News

A Czech ski alpinist who was seriously injured in an avalanche in the Slovak High Tatras on Friday has died. He and a friend were climbing the Rysy peak when the avalanche hit and both were swept down to the bottom of a valley where the local helicopter rescue service found them. Despite the fact that the helicopter was close by and provided immediate assistance one of the alpinists was dead on the spot, the other was rushed to a hospital with serious head injuries. He lived for only a few more hours. The High Tatras, Slovakia's highest mountains, have proved a treacherous challenge for many - six Czech mountaineers lost their lives there since the beginning of this year.

The police have arrested two drug peddlers operating at a Czech mountain resort. The men, aged 23 and 25, had three kilograms of hashish in their possession and supplied primarily foreign tourists. Both were employees of a mountain chalet and have admitted to the crime. They allegedly intended to use the money for a luxury holiday in Spain. They both face a sentence of up to ten years in prison.

Senator Richard Falbr has stressed the need to fill the posts of all 15 Constitutional court judges. He said the country was experiencing a drawn-out constitutional crisis as the Constitutional Court was paralyzed by the vacancies. The controversy between President Klaus, whose task it is to nominate constitutional court judges, and the Senate, which must approve them, exploded with full force on Thursday when one of the senators accused the President of treason for his failure to produce what he called "acceptable nominees". This happened after the Senate rejected yet another candidate -Milan Gavlas - on the grounds that he had a narrow area of expertise and had spent 23 years in the communist party. Senator Falbr on Friday attempted to play down the controversy, saying that he considered the accusation of treason foolish and inappropriate and could understand the President's anger in response to the news. He said the President's next nominee Stanislav Balik was a good choice and would probably gain approval. Four out of fifteen posts of Constitutional court judges remain to be filled.

Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda met his French counterpart Michel Barnier in Paris on Thursday to discuss the two countries' business and trade relations, the European Union Constitution and also the current situation in Iraq. Mr Barnier said after the meeting that the situation in Iraq was extremely serious and could be resolved only if Iraqi citizens, the countries of the region and the international community increase their efforts. He said that an international conference of all involved countries and organisations would be especially useful. Mr Svoboda said the Czech Republic was against any individual action and supported a solution agreed on by the European Union and the United States. Mr Svoboda ended his two-day visit to France on Thursday afternoon.