News
Czech anti-chemical unit to begin training Greek specialists ahead of summer games
The Czech military's General Staff has announced that as off Monday specialists from the Czech anti-chemical unit will begin training Greek soldiers in preparation for this summer's Olympic Games. The games, which kick-off in Athens in August, are expected to be the most highly-guarded in the venue's history, to help ward off potential terrorist threats; included is the need for special medical and anti-chemical training. Twenty-four from a total of forty-eight Greek specialists arrive in Czech Republic Monday, and will begin training at the Czech Military Protection Centre in Vyskov, south Moravia. Operations will include working directly with toxic materials, exercises aimed at preparing specialists for the psychological stress in potentially "high-risk" situations. Earlier this month, it was expected the Czechs themselves would take part in guarding of the Olympic Games, but Greece opted instead for training its soldiers here, a solution deemed less expensive in overall costs.
Steelworks unions threaten strike
Unions at the largest of Czech steelworks Ispat Nova Hut in the east Moravian city of Otsrava, say they have now collected enough signatures to call a 24-hour strike; this over unhappiness with this year's wage growth. Union representatives say they have collected a majority of 11, 000 employee signatures at the steelworks, and will set an exact date for the projected strike on Monday. Meanwhile, upper-level management at Ispat Nova Hut has called the information on the signatures "unconfirmed", after the unions' strike committee refused to release a list of the signatures just yet. By law they must do so at least 24 hours before employees begin their strike.
Police move in against prostitution gang
Dozens of Czech rapid response police moved in against an eight-member prostitution gang near Teplice, north Bohemia, in the early hours of Friday morning, The carefully co-ordinated round-up saw police move in at three hotels, a restaurant, and several private flats in the area. Arrested were nationals from the Czech Republic, the former Yugoslavia as well as Russia. The gang, suspected off making millions of crowns in illegal prostitution, has also been charged with the trafficking of women and criminal conspiracy. A guilty sentence for any of the gang-members would mean up to 10 years in prison.
Thief makes off with 7.5 million crowns
An unknown assailant made-off with millions of crowns on Friday after managing to lock up security guards who had been loading an ATM machine belonging to the Ceska Sporitelna bank in the region of Rakovnik, west of Prague. A police spokesman told the Czech news agency CTK that after locking up the guards the thief drove off in their vehicle taking seizing 5 to 7.5 million crowns. No one was hurt in the incident, which Ceska Sporitelna has declined to comment. A police investigation is underway.
Weekend Weather
Saturday is expected to be sunny, with daytime temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius. Sunday should see more of the same with the high there reaching 23 degrees.
