic weapons, paintings, chandeliers, dinner sets and other objects
which were confiscated, together with the chateau, in 1942 by the Nazis
and later by the Czechoslovak state. The court said the confiscation
took place before February 1948, which is the borderline for
restitution claims.
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Former foreign ministry official who plotted to murder journalist
released from jail
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Former high-ranking foreign ministry official Karel Srba, who was
sentenced to 12 years for plotting to murder an investigative
journalist, was conditionally released from prison on Thursday after
serving eight years. According to experts, Mr Srba's personality has
changed during his stay in jail and he now presents no threat to
society. Mr Srba plotted to murder journalist Sabina Slonkova who
published a series of articles about his suspicious activities at the
ministry.
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Czech national football team takes train to Olomouc for Euro 2012
qualifier
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The Czech national football team took the train - for the first time in
decades - to get to the eastern city of Olomouc where they will face
Lithuania in the first game of the EURO 2012 qualification on Tuesday.
The Czech line-up, which includes Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, Arsenal
midfield Tomas Rosicky, and Galatasaray's striker Milan Baros, will
seek to bag the first three points in qualifying group I where they
will later also face Spain, Scotland and Liechtenstein.
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First round US Open exit for Tomas Berdych
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Top seeded Czech, Tomas Berdych was defeated in the first round of the
US Open tennis tournament by Frenchman, Michael Llodra. The score was
6:7, 4:6, 4:6. Wimbledon finalist Berdych was seeded seventh. No male
Czech player has proceeded past the first round. Earlier, Radek
Stepanek, who is struggling to find his best form this year, went down
4:6, 2:6, 6:4, 4:6 to Frenchman Julien Benneteau. In women's singles,
Petra Kvitova beat fellow Czech Lucie Hradecka in the first round on
Monday, and will face defending champion Maria Sharapova from Russia on
Thursday.
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Weather
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The end of the week will be mostly cloudy with occasional rain showers.
Daytime highs will range between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Panorama
A festival the kids can see, feel, smell
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As the school year begins, an uncommon sort of festival for children
kicks off on Prague's ancient hill of Vysehrad. "Vysehratky" as it's
called, a romp on the old high castle, offers no cotton candy, no
tedious clowns and no mind-numbing kiddie rides. Instead it brings in
schools and families for a more avant-garde approach to children's
entertainment organised by students of the Academy of Drama. In this
week's Panorama, Christian Falvey found that they know how to please a
young audience.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/131328
Current Affairs
Test finds five in nine school aids on Czech market contain toxic
phthalates
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Laboratory tests conducted in Zlin, southeast Moravia, have found that
five in nine Czech school products contain a high share of toxic
substances known as phthalates. Items tested at the request of the
Czech environmental NGO Arnika included pencil cases, exercise book
jackets and erasers, which present a risk if put under mechanical
stress or chewed, like a marker cover or eraser. The crux of the
problem is that while Czech and EU laws limit phthalates in toys or
other products, they do not take into account school products.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/131318
Current Affairs
Compared to grade school results, colleges have catching up to do
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Thursday newspapers in the Czech Republic point out a wide gap in the
performance of Czech students at the grade school and college levels.
While younger students excel in school compared to the rest of the
world, in higher education both enrolment and results are unimpressive.
Radio Prague's Christian Falvey reports on the situation and one of the
ideas to improve it.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/131311
Current Affairs
Defence Minister pledges to cut tentacles of corruption after deputy
minister is implicated in arms corruption scandal
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A Czech newspaper has blown the whistle on what appears to be a far
reaching political corruption cartel involving multi-billion crown
defence contracts. The Minister of Defence has sacked a long standing
deputy minister and promised far reaching reform.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/131302
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