News

The Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cyril Svoboda, has warned that the Czech government's decision to acquire Swedish Gripen fighters jets could have a negative effect on Czech-American relations. The CTK news agency quoted unnamed diplomatic sources that this Czech participation in the renewal of Iraq could suffer as a result. On Wednesday, the Czech government decided in favour of the Gripens over U.S.-made F-16s. A few days before, the U.S. ambassador to Prague, Craig Stapleton, had hinted that Czech-American relations could feel an impact if the cabinet selected the Gripens. The government wants to lease 14 new Jas-39 Gripens for over 17 billion crowns for ten years. The modern fighters should replace the ageing Soviet-made MiG-21s by 2005.

Czech footballer Pavel Nedved, mid-fielder for Juventus Turin and captain of the Czech national team, has been voted the best Czech sportsman of the year. Nedved becomes the first football player to be awarded the Czech title. He replaces freestyle aerials skier Ales Valenta on the throne. Cross-country world champion Martin Koukal came in second, while ice hockey player Milan Hejduk was third. In the category of teams, the award was given to the national football team under coach Karel Brueckner. The Best Sportsman of the Year title has been awarded every year since 1959.

The eastward expansion of the European Union will prove a boon to flourishing organised crime groups, the European police agency Europol said in its annual report on organised crime. With border controls relaxing as the EU grows from 15 to 25 countries next May, Mafia-style groups will use new member states as bases for trafficking drugs and people. The report said powerful crime networks were getting increasingly sophisticated, moving away from the traditional, hierarchical model seen in Mafia movies and towards a cell-based structure that made it harder for police to find the top bosses. It said there were signs international crime groups were moving their activities to the EU newcomers, which were also becoming focal points for money laundering.

Two policemen who allegedly attacked a Romany family in May this year are to face trial, the newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes reported on Friday. The state attorney says that after around 30 Prague-based police officers had been drinking in a pub near the central Bohemian town of Jicin, a group of them forced their way into the Davis family's home, shouted racist abuse and beat up some family members. The Interior Ministry has already conducted an inquiry into the alleged incident; it found no evidence of racism. If found guilty in court, the two officers could face five up to years in prison.