Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 13.5.2008

Food prices: All wait what harvest will be; meanwhile, news are favourable

Prices of foods push inflation upwards. Intensively growing prices of rice and wheat should be rectified by good harvest. Less favourable news is about corn which directly influences prices of milk products and meat. Inflation in the Czech Republic slowed down year-on-year from 7,1 percent in March to 6,8 percent in April. However, compared to previous month prices grew by 0,4 percent. The Czech Statistic Office (ČSÚ) informed on it on Monday. One of reasons why the inflation is still so high is prices of foods. After two months when they decreased in price started again to grow.

President signed amendment of water law

The President of Republic Václav Klaus signed an amendment of water law yesterday. The novel will come in force from the 1st June 2008. Its aim is to make easier building of flood-protection measures. “The flood protection is a very important topic to which we pay a big attention. The President signed the by-us put forward novel yesterday and he significantly extended maneuvering space for us in flood-protection measures problems”, the Minister of Agriculture Gandalovič said to the amendment and added: “As a very useful measure, which is at the same time a small intervention in the landscape are seen polders. Especially their building should be made easier and accelerated by the novel”.

Watermen do not want to forfeit the most beautiful passage

Watermen in upper Vltava in the National Park Šumava will face the strictest limitations in a history of shipping the river. The Park Administration is going to completely close a seventeen-kilometer passage between Soumarský most and a municipality Pěkná from a half of June to a half of August. This fact stands against each other local politicians, ecologists as well as entrepreneurs who threaten with legal proceedings owing to limitation of their businesses. On the other hand watermen do not want to forfeit the most beautiful passage of the river. Priority will be given to hikers. Teplá Vltava is not a place for commercial use. It is place for getting to know the nature but not for business, not for ten thousand of ships which significantly damaged mainly Freshwater Pearl Mussel, a director of the Park Administration František Krejčí said to journalists.

USA: Wind could produce so much electricity as nuclear power stations

In 2030 wind power could produce 20 percent of electricity in the United States, so, as much as nuclear power stations produce. It results from a study published by the American Ministry of Power on Monday. The study, on which also power companies and research laboratories cooperated, examined technical possibilities of enlargement of wind power stations in the country. For the present, wind shares in production of one percent of American electricity. If a fifth share is achieved successfully, it would decrease emissions of carbon dioxide by 825 million tons annually.