News

The three parties of the coalition government have completed work on the government's policy programme. The Cabinet is to meet on Thursday to give it an official stamp of approval, before its expected publication. Over the past few days the three parties of the coalition government debated several controversial points pertaining to child benefits, foreign policy and weirs on the river Elbe. The Social Democrats laid emphasis on helping the socially weaker groups of the population, in particular young families with children, but the Christian Democrats and Freedom Union urged restraint pointing out the need to curb public spending. The government is expected to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence on August 24th.

Czech shooter Lenka Hykova won a silver medal in the 25 metre pistol event at the Olympic Games on Wednesday. It is the country's second medal at the games. The first was a bronze won by shooter Katerina Kurkova in the ten metre air rifle event.

Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said he will dismiss Pavel Pribyl, his controversial choice as head of the Office of the Government, if it is proven that Mr Pribyl beat up demonstrators while a member of a communist police unit in January 1989. Mr Gross made the pledge to film director Bretislav Rychlik, one of a group of artists and former dissidents who called for Mr Pribyl's sacking outside the Office of the Government on Tuesday morning. Speaking in the daily Mlada fronta Dnes Pavel Pribyl admitted leading the riot unit, but said he himself had not been on the front lines.

Well-known lawyer Kolja Kubicek has been given a two-year sentence suspended for four years, after being found guilty of blackmail. The Prague 6 District Court heard that he had told a plaintiff that if he did not withdraw a charge against a client of Mr Kubicek's he would be involved in a car crash, or would be accused of drug dealing. The lawyer, who has defended contract killer Jiri Kajinek and former Communist politician Karel Hoffmann, immediately appealed the verdict.