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02/12/2006
The former head of the National Security Office, Jan Mares, has admitted to mistakes made in office, including accepting a luxury watch as a Christmas present from a group involved with a well-known bankruptcy judge under investigation by police. Jan Mares stepped down as the head of the National Security Office last week under suspicion of corruption. On a TV discussion programme on Sunday he maintained his innocence, saying he had no idea that the watch was a luxury antique. He later returned the gift, but allegedly only after media reports surfaced over the Berka gang's alleged criminal activities.
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02/12/2006
Cross-country skier Katerina Neummanova finished second in the Women's 15 kilometre pursuit at the XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Neumannova finished just two seconds behind the winner Kristina Smigun of Estonia. Neumannova's silver finish is the first medal for a Czech in the Olympics which kicked-off Friday. Despite the close finish, Ms Neummanova's trainer expressed disappointment. Ms Neumannova has four medals from previous Games, (three silver and one bronze), but has yet to win gold.
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02/12/2006
Sunny weather is expected on Monday, with daytime temperatures reaching 1 degree Celsius.
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02/11/2006
Criminal police have been investigating the collapse of a sports stadium in the east Bohemian town of Humpolec on Friday evening. There have been indications so far showing that heavy snow amassed on the structure's roof was instrumental in the fall. No one was injured, but shortly before the collapse of the saddle-roofed building some thirty children - hockey juniors - had been training inside. An evacuation was enforced and fire brigades called in to secure on-site chemicals. Recent days have seen numerous cases in the Czech Republic where buildings collapsed under the weight of snow. The stadium in Humpolec had already been cleared as "safe" by a structural engineer. The town's mayor now says he expects the town will take legal action.
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02/11/2006
The Communist Party has outlined areas it considers key in its campaign programme leading up to the national election this year. On Saturday Deputy Chairman Jiri Dolejs told journalists that top priorities included maintaining economic growth at a minimum 5 percent. The party would also like to focus on the health sector, employment, as well as education. The Communist Party, meanwhile, remains highly critical of the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union, and has called for the country's withdrawal from NATO.
In recent days, MPs from both the Communist party and the Social Democratic Party combined in Parliament to push through a number of key laws, including the new labour code. But, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, the head of the left-of-centre Social Democrats, has repeatedly ruled out forming a future coalition counting the Communists as members.
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02/11/2006
Specialists monitoring the country's Krkonose, or Giant Mountains, have raised the avalanche warning in the area to the 2nd highest degree, following additional snowfall, windy conditions, and poor visibility. The last four days have seen an additional 70 centimetres of new snow, leading to the formation of numerous unstable - and highly deadly - patches. Every year the Krkonose Mountains see numerous avalanches, at times resulting in fatalities. Last February two Polish rescue workers were the last to die in an avalanche in the area.
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02/11/2006
Friday evening saw a lavish and elaborate ceremony open the XX Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova took part in the ceremony, playing the key role in a live rendition of Botticelli's famous painting "The Birth of Venus". The Czech delegation in Torino counts 82 sportsmen and women. In Friday's ceremony they were led by speed skater Martina Sablikova, who carried the Czech flag.
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02/11/2006
Cloudy conditions are expected on Sunday with daytime temperatures hovering at around 2 degrees Celsius.
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02/10/2006
The Iranian Embassy in Prague has sent a letter of protest to Czech diplomatic officials. The Foreign Ministry's spokesman Vit Kolar said on Friday that the letter was in response to the reprinting of a caricature depicting the Prophet Mohammed by two Czech newspapers. In recent days, the caricatures, first printed by a Danish newspaper, sparked vehement and sometimes violent protests in Muslim communities from Asia to the Middle East. The Czech dailies - Mlada Fronta Dnes and the financial newspaper Hospodarske Noviny - defended their decision to reprint one of over a dozen caricatures, on the grounds that it was for "illustrative purposes" only. The Iranian Embassy has asked for an official apology. But, the Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, while denouncing the cartoons, has stressed it is up to the dailies themselves to choose what to print.
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02/10/2006
In related news, the Czech Republic's counter-intelligence agency, the BIS, has said it does not expect any violence related to the caricatures to ensue on Czech territory. The agency's spokesman Jan Subert said on Friday that Muslims in the Czech Republic had no intention of provoking violence. According to Mr Subert, no special measures had been taken to increase security, although the service is monitoring the situation. Police spokesman, Jiri Vokus meanwhile, has said that while special measures have not been taken elsewhere, security at the Danish Embassy has been heightened. Denmark has seen the brunt of outrage by Muslims offended by the depiction of Mohammed, considered blasphemous in the Islamic tradition.
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