News

Czech tennis player Iveta Benešová has created the biggest upset of her career by beating the world number three and tournament favourite Jelena Jankovic in the women’s Montreal Cup tournament. She won 7:6, 6:3, to proceed to the third round. Previously, Benešová had only beaten one top 10 opponent in her 12-year career. She is currently ranked 75th in the world and had to qualify for the tournament.

Prague councillors have approved a controversial plan to create a special camp for the city’s homeless. The initiator of the plan, Jiří Janeček of the Civic Democrats, said on Tuesday the camp should open within six months. Members of the homeless community will not be forced to move in, but social workers will put pressure on them to do so. Non profit groups working with the homeless, including the Salvation Army, have criticised the plan. A representative of the charity Naděje said services should be provided to homeless people where they are: in the centre of the city. The camp will most likely be built in the suburb of Malešice; however, the location has not yet received approval, and two other areas have also been suggested.

The interior minister, Radek John, has pledged that police and fire officers will not be subject to staff cuts this year, despite planned cuts in funding. After discussions on Monday evening, the head of the police union, Milan Štěpánek, told reporters that he welcomed the minister’s promise. However, he said his organisation would continue to fight mooted across the board public sector pay cuts.

Czech Centres could be shut down as a result of cost cutting at the Foreign Ministry, which funds the network of offices dedicated to promoting the Czech Republic and its culture in various cities around the world. The Czech Centres have been told their budget will be slashed by at least 10 percent next year, and the network is making plans based on a projected budget of CZK 80 million. However, the final figure could be lower, said spokesman Jiří Rosencranz. He said more Centres could go the way of the one in Dresden, which was closed earlier this year, adding that salaries might also be cut. There are currently 24 Czech Centres in 21 countries.