News
1,500 people in anti-terror exercise in Czech Republic
Around 1,500 police, stuntmen and emergency service workers were involved in a counter-terrorism exercise in Prague and the town of Kralupy nad Vltavou early on Friday. Simulated bombs exploded in the carriage of a train at a metro station in the centre of Prague and in a train in the town of Kralupy around 1 am on Friday. Police also sealed off a Prague train station after discovering a suspicious bag and arrested an alleged 'terrorist' at the station. The two-million-crown (82,000-dollar) exercise, sparked by the July attacks in London, was watched by Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan. The interior ministry said the objective of the exercise was to test emergency rescue plans and the preparedness of Prague's metro system to cope with such a situation.
Lower house overrides presidential veto of bill banning transformation of hospitals
The lower house has once again approved a bill banning the transformation of hospitals into commercial entities. The chamber overrode the president's veto on Friday and once again approved an amendment banning such transformations. Opponents of the amendment say it is in breach of the constitution. The Health Minister, Social Democrat Milada Emmerova, says she wants to prevent the transformation of hospitals as she believes they would no longer provide a full range of health care but concentrate instead on more profitable branches of medicine.
Czechs not involved in terrorist attack preparation - BIS
No Czech citizens were involved in the preparation of a terrorist attack which the Czech counter-intelligence service, the BIS, helped thwart in the past months, a spokesman for the BIS has said. The counter-intelligence service received the first signals that Arab-looking persons living in Spain were greatly interested in buying weapons in the Czech Republic in the summer of 2004. The information proved reliable and the suspects were later detained. The planned attack, thwarted in a joint Czech-Spanish operation, was not to be carried out in the Czech Republic.
2.9 million tourists visit Czech Republic in first half of 2005
Some 2.9 million foreign tourists visited the Czech Republic in the first six months of 2005, the CzechTourism agency has said. Compared to the same period last year, the number increased by more than eight percent. The capital Prague, the Karlovy Vary region and the South Moravian region saw the most visitors, with Prague taking a 60-percent share in Czech incoming tourism.
Poborsky to join 2nd division Ceske Budejovice
Czech midfielder Karel Poborsky will join second division Ceske Budejovice on loan after being kicked out of Sparta Prague's squad. The 33-year-old Poborsky remains a Sparta player without any changes to his contract but will join Budejovice for three months, the club said on Friday. Poborsky is a co-owner of Budejovice, which was his first club. He stepped down as Sparta team captain on Wednesday and was thrown out of the squad after criticising coach Jaroslav Hrebik, who had put him on the bench for the last two league games. Poborsky and Sparta have agreed to resume talks after January 1. Poborsky, who has played for Lazio, Benfica and Manchester United, is the most capped Czech player in history.
Weather
The first autumn weekend should be sunny with temperatures in the daytime reaching highs of 22 degrees Celsius.
