News
Putin's two day visit to Prague comes to a close
Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Prague came to a close on Thursday. Mr Putin held talks with his Czech counterpart Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, and the heads of both houses of Parliament. Oil and gas supplies, foreign investment, and Czech exports to Russia were among the topics discussed. Mr Putin also said Russia bears a "moral responsibility" for the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968. At final talks on Thursday, Prime Minister Paroubek deliberately avoided sensitive issues such as the war in Chechnya and democracy in Russia. He says bilateral relations are better than ever before.
Police say Krejcir tried to forge promissory note
Police say they have evidence that a fugitive Czech businessman tried to forge a promissory note issued by the country's ruling Social Democratic Party. Radovan Krejcir escaped to the Seychelles last summer after he was accused of tax evasion and conspiracy to murder. He says the police investigation was initiated by the Social Democratic Party, which owes him 60 million crowns (an estimated 2.5 million US dollars) that it borrowed four years ago to finance its election campaign. The Czech police are now in possession of a fax, which they say was sent by Mr Krejcir to commission someone to forge a promissory note. The document includes instructions on the note's graphic design, colour, and personal information on former Social Democrat leader Stanislav Gross.
Turkish foreign minister denies talks on Iran threat with Czech counterpart
Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has denied that his calls for US troops not to withdraw from neighbouring Iraq prematurely are out of fear from Iran. Turkish newspapers quoted Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda on Thursday as saying his Turkish counterpart confided in him last month that he feared the withdrawal of the US forces would boost Iran's influence.
Prague judges call onto Justice Ministry to help free two Czech nationals in Turkey
Judges at Prague's Municipal Court have asked the Czech Justice Ministry to request the extradition of two Czech nationals, who are currently under investigation for drug smuggling in Turkey. The men have been in detention in Turkey since April 2004 when police at the Greek-Turkish border discovered 26 kilograms of a drug containing heroin in their car. Prague Municipal Court judges say the two men are innocent and were unaware that the drugs were in the car. Evidence presented at a separate trial is reported to prove their theory.
EU cuts sugar production quota
The European Union has agreed to introduce a temporary sugar quota cut for the 2006/2007 season. Fearing a sugar surplus, the European Commission proposed to reduce the production quota by 2.5 million tonnes. In the Czech Republic, this will reduce production from close to 455,000 tonnes to 411,332 tonnes.
Klaus signs bill on electronic road toll system
President Vaclav Klaus has signed a bill that introduces a road toll system for vehicles above 12 tonnes in 2007. The state currently makes around 1 billion crowns (around 42 million US dollars) off special coupons that drivers have to buy to use the country's motorways. The new system, which is to be provided by the Austrian company Kapsch, is estimated to bring in around 10,5 billion crowns a year.
Czechs draw with Turkey in football friendly
The Czech football team drew 2:2 in a friendly match with Turkey in Izmir on Wednesday night. Karel Poborsky and Jiri Stajner scored for the Czech Republic, who appeared to be heading for victory until the Turks scored two goals in the last four minutes. Earlier a team of Czech reserves had been beaten 3:1 by their Turkish counterparts.
Weather
We can expect partly cloudy skies and snow in the next couple of days. Daytime temperatures should range from 1 to 3 degrees Celsius.
