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The senior opposition Civic Democratic Party wants to call an extraordinary session of the lower house of parliament after police disclosed they had been monitoring the phone calls and bank accounts of the party's head, Mirek Topolanek. The party wants to establish an investigative committee in parliament and Mr Topolanek himself asked the Justice and Interior Ministers to explain the police activities. Police say they have transcripts of Mr Topolanek's phone calls recorded during the investigation of a recent alleged bribery case. But it is not clear whether the police were monitoring Mr Topolanek's phone or the phones of the two suspects in the case, Mr Topolanek's assistant, Marek Dalik, and lobbyist Jan Vecerek.

A public opinion poll carried out by the STEM polling agency ahead of the upcoming Senate and regional elections suggests that the ruling Social Democrats are gaining on the opposition Civic Democrats, who are in the lead with 28.2 percent of public support. Since July, the Social Democrats have gained 4.7 percent and now enjoy 18.3 percent of public support. The third strongest party, the poll suggests, are the Communists with 16.6 percent.

The longest-surviving Czech with a heart transplant is going to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his successful surgery this Saturday. Sixty-eight-year old language teacher Rudolf Sekava from the eastern town of Jihlava is in good health. He still teaches at a local high school although long past retirement age. Mr Sekava had been diagnosed with a fatal heart condition and operated on in 1984 at the Prague Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. The institute has so far carried out over 500 heart transplants out of the Czech Republic's total of 740. There are currently 400 Czechs living with a heart transplant.

The government has approved a plan for the establishment of special institutions for dangerous juvenile delinquents. The proposed amendment to the law on institutionalized care comes in reaction to a series of brutal murders committed by underage delinquents, most of whom were on the run from institutions for problem children. The idea is to isolate underage delinquents who are considered a threat to society and give them professional supervision and care. The cost of establishing such institutions would be covered by the Education Ministry.