News

Czech police have intervened at an allegedly illegal music festival - known as Czechtek - held annually in the Czech Republic. Early Saturday the festival, held on a meadow near the village of Mlynec na Tachovsku, in west Bohemia, continued with some 5,000 visitors. But, police - numbering more than a thousand in riot gear and backed, for example, by water cannons - intervened Saturday afternoon, trying to force visitors off the grounds. Part of a nearby highway was closed off. Several hundred visitors reportedly refused to back down and began throwing bottles, at which point police resorted to using tear gas.

The police intervention followed charges pressed by neighbouring landowners who complained that visiting fans had clogged local roads and had damaged private property.

Police intervened only following an assessment by a public prosecutor and an authorised expert saying that festival-goers had broken the law. But, the owner of the grounds has complained he rented the site to festival organisers legally.

In the past, Czechtek has courted no small measure of controversy: last year the event, held elsewhere in Bohemia, resulted in property damages of an estimated 1.4 million crowns - the equivalent of about 56,000 dollars US. At that time police also stepped in.

Czech football striker Milan Baros may soon be headed for the German Bundeslige, to play for Schalke, if the team's owners can reach a deal with Baros' current club, Liverpool. Schalke coach Ralf Rangnik has revealed that his club has struck a deal with the 23-year-old Czech striker and the player's agent, adding that Schalke would make moves towards agreeing a transfer with Liverpool next week. Liverpool has put up a hefty asking price for Baros - 7 million British pounds. Other clubs that expressed an interest in the striker have been Aston Villa and Deportivo.

Police have ordered techno music enthusiasts blocking a part of the D5 motorway in west Bohemia to leave, preventing the CzechTech music party from happening. Techno fans heading for the village of Mlynec in West Bohemia, where this year's CzechTek illegal music festival was supposed to take place, on Friday morning blocked a stretch of the motorway with their cars. Many other cars got stuck in the 10-kilometre-long traffic jam. As in past years, the location of the free event had been kept secret up until the last moment. Last year's CzechTek ended after four days as police dispersed the participants.

The body of a 21-year old Czech who was murdered two weeks ago in the Scottish town of Arbroath, will be repatriated on Saturday. The costs will be covered by the proceeds of a public collection launched by Sue Smith who first discovered the young man's body. Ms Smith is also helping the bereaved parents to deal with all the legal formalities. So far people in the UK have collected 6,000 pounds, part of which will cover the installation of a memorial plaque on the spot of the tragedy. Eighteen-year old Adam Gallagher from Arbroath has been accused of murdering the 21-year-old Czech, who was a seasonal worker in the area.