CZECH TELEGRAPH

Last Week In News

11. 4. 2010

Prague Nuclear Treaty

American President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an arms reduction pact in Prague on Thursday, April 8th -- the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) -- that pledges to reduce the stockpile of deployed, strategic nuclear weapons in both countries and commits the old Cold War adversaries to new procedures to verify which weapons each country possesses.

Obama and Medvedev signed the pact at the Prague Castle after talks that covered nuclear security, Iran's atomic programme and an uprising in Kyrgyzstan.

Speaking at the Prague news conference, Medvedev mentioned remaining differences over American missile defences in European countries. He warned the Americans of a strategic response up Russia's sleeve if they overstepped certain limits on their regional missile defence systems. At the same time, he spoke about mutual good will that gives rise to hopes of productive cooperation on missile defence and related issues.

Obama also did host a dinner for leaders from the former socialist bloc, among them Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania and Montenegro. Obama wanted to reassure that Washington is not deserting its allies because of its closer and better relations with the Kremlin.

Not Havel!

Many criticized that president Václav Klaus did not invite the former president Václav Havel for the ceremony, although he is a well-known and respected international political figure. Last year, when Obama came to Prague for the first time, he made a special appointment to meet the former dissident, who is considered one of the top political thinkers of modern times. A series of other important names that normally would be invited to such occasions exposed that coincidentally they were all known as his foes, people who oppose his controversial views about global warming and European Union affairs.

Hillary and the Shield

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said after a meeting with American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that he expected a new anti-missile defence shield in Europe to be a NATO project with Russia invited to take part.

NGOs Protest Against the Agreement

Activists from the Czech `No Bases' organization, which was created to fight the now defunct plan to build an anti-missile defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland staged a protest just before the signing of the new nuclear arms limitation deal, saying that the scrapping of old and unwanted weapons was not a real move towards disarmament, that it should have a public process and clear timetable. The Czech branch of the World Without War organization also protested, saying the new deal still means around 20 thousand nuclear warheads held worldwide.

Treaty Numbers

More than 5 thousand policemen and women enforced security measures but reported no problems. 1.5 million local viewers watched a live broadcast on Thursday on the signing of the new Start treaty at Prague Castle by the US and Russian presidents.

Land Sold

After 16 years, the Czech government reached an agreement with Czech farmer Ludmila Havránková to buy three hectares of her land to allow for the D11 highway to be extended up to the town of Hradec Králové. Currently the roadway ends three kilometres before the town. Havránková will receive three hectares of property elsewhere as well as an additional 130 hectares in a long-term lease.

Brno Will Get Holocaust Memorial

A commission was created to coordinate the building of a memorial to Jewish and Roma Holocaust victims from the city of Brno. About 12 thousand Jews and Roma/Gypsies from the city were killed during the Nazi-run years. The commission is composed by representatives of the Jewish and Roma communities. The city plans to receive designs for the memorial by the end of September, according to Brno Deputy Mayor Daniel Rychnovský. The memorial will be erected at the 28th October Square.

Czech Money Abroad

Czech company Alta has confirmed the allocation of 280 million euros for the reconstruction of OAO NPK Uralvagonzavod (Ural Railway Car Plant). This money will facilitate the construction of a painting complex by June 2010 and in November to open the new line for the assembly and pressing of wheel sets. In early 2009 the enterprise that makes the T-90 tanks and railway cisterns, due to the financial crisis, has suspended payments for the Alta equipment, whose supply is facilitated by the loan provided by the Czech Export Bank. Before the Czech Export Bank had taken on the obligation to issue syndicated loans for the implementation of investment projects in the Sverdlovsk Oblast to the amount of up to two billion euros with the repayment period of 10 years. A half of this sum was destined to OAO NPK Uralvagonzavod. Negotiations on settlement of the debt took several months. Uralvagonzavod is in conformance to the contractual obligations. This has enabled the Czech Export Bank to start considering a second project in the Sverdlovsk Oblast. OAO Uralchimplast situated, as Uralvagonzavod, in Nizhniy Tagil, is planning the construction of a gas chemicals complex with the capacity of 600 thousand tons of methanol annually. The project's cost exceeds 10 billion roubles and the Czech bank can loan up to 70% of the needed money. The key condition of the CEB loans is that at least a half of the equipment for the project must be purchased from Czech companies.

Trade Surplus

Tuesday, the Czech Statistical Office announced that the trade surplus stood at CZK 15.3 billion in February, up from CZK 14.4 billion surplus in the previous month. Exports increased 11% year-on-year to CZK 185.42 billion in February, faster than the 9% growth in the preceding month. At the same time, imports climbed 7.9% to CZK 170.09 billion, after rising 2.6% in January. For the January to February period, exports and imports increased by 10% and 5.2% respectively compared to the same period of the previous year. During the period, the trade surplus widened to CZK 29.69 billion from CZK 13.27 billion last year.

Franchising Vodafone

Vodafone Czech Republic has started a trial programme of opening franchise retail outlets. Thanks to franchises, Vodafone aims to double the number of its stores in two years, from the current 63 to more than 130. At the same time, they want to open dozens of kiosks and sales corners in larger stores. A part of the stores will be a sort of 'red phone' - a direct hotline to a live operator. Vodafone will open its first stores under the pilot program from April to August 2010. It will then regularly increase the number of stores by 2 to 3 stores per month.

New Nepalese Consul

Bishnu Kumar Agrawal has been appointed by his government to be the Nepali Consulate Generals to Czech Republic.

Hotel Rates Above Average

The Czech Republic is seeing the greatest inflation in hotel prices, increasing thirty-eight percent from an average of 62 pounds a night last month to 88 pounds a night in April, according to a British survey. In the rest of Europe, price increases vary between six and eleven percent.

Top in Videogames

Czech studio Vatra Games, whose parent is UK-based Kuju, is located in Brno, is developing the next Silent Hill game, a true fever among youngsters worldwide. The studio is also behind Rush 'N Attack Ex-Patriot, the upcoming remake of the classic arcade game Rush 'N Attack, firming the country as one of the most important places for finding professionals able to produce videogames, which has a huge market.

Czech Culture in America

The Nebraska History Museum promoted a Czech Family Fun Workshop to offer Americans the opportunity to learn about one of Nebraska's largest ethnic groups, the Czechs, and explore their culture, music and arts. The expostion counts with traditional Czech clothing pieces, details about its language and music. Attendees could play accordions and an instrument called a horse tail jug and the Czech Dudy (bagpipes made out of a goat stomach), besides trying Sokol gymnastics and building a so-called "model Czech farmstead".

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