Real Estate Czech Republic

The British bus and rail operator Arriva acquired the Prague-based bus transport company Bosбk Bus for Kи 45 million (Ђ 1.6 million) on Jan. 30.

This is Arriva’s second acquisition on the Czech market in less than two months, after the Dec. 11, 2006, purchase of Transcentrum bus, for Kи 212 million. In December, Transcentrum bus had 120 buses and employed 120 people. Through the Bosбk Bus’s purchase Arriva also took over the company’s debt, which is valued at some Kи 28 million, Joanne Kerrigan, Arriva’s corporate communication manager told CBW. Kerrigan said that Arriva is also considering further expansion, but she didn’t provide more details.

Jiri Menzel’s new film I Served the King of England, an adaptation ofBohumil Hrabal’s classic novel of the same name, is proving hugelysuccessful among Czech filmgoers. Many people, however, have beenparticularly captivated by the wonderful score, created by the Czech filmcomposer Ales Brezina. In this week’s edition of Czechs Today, Rob Cameronspeaks to Ales at the offices of the Martinu Institute, the organisationhe’s built up virtually from scratch since 1995. Ales BrezinaWhen did you know you wanted to devote your life to music Ales?”It was at the age of 5, in 1969. I was listening to the radioplaying …

The number of people infected with the HIV virus in the Czech Republicincreased significantly last year. According to the National ReferenceLaboratory for AIDS, 2006 saw the highest number of new cases since 1985.Of the 93 newly registered patients last year, ten had full blown AIDS.The latest figures suggest that a total of 920 people in the CzechRepublic have HIV or AIDS, of whom just about one half - 464 - live inPrague. Dr. Marie BruckovaRadio Prague discussed the problem with Dr. Marie Bruckova, the head of theNational Reference Laboratory for AIDS: “It is quite understandable that these HIV …

Yesterday we reported on a shortage of tone wood which has for centuriesbeen harvested in South Bohemia to make pianos that even Mozart himselfplayed in Vienna. As a matter of fact, the Czech Museum of Music owns apiano which Mozart played in Prague, and the instrument is now on displayin the Czech capital. Photo: CTKListen in RealAudioThis is the authentic sound of a hammer piano that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartplayed in Prague 220 years ago. “Mozart played this piano during his first visit to Prague in 1787.It was at his public performance in a young ladies’ institute, a sort ofschool for noblewomen. …

This week has been a good one for Czech anti-smoking campaigners. OnTuesday the High Court in Brno supported a lawsuit taken by one tenant inan apartment building to ban his neighbours from smoking on the stairwellsand corridors. It is a ruling that has for the first time backed the rightof non-smokers to prevent people lighting up in their environment. Now, aproposed new law is to come before parliament, which aims to make itharder to smoke in public places. In a week when EU health commissioner Markos Kyprianou has called for ablanket ban on smoking in public places across Europe, some politicians …

The city of Brno has relented. Brno’s city council yesterday approved aplan to return the Villa Tugendhat, a UNESCO landmark, to the children ofthe original owners. The path to giving back the historic villa, however,won’t be so simple. Three weeks ago, three adult children of Fritz and Grete Tugendhat beganlegal proceedings to reclaim the house which still carries their familyname. The city of Brno, the current legal owner of the 1,2000 square meterhome, responded that it would do everything in its power to retain theproperty. Now, the city says it will give up the villa, in a bureaucraticprocedure …

The court criticised the fact that the decisions on the payment for medicines so far have not been based on objective criteria, they were not justified and they need not be re-assessed by court.

The system of medicines coverage approval must be transparent in the future, the Constitutional Court ruled, adding that primarily the reasons why certain medicines should be covered by public health insurance must be clearly stated.

Under the law, at least one medicine from each group must be fully covered by public health insurance.

The Constitutional Court today also abolished part of the law on public health insurance and the Health Ministry’s directive on the coverage of medicines.

Mazoch je nynн pшevбћen na letiљtм v Balicнch u Krakova, odkud mб bэt pшepraven do vojenskй nemocnice v Praze-Stшeљovicнch. Odlet иeskйho speciбlu je podle agentury PAP plбnovбn na 12:00.

Mazoch po pбdu z 20. ledna nemб ћбdnй zlomeniny, po otoku mozku uћ podle polskэch lйkaшщ zщstaly jen nepatrnй stopy.

The substances allegedly leaked on October 10 and 20, 2006, during “the planned maintenance of Czech production units” in the area, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel writes in his answer to a letter by German deputy Heinz-Peter Haustein from Saxony, which borders on northwest Bohemia.

Saxony has allegedly informed the Czech Republic about the problem.

Gabriel wants to debate this issue at the annual meeting of the Czech-German Environmental Commission this year and he intends to ask the Czech Republic to meet the commitment that it will inform Germany on an increased leak of hazardous substances.

Interior Minister Ivan Langer (Civic Democrats, ODS) at first dismissed the information, but then he admitted that “nothing is definitive,” the paper writes.

Langer told Pravo that he has his idea of a police reform and if Husak shares his idea there will be no reason for him to end as police chief.

The paper recalls that Langer made similar statements in the case of Karel Randak shortly before he dismissed him as the head of the civilian intelligence service (UZSI).

Some politicians believe that Husak will be replaced by Kotlan, 49, who was police deputy president in 1998-2002, Pravo writes.