News

Czech and German police will establish two centres in mid-December in connection with the Czech Republic's entry to the Schengen area. Interior Minister Ivan Langer and German counterpart Wolfang Schaeuble revealed the information on Friday. The centres will be formed in Petrovice, north Bohemia, and Schwandorf, Bavaria. Checks at the Czech-German border will be lifted in almost four weeks’ time, which will require a new method of police checks at border areas as well as cross-border cooperation.. Ivan Langer revealed that Czech police will have ten officers in Petrovice and five at Schwandorf. The centres will focus on the exchange of information within the Schengen Information System. Regular border checks are to be lifted as of December 21st.

Deputy Defence Minister Martin Bartak has revealed that the Czech Air Force has received four L-159 fighters from aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody. The planes were rebuilt for two crew members as opposed to one, to be used for training military pilots. The modifications cost around 400 million crowns (the equivalent of around 22 million US dollars). The adjusted fighter jets come from a set of 72 planes that the military previously ordered. The Czech Air Force is now using only 24 of the models and trying to sell the rest. Possible buyers are said to include Indonesia and Vietnam.

The Czech carrier CSA announced Friday that it will dramatically cut its flights to Canada because of low passenger numbers. CSA will end flights between Prague and Montreal from the start of 2008 and three weekly flights only will be scheduled between the Czech capital and Toronto between June and October, the period of peak demand, the airline said in a news release. During the winter months, flights to Canada have only been around 55 percent full. CSA announced in November that it made a net profit of 563 million crowns (the equivalent of almost 836 million dollars) during the first nine months of the year, turning round a series of losses during the previous three years.

The newest poll published by the CVVM agency has suggested that if a national election were held today it would be won by the Social Democratic Party. According to the survey, the party’s popularity continues to stand at 36 percent, followed by the ruling Civic Democrats at 29, down six percent since June. The Communist Party would receive 16 percent – a one percent rise - followed by the Greens at 10.5, and the Christian Democrats at 5.5. CVVM’s survey takes into consideration only respondents who say they would actually come to the polling stations. It does not include undecided voters and those who would not cast their ballot.