CZECH TELEGRAPH:

Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose to 9.9 percent

9. 3. 2010

Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose to 9.9 percent in February, hitting a five-year high. The rate rose from 7.4 percent in February last year. Over 500,000 people are currently looking for jobs. In November 2008, just before the global economic crisis hit the country, the unemployment was at 5.3 percent.

After transport union leader Jaromir Dušek created outrage for claiming that the Czech transport sector is run by a clique of homosexuals (with gays both in the government cabinet and the office of the government), and refused to apologize, trade unions publicly distanced themselves from his homophobic statements. Prime Minister Jan Fischer says he no longer considers Dušek a partner for negotiation and many trade union leaders are calling for his head. In an interview for public television Monday night, Dušek expressed his wish to be a candidate for the Czech Senate. He explained he would not consider becoming a member of the Communist Party because his father, from whom the previous regime confiscated property, would scream from the cemetery, but that the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) would be a natural choice. The party promptly declared that they are not interested.

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The Czech government refused to lend a ton of gold from the National Bank for a Czech exhibit at Shanghai's Expo 2010. The gold was asked for a so-called `Czeknowlogy' part of the exhibit: there, sensors would allow the visitor's emotions to be displayed on a very big drop of pure gold. Eduard Janota, Czech Republic's Finance Minister, justified that there are international disputes, mainly with Slovakia, about the property of some of Czech Republic's gold reserves, so there could be a risk of it being disputed or even auctioned off.

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Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout denied a report by weekly Respekt that the Czech ambassador to the EU, Milena Vicenová, would be dismissed for incompetence. The centre right Civic Democrats (ODS), who nominated Vicenová to that position declared her potential dismissal would be an act of revenge by the Foreign Minister (who himself was dismissed from the same post years ago).

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The intrusive road checks that have been victimizing Czech drivers in the broder regions with Germany will not cease, because "they were an essential tool in curbing crime", said CSU deputy Gunther Beckstein, former Bavarian premier, to the ODS leader, former premier Mirek Topolánek. Czech politicians are demanding changes from Germany after receiving hundreds of complaints from Czech drivers that were searched and questioned in a humiliating way by German policemen.

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