News
President Klaus swears in new judges
Czech President Vaclav Klaus swore in 44 new judges at Prague Castle on Tuesday. The judges will be working in district, regional and town courts across the country. According to the Justice Ministry, there were 2,696 active judges in the Czech Republic at the start of the year. Over 100 are currently on maternity leave and the ministry hopes to see the number of active judges rise to 3,054 by the end of the year to focus on improving procedures criticised by the Czech people and international organisations. While President Klaus said in January that several verdicts are inconsistent the European Human Rights Court has pointed out that courts are much slower in the Czech Republic than in other similar European states.
Kubinyi under criticism from opposition MPs
Several members of the Czech parliament's health committee have been warning Health Minister Jozef Kubinyi not to make personnel changes without a clear concept for a new health reform plan. In the month that Mr Kubinyi has been in the post of health minister, he has sacked the head of the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, put pressure onto the director of the country's biggest health insurer, Vseobecna Zdravotni Pojistovna, to step down, and has fired his deputy Jaroslav Civin.
Zetor to double yearly output
The Brno-based tractor manufacturer Zetor announced on Tuesday, it plans to increase production to reach a yearly output of 10,000 units within two to three years. Zetor, which is now owned by the Slovak company HTC Holding, after it was bought from the Czech state two years, used to be a thriving manufacturer under Communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, when it exported tens of thousands of tractors to Africa and Asia. Today, its key markets are Poland, Britain, and the United States.
Three paintings and eight sculptures stolen from church near Sumperk
Police in northern Moravia are still looking for three valuable paintings and eight wooden sculptures depicting angels that were stolen from the Church of the Virgin Mary in Vojtiskova, near Sumperk, over the weekend. The art, which belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, was worth 1.04 million Czech crowns, the Czech police announced on Tuesday.
Sparta Prague wins Czech Cup Final
Petr Johana scored six minutes from full time to give Sparta Prague a 2-1 win against league champions Ostrava in the Czech-Moravian Cup final on Tuesday. Jan Rezek also scored for the Prague side in the first ever cup final between teams placed first and second in the Czech league. It was Sparta's first cup win since 1996, and their 15th overall including results from the former Czechoslovakia. Ostrava, who trailed 1-0 until Mario Licka's 56th minute shot drew his team level, won the league title by five points over Sparta, who had won the title in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. Ostrava had been looking to become the first club to win a Cup-League double since Sparta accomplished the feat in 1989.
CMFS: First division results will stand
The results of this season's Czech first division will stand despite a match-rigging investigation, the Czech-Moravian Football Union (CMFS) said on Tuesday. Fifth placed side Synot has been implicated at the centre of a bribery scandal. A club official and five referees have been charged by police for taking or helping with bribes for a match that Synot won 2-0 against Sparta Prague. Ostrava won the league by five points from Sparta Prague. With other games under investigation, it was unclear as to whether the final standings would change but the league's clubs have confirmed the results for the season. According to CMFS Vice-Chairman Jaroslav Vacek, a disciplinary committee will meet later in the week to determine the fate of Synot, who qualified for the Intertoto Cup.
Fukal signs deal with Borussia Moenchengladbach
Czech international defender Milan Fukal has left Hamburg SV on a free transfer and signed a three-year deal with their Bundesliga rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach. The 29-year-old, who missed several months of this season due to an ankle injury, played 67 league matches for Hamburg and scored eight goals. Moenchengladbach sporting director Christian Hochstaetter said: "In Milan we are getting someone with international experience for our defence. He will strengthen our back line."
Weather
Wednesday is expected to be a sunny day with day-time temperatures between 19 and 23 degrees Celsius.
