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Czech police, investigating whether an attendee at a skinhead concert near the south Bohemian town of Tabor on Saturday broke the law by doing the Hitler salute, have come under criticism from the human rights group Tolerance as well as Czech Senator Jaromir Stetina. The non-government organisation and the senator have said that police should have intervened to prevent neo-Nazis from gathering. A Tolerance representative has said that while lyrics sung at the concert were not explicitly racist, they contained a racist subtext. Around 250 skinheads attended the site on Saturday, while some 150 police were on hand monitoring. Officers reportedly intervened only occasionally to check attendees' identities but say they did not witness any breaking of the law. They were not asked, for example, by the town to step in.

The right-of-centre Civic Democratic Party has seen the first day of its two day party congress in the Czech capital. Prime Minister designate Mirek Toplanek - the party's chairman - is looking for a strong mandate from his party towards putting together an interim coalition government, one that would include the four non-communist parties including the Christian and Social Democrats and the Greens. Mr Topolanek stated on Saturday that if the idea did not get strong backing, he would again propose the current outgoing cabinet to the president, despite the fact it failed in an earlier confidence vote.

Politicians including Mr Topolanek - now twice prime minister designate - have been trying to form a viable government since elections ended in stalemate in June.

The acting chairman of the Christian Democratic Party, Jan Kasal, has reiterated that his party will not support or tolerate any Social Democrat government leaning on support from the Communists. On Saturday, speaking as a guest at the Civic Democrats' party congress, Mr Kasal said the possibility of such a government was "a real danger". Politicians are now in a 2nd round of talks on forming a new government, but if the new cabinet does not find support in a confidence vote, it would likely mean that the Social Democrats, who came in second in the national election, would get the third and final chance. As it stands, the lower house is equally divided along right and left of the political spectrum, but the Social Democrats' Jiri Paroubek has in the past suggested that in the case of a confidence vote for "his" government he would find the necessary support.

The Czech Republic has suffered defeat at the hands of Italy in the group stage of the volleyball world cup underway in Nagano, Japan. The Italian squad won in three straight sets. The Czechs have now lost once but also have one win. They will face the USA next on Sunday.