Compact archive January 31, 2008

Czech-US missile defense negotiations complete

Thursday 31 January 2008 17:31

illustration photo The radar in Brdy, close to Prague, will be build, announced the Minister of Defense Parkanova.

Both sides agreed that they will return to the talks soon. Before that, there will be consultations regarding taxes and penal jurisdiction.

NATO sees expansion of the missile defences as necessity to protect European members against a possible missile attack from Iran. The radar, which is going to be placed in the Czech Republic, is a unit with 10 interceptor missiles in Poland.

The Greatest opposer of the system is Russia, stating it threatens its security, sometimes threatening the CR variously.

Czech government officials announced an agreement could be entered into in April of this year. The Prime minister Topolanek travels to Washington on February 27, the radar will be expectably the main topic of his meeting with G. W. Bush.

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Blockade of Prague Taxi drivers again

Thursday 31 January 2008 16:01

Prague Holesovice see another protest of taxi drivers today, as the angry drivers block Vrbenskeho street again. They demand the sign which doesn’t allow any other taxis than those from City Taxi company musts go away. The sign doesn’t allow taxis to go through, so they can neither drive their clients to the train station, nor pick them up there.

Vrbenskeho street probably stays blocked the whole day. As on Tuesday, there is about 50 taxi cars. “We keep the expressway blocked, until somebody contacts us. We communicate with Prague 7 Municipal council and City Police.” said the speaker. “we are sorry to everyone who needs to pass, but the situation has gone too far. We defend the rights of all taxi drivers.”

The Prague Municipal council doesn’t want to talk with them: “We are not going to negotiate” commented the speaker. “Now it’s on the police to deal with them.”

The speaker of the taxi drivers became famous when he hunger-stroked for 11 days last year, in front of the municipal council building last year, for the right of charging the customers by 99 CZK/km. In comparison with the price of City Taxi, which is 28 CZK/km, it is more than three times as much.

The Shortest Prison Sentence in History

Thursday 31 January 2008 13:34

prisonbars A 20 year old woman in Brno, Eastern Czech Republic, was send to prison for 24 hours.

This is the shortest sentence in the Czech history. Her Monday, she spent in prison, was filled with activities – she had to go through all the prison formalities. That means, go through the prison regime presentation for two hours, medical check-up, hand over clothes and belongings and put on a prisoner’s outfit.

She spent the day behind the bars for avoiding 2 hours she had left from her 50 hours of community work, to which she had been sentenced to in 2006 for a theft. She has been repeatedly called to take her work up, but she didn’t response. At the end, she was given the prison sentence.

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Czech Hydrogen-Powered Bus Coming Soon

Thursday 31 January 2008 11:17

hydrogen engine by bmw The first Czech hydrogen-powered bus development is in its first half, informed Nuclear Research Institute in Rez near Prague.

The bus with hydrogen machine should start working at the beginning of the year 2009, said the leading engineer of the hydrogen technology department of the institute Ludek Janik. To adjust a bus to hydrogen power costs about 30 millions CZK (12,1 mil €), the project is co-financed by the European Union and the Ministry of Transport.

If successful, the hydrogen vehicle will be the first developed in the new member countries of the EU. The development is supported e.g. by Skoda Auto, that develops the electrical engine and steering system, and at the end puts all the components into the vehicle.

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Union of Architects : Blob won according to the law.

Thursday 31 January 2008 09:55

golden blob The International Union of Architects (UIA) doesn’t change it’s decision – the Blob won by legal and proper way. The President of the Union Gaétan Siew sent the director of National Library Vlastimil Jezek a letter, stating: “This is to confirm, UIA accepts the decision of the International Union, and so the results of hte competition.”

The iniciative to examine legality of the competition came from the ‘Ateliér HSH Architekti’ company, which claims the competition was contested.

The National Library Team continues in their debates about Blob.

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