News

The company Royal Praha will close all three of the casinos it operates in the Czech Republic, including Casino Royal in downtown Prague, which was the scene of an Aug. 1 grenade attack. The incident left 18 people injured and is being treated as a failed attempt to kill its owner, Israeli national Assaf Abutboul. Since the attack, the government has pledged to tighten controls on casinos.

Czech shooter Karolina Kurkova has won a bronze medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle final at the Olympic Games in Athens. Kurkova, who has gold medals from both world and European championships, said she was delighted with the result. She is coached by her father, who was a professional shooter himself. Petr Kurka won medals at European and world championships and he even set a world record, but despite taking part in five Olympic games he never managed to add an Olympic medal to his collection. "Karolina has just fulfilled my dream for me," he told reporters. In her youth Kurkova wanted a career as a swimmer but health problems made her change her plans and she decided to follow in her father's footsteps. Her's is the first Czech medal won at the Olympic Games in Greece.

Talks between the parties in the new government on a joint policy programme will probably continue at the beginning of next week, Prime Minister Stanislav Gross told reporters on Friday. Though a draft policy agenda was revealed earlier this week, the Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union have yet to reach a final coalition agreement.

Christian Democrat leader Miroslav Kalousek said the government had to be sure it had the money to meet all the priorities outlined in its policy programme, and said a break of a few days could help the parties reach agreement.

However, Social Democrat Labour Minister Zdenek Skromach said his party would not agree to any significant changes to the outline policy programme. Mr Skromach was speaking after talks with senior Social Democrat officials in Prague on Friday.

Swimmer Kvetoslav Svoboda was due to carry the Czech flag at the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in Athens on Friday evening. The Czech Republic's team of some 140 athletes is the biggest the country has ever sent to the games. Earlier on Friday, President Vaclav Klaus officially opened the "Czech House" in the Olympic village.

On Saturday, the Czechs could be in the running for their first medal, when shooter Katerina Kurkova takes part in the women's 10-metre air rifle event. Kurkova became European champion in the discipline earlier this year, and two years ago was crowned world champion.

Meanwhile, the tennis draw in Athens has not been kind to the Czechs: Jiri Novak has drawn fourth-seed Tim Henman of Great Britain in the first round, while Barbora Strycova will play women's number one Justine Henin-Hardenne from Belgium.