Last week 36/08

Karel Schwarzenberg remarries his ex-wife, the true rate of wage increases slows, and there's disappointment at the Czech Olympic medal haul. Specialists from the mathematics institute of the machine engineering faculty of Brno's technical university presented rare photos of a solar eclipse, which they had taken during expeditions to Russia and Mongolia. Česká pošta (Czech Post) announced it would close down up to 180 post offices in smaller communities by the end of the year. Actor Michal Dočolomanský died. According to a poll carried out on UNICEF's behalf, 63 percent of Czech children feel happy. „President Klaus thereby became a white crow in a flock of the majority of his colleagues that sought to find a policy anchor in the search for the truth,“ Lidové noviny columnist Pavel Máša wrote of the president's stance on the Georgian conflict. The media reported that Russia had recognized Abchazia's and South Ossetia's independence. Government officials met with President Klaus at Prague Castle on the Czech position on the conflict in Georgia, but no harmonization of opinions occurred. Wages in the Czech Republic rose by eight percent compared to last year but inflation amounted to seven percent, meaning that in reality they rose by just one percent, which is the smallest increase in the last decade. Prague 5's Social Democrats attempted to dismiss councilor Věnek Fořt because he recently tried to rob a lady in a tram while extremely drunk. Since last November, when the Canadian visa requirement was lifted for Czechs, a total of 470 Czechs have applied for asylum there. Karel Schwarzenberg remarried. „I still haven’t gotten over Štěpanka Hilgertová's ninth place and pentathlete David Svoboda's 29th place,“ complained Petr Lakomý, an official from the army's sports training center, Dukla Jihlava; a similar complaint was made by Prime Minister Topolánek, who is unhappy about so much money flowing into sports and so few medals coming out. The Rescue Dog World Championship was held in Žátec. The Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) decided that Miroslav Šlouf had violated his party's charter by campaigning for Václav Klaus before the presidential elections but will not expel him from the party. Plzeň's Na Ulici („In the Streets“) festival ended with a performance of Alchymista („The Alchemist“). Žižkova Pole residents are calling for a century-old parkway to be cut down in order to widen the road to Přibyslav. The Prague 3 district court acquitted Martin Říman, the industry minister's son, of charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm; according to the court and witnesses, the young man was acting in self defense. Campsite owners complained about the outflow of Czech tourists. A dream came true - it surfaced that Led Zeppelin are working on a new album. The Education Ministry announced that it wants to attract men to the teaching profession. The Olympics ended in Beijing.

„Jiří Havel's proposal is, according to the ČSSD's leadership, at variance with the party's basic ideals and platform documents,“ pronounced ČSSD Chairman Jiří Paroubek, after reading that his party's shadow education minister proposes making students who exceed the allowed limit for the duration of studies pay a fee. Prague Castle remained the most visited place in the Czech Republic. Mobile operators announced they would reduce roaming rates for calling the Czech Republic from other European Union countries by 3.50 crowns, to roughly 13 crowns per minute. Zdenka Grohmanová poisoned 57 dogs in Štarnov near Olomouc, reportedly because she was summoned to do so by Deputy Mayor Stanislav Nykl; 27 dogs died and the rest are suffering. Plans for a motocross center to be built in the protected wildlife reserve in the České středohoří mountain range received support from Senator Alexandr Vondra, who is from the region. Mayors of Central Bohemian towns launched a petition drive against closing down Prague's Masarykovo nádraží train station. The state prosecutor's office decided that Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg had not committed treason when he signed the contract on locating the American radar base in the Czech Republic. „Hatred, emotions and bias all blind and preclude the correct and truthful perception,“ wrote Cardinal Miloslav Vlk on his website regarding the postponement of church restitution. An unidentified arsonist started a fire at Prague's main train station, Praha hlavní nádraží. The Czech supreme court handed down a precedent-setting ruling, stating that a motorcyclist was still responsible for the death of a pedestrian even though the man had been careless while stepping onto the crosswalk - according to the judges, drivers should automatically be more cautious when approaching crosswalks. Pavel Štefka, the former Czech army commander who was responsible for the spread of corruption in the military and whom the Foreign Ministry refused to send on an ambassadorial posting, became an advisor to the government's office.