Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 15.1.2008

Australia forbade Japan to hunt whales in Antarctic

Australian court has forbidden a flotilla of Japanese whalers to hunt in the Antarctic waters which Australia takes for its own. Japanese whaler flotilla is going to hunt down 935 Minke Whale and 50 Fin Whales by April. “If anything prevents them from it, they will continue in killing and wounding”, a judge Jim Allsop said to the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald. According to the court the company broke the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).Canberra proclaimed a whale-preserve in the area in 2000. However, Japan doesn't recognize the Australian's claim for these waters.

Fruit crop decreased by quarter last year and has been the lowest since 1995

The last year's crop of fruit decreased year-on-year by quarter to 143 468 tons and it has been the lowest one since 1995. The reason for it was frosts which in the spring affected mainly apple trees which are the main Czech fruit sort. The frosts hit the entire Central Europe and owing to weak harvest of apples price of them are in shops higher by 20 - 30 percents. A chairman of the Fruit-Growing Union Jaroslav Muška said it to ČTK at Ovocnářské dni (Fruit-Growing Days) in Hradec Králové today. Originally fruit-growers estimated that their drop-out in takings due to failure of crop will be over 400 million crowns. “However, higher sale prices will balance the drop-out largely and expected losses will be significantly lower, maybe none”, Martin Ludvík, a secretary of the Union told. Farmer prices of apples increased approximately by 20 - 30 percents to 12 - 18 crowns per kilogram, in shops Czech apples are sold for 20 - 30 crowns.

Parliament passed law to prevent tax avoidances

There are risks of as much as billion tax avoidances owing to a missing law concerning bio-fuels. Representatives almost with one voice passed the law, however, none knows when in fact it will come in force. How it is possible? From the beginning of January also denatured alcohol is admixed in petrol obligatorily. A risk of tax avoidances is linked with its production, transport an even the admixing itself. The Ministry of Finances' officers has calculated that there are about twenty possibilities the state could lose the money. The amendment of act with a complicated name - on consumption taxes, air protection, on spirit, and trade enterprise - should have prevented the tax avoidance. But the norm has not come in force yet.

PET bottles will be with advance payment, Bursík plans

To buy beverages in plastic bottles will be obviously more complicated from the year 2010 than till this time. Every PET bottle should be with advance payment and if you want the money back, you will have to bring the empty one in a shop. So in the same way as have been returned back glass beer bottles for many years. Today MF DNES succeeded to reveal details of a plan of the Ministry of Environment which meets with a big resistance mainly among producers of beverages and salesmen. The new system should start to work in two years.