NEWS
Prague scraps Olympics bid
Prague city councillors have decided that the city will not bid to host the Olympic Games in 2020 because of the financial crisis. Mayor Pavel Bém, the biggest supporter of the bid, confirmed to HN that the project is unrealistic at the moment given the unclear level of support from the state and private sector.
most Czech press
Right-wing concert called off after police raid
Organisers have cancelled the Call of Freedom, a concert of bands popular with right-wing extremists that was to take place in northern Bohemia at the end of the month and where Workers’ Party representatives were to deliver speeches. Far-right internet forums blamed “state repression” as the reason behind the move.
ČTK
Govt wants to buy extra 500,000 doses of anti-flu drug
The government is seeking to buy an additional half million doses of medicine against swine flu and extra flu vaccines after the World Health Organisation last week declared a global flu pandemic. The drug would be then available to a quarter of the Czech population, while the vaccines should be ready for another quarter.
Aktuálně.cz, LN 5
Mother and two children fall onto metro tracks
A woman and her two daughters, aged two months and three years, fell under a metro train at Anděl station on Monday evening. Prague police spokesman Tomáš Hulan said the woman probably wanted to commit suicide. She suffered injuries and was taken to hospital, while her children were unharmed.
most Czech press
Shoplifting growing, getting more organised
E15 reports that shoplifting is growing in supermarkets around the country, especially in regions affected by the economic crisis. A spokesman for Ahold CR, Libor Kytýr, said the incidence of shoplifting had grown 10% in Ahold’s Albert shops. Shoplifters are becoming more organised and focused on alcohol, electronics and sweets.
E15 1, 8
Kalousek’s party asks ministry for registration
The new centre-right political party TOP 09 of former Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek on Monday asked the Interior Ministry for registration.
Právo 2
Klaus signs bill shortening lower house term of office
President Václav Klaus has signed a bill that would shorten the term in office of the standing lower house to expire on the day of early elections, which should take place on 9 and 10 October at the latest.
ČTK
HN: MPs reticent on advisory spending
Hospodářské noviny reports that each of the 200 deputies in the lower house receives CZK 14,211 each month to cover participation in conferences, administration of websites and other advisory services, but they refuse to reveal whom they are paying for the services. In a survey HN conducted among all 200, only 43 responded and most of the answers were not specific. The total amount spent on such services reaches nearly CZK 34 million annually.
HN 1-3
Former Klaus secretary founds new party
A new political party, Občané.cz, was founded this weekend by Petr Havlík, a former secretary to Václav Klaus from the early 1990s. Investor Ivan Pilný and former football coach Ivan Hašek will be the party’s public faces.
Právo 2
Fischer: ČR to select new EU Commissioner after elections
Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said in London yesterday that he expects the debate over electing a new Czech EU Commissioner will take place only after early elections in October.
E15 4
BUSINESS
ČS, Raiffeisen planning to consolidate funds
Investiční společnost České spořitelny and Raiffeisen Capital Management are both planning to consolidate several of their investment funds as the value of the funds has fallen, according to the daily E15. Clients will be automatically transferred to the new fund or can sell their shares to the fund administrator. Meantime, Czech clients have said they are willing to join in a lawsuit filed by Austrian clients against the Immofinanz and Immoeast funds and financial adviser AWD, whose products have also lost value and which were also sold in the Czech Republic.
E15 1, 14, LN 15
EU businesses call on Czech PM to secure loans
European businesses from the association Eurochambers have called on Czech PM Jan Fischer to help them secure sufficient financing during the current recession. Banks are not able to do so, even though they received huge amounts of public money for their own stabilisation, the association said in a letter ahead of the EU summit in Brussels this week.
ČTK
Janota to issue general savings bonds in November
Finance Minister Eduard Janota told Hospodářské noviny he wants to issue government savings bonds to the general public in November that would not be sold via banks or brokerages but through other sales outlets. While these kinds of bonds cover up to 10% of the state debt in other countries, they cover only 1% in the Czech Republic, Janota said.
HN 13
Bakers, hoteliers protest against retail chains
The Czech Bakers’ and Confectioners’ Association and the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism are preparing a joint agreement to protest the actions of retail chains, who force bakers to take back up to 100% of unsold goods, stretch the maturity of invoices and sell goods below cost. The biggest baking companies, Penam and United Bakeries, are not members of the associations and did not comment on the agreement.
HN 13
Heineken to close two Czech breweries
Heineken said Monday it would close down breweries in Kutná Hora and Znojmo, citing efficiency and safety reasons. The company will transfer 32 employees to other units, while some 35 would be dismissed.
most Czech press
Prague to launch new type of tram
A new type of low-floor tram, Škoda ForCity, will appear on Prague’s streets for a trial operation in three to four weeks. By 2017, the city transport operator is expected to buy 250 trams from Škoda Transportation at CZK 60 million each.
most Czech press
Retail sales drop 2%
Retail sales fell 2% in April from a year ago. Adjusted for seasonal effects and working days, sales were 1.7% lower than a year ago and 0.6% higher than March 2009.
Právo 17, ČTK
May producer prices fall 3.8%
Industrial producer prices dropped by 3.8% in May, the biggest year-on-year decline since monitoring began in 1991.
ČTK
Govt debt grows to over a trillion crowns
Czech government debt rose to just over a trillion crowns (CZK 1,000,500,000,000) in March, the Finance Ministry said Monday. Per capita debt reached almost CZK 96,000.
ČTK, HN 15
RegioJet wants to run fast trains on 15 routes
RegioJet, a unit of transport provider Student Agency, on Monday presented the Transport Ministry with a bid to operate fast trains on 15 routes. RegioJet wants to offer 15%-20% lower fares than Czech Railways.
ČTK, HN 1, 16, E15 10
Councillor: Towns can cut energy costs by 40%
Spending on electricity in Czech municipalities could be reduced by as much as 40% by using more renewable sources of energy, Prague councillor Petr Štěpánek told a conference on energy management that started in Prague on Monday.
ČTK
