News
Czechs and Americans fail to agree on terms of SOFA agreement
Czechs and Americans negotiating the terms on which US soldiers would be allowed to live on Czech soil did not reach an agreement on Friday as they had hoped. Delegates negotiating the terms of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) were unable to agree on questions of income tax and the criminal jurisdiction of American troops on Czech soil. Czech prime minister Mirek Topolánek has said that the agreement will now have to be signed in early May, at the same time as a Czech-American treaty paving the way for a US radar base to be stationed on Czech soil.
Tram crash kills three in Ostrava
Three people died, and 38 were injured, when two trams collided in the North Moravian town of Ostrava on Friday. The Czech rail inspectorate is calling the accident one of the worst in recent history. Police are investigating one of the drivers, who is thought to have ignored signposts and driven the wrong way down a one-way stretch of track. His tram collided head-on with a second. According to the rescue services, 15 of those injured are in a critical condition. All those trapped in the trams following on from the accident have now been rescued, though work continues at the scene.
Social Democrats told to get ready to instigate new vote of no confidence
Leaders of the opposition Social Democrats told party deputies on Friday to get ready to bring a new vote of no confidence against the current government. Since the elections, the Social Democrats have tried on two separate occasions to topple the government through a vote of no confidence, both times without success. Head of the Social Democrats Jiří Paroubek said that there was every chance that this vote of no confidence would not succeed, but that it was the ‘role’ of the opposition to try anyway. According to Mr Paroubek, the opposition are unhappy with the current pensions system, the return of Christian Democrat Jiří Čunek into the cabinet, and the government’s stance on building a US anti-missile defence shield in the Czech Republic.
Brazilian president starts two-day visit to Czech Republic
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva started a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic on Saturday by meeting his counterpart Václav Klaus at Prague Castle. In the course of his visit, he is expected to meet other senior Czech politicians, as well as visiting tourist attractions in the capital, such as Strahov Monastery. On the agenda will be issues pertaining to trade – Brazil is the Czech Republic’s biggest trading partner in Latin America – and energy-related matters.
Poll: Nearly sixty percent of Czechs happy with their physical condition
Fifty-nine percent of Czechs are satisfied with their physical condition, suggests a poll conducted by Unilever released on Saturday. Only 31 percent of respondents, however, said that they took regular exercise. The most popular forms of exercise in this country are cycling, swimming and walking, suggests the poll. Respondents of up to 44 years of age preferred sports that they could do in fitness centres, while older respondents in general preferred outdoor activity. Nearly half of those polled said that they were happy with the physical condition of their partner, while nearly as many respondents worried that their partner was not taking enough care of him/herself. Around 28 percent of Czechs polled said that they played sport with their partners.
Tennis: Štěpánek and Vízner lose to Davydenko and Andreev giving Russians 2-1 lead in Davis Cup
Russian duo Nikolay Davydenko and Igor Andreev battled from a set down to beat Czech pair Radek Štěpánek and Pavel Vízner to lift their side 2 -1 ahead in the Davis Cup quarter-final in Moscow on Saturday. The hosts won 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours 58 minutes to make it 2-1 in favour of Russia. On Friday, Marat Safin of Russia battled from two sets down to put his squad into the lead with a win over Tomáš Berdych of the Czech Republic. In the second singles’ clash Štěpánek experienced few troubles beating Andreev in straight sets to level the scores at 1-1. Reverse singles will complete the tie’s schedule on Sunday.
Czech markswoman Emmons wins World Cup and equals world record
Czech markswoman Kateřina Emmons snatched the gold medal in the women’s 10-metre air rifle and equaled the world record of 504.9 points in the World Cup in Beijing on Saturday. Emmons, a bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics, was followed by German Sonja Pfeilschifter who collected 502.4 points. Emmons’ form looks good going into the Olympics, but she remained cool-headed about the victory. “Just because I won here today doesn’t mean I can win an Olympic medal”, she said after the competition.
Weather
It will be cloudy with occasional showers of rain over the next couple of days, but with pleasant warm temperatures of between 10 – 15 degrees Celsius.
