Tuesday News Briefing

NEWS  

FLIGHTS Some 2,000 people bound for Greece on 10 different flights are set to have their travel plans disrupted by today's general strike in Greece, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported June 29. A spokeswoman for travel company Travel Service said passengers would have their flights rescheduled, and urged them to contact their agency or airline for further details. The strike is expected to close down airports in Greece from 7 to 11 a.m. and then again from 5 to 9 p.m.  

TICKS Health authorities have issued fresh warnings that the threat from infected ticks has reached a peak, Radio Prague reported June 28. Some 3,000 people have sought medical attention related to tick bites since the start of the season. Doctors warn untreated tick bites can lead to serious cases of Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can prove fatal.  

Read more: "Hikers warned of high tick risk," The Prague Post, June 15, 2011.  

NUCLEAR About 100 nuclear energy opponents from the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany held a protest event on a mountain in south Bohemia, ČTK reported. The activists reiterated their demand for all nuclear power plants in Europe to be shut down in the June 25 protest, their third this year. Protesters said that of the three states, only the Czech Republic intends to expand its use of nuclear energy, since Austria has no nuclear facilities, and the German government has recently vowed to decommission all its nuclear plants.  

BUSINESS  

TECHNOLOGY The Technology Agency is to begin taking applications for an R&D fund worth a total of 6 billion Kč, daily Hospodářské noviny reported June 28. To qualify, the bids must come from a consortium of at least three firms and one research institute. The successful projects will get 70 percent funding over eight years.  

TOLLS A proposed Cabinet decree to take effect in September would see highway tolls for buses cut in half, daily HN reported June 28. The measure would also set a standard rate that does not vary by the number of axles on the vehicle. Bus firms are expected to save 120 million Kč a year through the reforms.  

MANAG A Czech electrical equipment firm has been bought by CEE-based private equity firm ARX in a management buy-in. In a statement, ARX said Manag had annual sales in excess of 10 million euros and was well placed to expand its business thanks to design and technical know-how. The sale was made for an undisclosed sum.   

WEATHER  

Prague, Czech Republic June 28. Clear. High: 27 C. Low: 13 C.

News Desk can be reached at
news@praguepost.com