News

Czech-British air exercises continue despite deaths of six British soldiers

Joint Czech-British military exercises are to continue in south Moravia despite the deaths of six British participants in a helicopter crash on Thursday. However, helicopters being used in the exercises will remain grounded until the cause of the crash has been ascertained, a spokesperson for the Czech Air Force said on Friday. Some reports suggest the four soldiers and two crew were killed after their aircraft hit high-tension wires. The joint exercises began earlier this week and are due to continue until next Friday.

President Klaus visits Kyrgyzstan on Central Asia tour

President Vaclav Klaus has arrived in Kyrgyzstan as part of an official tour of Central Asia. Speaking in the capital Bishkek on Friday, Mr Klaus said people in the Czech Republic had forgotten the region in recent years as they concentrated on joining the European Union. He said it was important to re-establish connections with Central Asia, and that there was more to the world than Europe. The Czech president is due to move on to Uzbekistan before returning to Prague on Wednesday.

Boy admits killing 13-year-old girl

A boy below the age of 15 has admitted killing a 13-year-old girl after a DNA test proved he had committed the crime, police said on Friday. The boy stabbed the girl before raping her in a field near Kladno, central Bohemia on January 1. Police, who had carried out DNA tests on 700 males in the area, are refusing to release any information about the boy, because he is below the age of criminal responsibility.

Czech soldiers fly out to replace group serving in Afghanistan

Fifteen Czech soldiers have flown to Afghanistan to replace a group who have been serving with the ISAF peacekeeping mission under NATO command for the last six months. Most of the Czech soldiers, who are based in Kabul, are pyrotechnics specialists.

Economic growth highest in three and a half years

Economic growth in the Czech Republic sped up considerably in the second quarter of the year, reaching 4.1 percent. The latest GDP figures, released Friday, are the highest since the last quarter of the year 2000.

Social Democrats disagree over pay rises for police, fire fighters, prison guards

Disagreements have emerged within the ruling Social Democrats over pay rises for the police, the fire service and prison guards, the newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes reported on Friday. Prime Minister Stanislav Gross, a former interior minister, has called for provisions for the pay increases in next year's budget, while some MPs from the party say they would not support the move unless teachers and doctors also got rises.

Three die when train hits car at level crossing

Three people died when the car they were travelling in was hit by an express train in the Uherske Hradiste district of south Moravia on Friday morning. Two other people were injured in the crash, which occurred at a level crossing.

Czech David Rikl into doubles final at US Open tennis tournament

Czech tennis player David Rikl has reached the doubles final at the US Open with partner Leander Paes of India. It will be Rikl's second Grand Slam final: two years ago he and former partner Czech Jiri Novak were beaten in the final of Wimbledon.

Czech ice hockey team preparing for World Cup semi-final against Canada

The Czech ice hockey team are preparing for the semi-final of the World Cup against Canada in Toronto on Saturday night. There are injury doubts about players Jiri Slegr, Jaromir Jagr and Robert Reichel ahead of the game, which Canadian media are billing as a chance for revenge for the 1998 Olympics, in which the Czech Republic beat Canada in the semi-final on their way to the gold medal.

Weather

Saturday should be partly cloudy with a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius.