Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 5.12. 2005

Fine of 11 millions for cartel repealed

According to information Aktuálně.cz the antimonopoly office has canceled sanction for eggs producers who were suspicious of a conspiration about prices. Companies supplying eggs on market got a fine of 11 millions last year in March for that they agreed with each other about prices. Firms from the entire republic got fines in a scale from a half million crowns (for a firm Bohemia Vitae) to 1 750 thousand (a company Proagro).

Other round of acceptance of application for support from OP Agriculture in 2006 opened

The Minister of Agriculture Jan Mládek announced eighth and ninth rounds of acceptance of applications for a financial aid from, the Operational Program Agriculture. A spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture CR (MZe) Tomáš Loskot informed about it today. Applicants can present their applications at all seven departments of the State Agricultural Investment Fund (SZIF) in Prague, Brno, Hradec Králové, České Budějovice, Ústí nad Labem, Olomouc and Opava.

Restitutions: Profit of speculators is milliard

People who buy out claims for giving lots from speculators earned over 50 milliard crowns in last passed fifteen years. That is a number on which in calculations agreed the daily Aktuálně.cz with representatives of restituents, politicians, workers of the Land Fund and the speculators themselves. It cannot be compared with an official statistics; no office disposes of such numbers. A sense of restitution was originally completely different: they should compensate injustice of people to whom the communistic regime confiscated their properly contrary to law. To those restituents who cannot get the original piece of land (a school, a road or other buildings were on it) the state should offer another allotment.

Ukraine closed a part of Crymea due to bird flu

Ukraine enunciated an alert condition due to bird flue in Crymea. An entry to some villages is completely forbidden. All poultry in the area is about to be killed and burned after that. According to Ukraine authorities the situation is under control and there is no reason to panic. The President Viktor Juščenko called an extraordinary meeting on Saturday. After that he decided to impose a quarantine in a circuit of three kilometers from afflicted villages. According to the agency Reuters the virus of H5 type was identified in five villages and infected as many as 1600 birds. However, all poultry should be liquidated, even the healthy.