News

Friday is St Wenceslas Day, an official state holiday in the Czech Republic, marking the death of the nation's patron saint. As is the tradition on this "Day of Czech Statehood," Prague Castle, as well as town halls and churches throughout the country, are holding celebrations to commemorate the martyrdom of Prince Wenceslas, who was killed on this day in the year 935 by his brother Boleslav. Over a thousand people made a pilgrimage to the town of Stara Boleslav where the murder took place and attended an open air mass celebrated by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk.

Nine Czech supporters of first division Banik Ostrava have been given suspended sentences of between eight and twelve months for their part in an attack on a group of Polish football fans last year. The group attacked supporters of Polish side Legia Warsaw who were travelling to Vienna for a first round UEFA Cup match against Austria Vienna on September 27, 2006. Some 50 Banik fans, aged between 20 and 33 years, waited for the Poles at the station at Ostrava, near the Polish border, bursting onto the train where a fight broke out. There is a long-standing rivalry between supporters of Banik, who have the reputation to being the most violent in the Czech Republic, and Polish fans who live just over the border.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was asked to explain the purchase of a second hand Volvo by his current partner Lucie Talmanova during Thursday's question and answer session in the lower house. The opposition Social Democrats say that the deal seems suspicious since the car was bought from a businesswoman who had ties with the J and T Bank, which is interested in buying shares in CEZ that the government is planning to sell. The businesswoman in question is reportedly a friend of Lucie Talmanova and had recently received an 8 million crown loan from J and T Bank to open a luxury boutique in the centre of Prague. The prime minister said that the transaction had been above board and there was no conflict of interests.

Former Czech president and playwright Vaclav Havel will guest-edit next Friday's edition of the economic daily Hospodarske Noviny, the newspaper reported. Mr. Havel has already chosen his themes for the edition, editor-in-chief Petr Simunek said. Simunek said the daily had also asked the current Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, Havel's longtime political rival, to be editor for a day. The idea is to give readers an insight into the opinions of Czech decision makers. The daily is following the example of British newspaper The Independent which invited U2 singer Bono to be guest editor last year.