• 06/21/2006

    Some 300 people gathered on Prague's Wenceslas Square on Tuesday afternoon to demand that outgoing Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek leave politics. The organisers said Mr Paroubek's speech after the June 2-3 general election, in which he challenged the ballots results and compared the victory of the right-of-centre Civic Democrats to the communist takeover in February 1948, was unacceptable. Mr Paroubek later apologised for his speech, but the organisers consider it scare-mongering. They say that nothing has changed since then and Mr Paroubek remains a threat to democracy in the Czech Republic. Similar demonstrations have been held on Prague's Wenceslas Square for the past two weeks.

    Author: Dita Asiedu
  • 06/21/2006

    Prague's emergency health services say the tropical heat wave, which has gripped the country, has had them attend to around ten cases more a day. On Tuesday alone, two people died as a result of the hot weather and 76 people had to be rushed to hospital. Ever more Prague residents are suffering circulatory collapses, respiratory problems, or serious heart problems, the health services say. Doctors have asked the elderly and children to stay indoors whenever possible and urge adults to drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day.

    Author: Dita Asiedu
  • 06/21/2006

    The oldest cave painting in the Czech Republic was made in 3,200 BC and is located in Moravia. According to Ivan Balak from the authority that looks after the "Moravsky Kras" protected landscape area, the Neolithic 30x40 cm painting was drawn with coal, bears a geometrical shape that resembles a grill, and could be depicting a ritual.

    Author: Dita Asiedu
  • 06/21/2006

    Slavia Prague captain Karel Pitak has moved to Austrians Salzburg in a three-year transfer worth 1.1 million dollars, the Czech first division club announced on Tuesday. The 26-year-old midfielder, who won 17 caps with the national under-21 side, scored 30 goals in 121 matches in the past five seasons with Prague, including 10 goals last season.

    Author: Dita Asiedu
  • 06/20/2006

    The leader of the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, Mirek Topolanek has said his party is close to signing a coalition agreement with the Christian Democrats and the Greens. After a meeting of the newly elected MPs for the Civic Democrats on Tuesday, Mr Topolanek also said his party is not considering forming a minority government tolerated by the Social Democrats, the second biggest party in parliament, but he did not rule out the possibility either. The emerging three-party coalition would be one seat short of a majority in the lower house and would need support from the opposition to win a vote of confidence in the lower house.

  • 06/20/2006

    Czech soldiers in Iraq say security around their base close to the southern city of Basra has been worsening, with missile and mortar attacks threatening them and their mission. Military contingent commander Jiri Neubauer, whose unit has just completed its 3-month mission in Iraq, told journalists on Tuesday that tension between the different streams of Islam has made Basra the second most dangerous city after Baghdad. The Czech Republic has had a military presence in Iraq since December 2003. A Czech 100-member military police contingent operates as part of a multinational force with Danish and British soldiers.

  • 06/20/2006

    Health Minister David Rath has issued a directive that extends the minimum daily office hours of general practitioners and dentists to seven hours. Up to date, doctors were only obliged to open their doors to patients for four hours and used the remaining time for administrative tasks or visits in patients' homes. Mr Rath says the number of doctors with short office hours is too high and hospitals have suffered as a result. While they should be attending to patients with serious medical problems, hospitals are often overwhelmed by patients with common health problems who seek their help because their doctors' offices are closed, Mr Rath says. Doctors' associations disagree with Mr Rath's decision and say it will harm the patients.

  • 06/20/2006

    The US pop star Madonna, who will appear in the Czech Republic for the first time in Prague's Sazka Arena on September 6, will stage one more concert at the same venue a day later, the Interkoncerts agency announced on Tuesday. Madonna's first concert in Prague was sold out in a record time of less than two hours after the Sazka company launched ticket sale from its terminals at non-stop petrol stations last Thursday night. The tickets to the other concert, which cost between 3,060 to 5,010 crowns (136 to 227 dollars), will be sold in the same way. The Sazka terminals will open at 01:15 on Friday.

  • 06/20/2006

    Czech Republic striker Milan Baros returned to full training on Tuesday after struggling with a foot injury and could play in Thursday's Group E match against Italy. Coach Karel Brueckner told reporters there was a chance Milan Baros will be fit for Thursday's match with Italy. The return of Baros would be greatly welcomed by the Czech team, who are much depleted ahead of the match, which they need to win to guarantee a place in the knock-out stage. Baros, top scorer at Euro 2004, had not trained properly since sustaining the injury in a June 3 friendly.

  • 06/20/2006

    The Czech football player Jiri Jarosik has signed a three-year contract with the Scottish Premier League champions Glasgow Celtic. The midfielder, who is 28, joins Celtic from Chelsea, where he failed to win a place in the first team. Jarosik could well face another Czech in Glasgow's famous Old Firm derbies' Libor Sionko recently signed for Glasgow Rangers.

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