Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 21.2.2006

Bečva rose by three meters; it reached a threat degree

Water managers announced the third degree of flood activity, so the threat degree on the river Bečva in Teplice nad Bečvou. The level rose there due to ice barriers almost by three meters. Dredgers try to break the floes; a flood commission of the region Olomouc sits. „The level rose to 400 centimeters. Before the floes accumulated, it reached 135 cm“, said a worker at the dispatching. Problems with water outfall occurred also afternoon in Ústí near Vsetín.

Novel of regulation: Since the beginning of October CR will wash without phosphate

Cleaner water in rivers – it will be a result of regulation novel [1] which the Minister of Environment Libor Ambrozek signed on the 20th February. Since the 1st October it forbids to sell such washing means for households in the Czech Republic which contain phosphates. “Phosphates significantly pollute our rivers. The regulation novel is a way how to reduce phosphorus input in rivers. It cases grow of water bloom which wee all know well for example from the dam in Brno or Máchovo lake. More than a half of drinking water in the Czech Republic is obtained from surface resources, the Minister of Environment Libor Ambrozek explains his step.

New dispute – about vodka – unleashes in EU

Poland, Baltic and Scandinavian countries protested against rules of the European Union allowing production of vodka also from other crops than only from “first-quality cereals and potatoes”. A common suggestion to tighten up rules of vodka production appeared at today’s EU meeting of Ministers of Agriculture, however, nothing more than the first exchange of arguments in a long contention was estimated. Seven protesting countries mentioned that the present wide definition of vodka allows using any agricultural raw material in production. “Such a general definition can be partially explained that it had arisen before than the countries with a significant vodka production joined to the EU. Importance of vodka in the community was very low at that time”, they added.

Bird flu came to Slovakia

Bird flu virus has probably afflicted also Slovakia. As Slovakian Minister of Agriculture Zsolt Simon announced, the laboratory of the State veterinary Institution in Zvolen has a suspicion of the virus occurrence in two wild birds which had died in Bratislava and in Gabčíkovo. “I think that bird flu has already come to Slovakia. We will be sure after a detailed analysis in s specialized laboratory in Great Britain”, said Simon. The British laboratory will have announced an exact specification till Friday, if it is dealt with the virus H5N1 or another kind of virus.