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In related news, mayors from localities near the Brdy military grounds have formed an association of towns and villages opposed to the deployment of a US radar base to the Czech Republic. If the Czech Republic and the US find agreement in negotiations the radar base - part of a broader US defense system - could be stationed at the Brdy military zone near Misov, west Bohemia, some 90 kilometres southwest of Prague. The mayors' association is to negotiate with the government and its constituent document was signed by 31 of 34 municipal representatives, 27 of whom are from Central Bohemia. Only the mayors of Strasice, Hradek and Spalene Porici, all West Bohemia, declined to join.

Some of the mayors have admitted that a meeting with government coordinator for defence policy, Tomas Klvana, this week divided mayors in the Brdy area. It has been suggested that a recent 200-page report issued by the government, ruling out health risks from the radar (provided safety zone requirements are respected) has had a positive impact.

According to Czech cancer specialists, the Czech Republic ranks in about the middle of a list of 20 European countries, together with the USA, for successful cancer treatment and not at its bottom as was recently reported by one survey. The Czech Oncological Society made the statement on Friday, reacting to the recently published Eurocare-4 study, which ranked the Czech Republic among the worst states on the list for cancer treatment. The head of the Czech Onolcogical society, Jiri Vorlicek, told CTK, the Czech news agency, that this was because Czech authorities had provided only partial data for the European study. The health ministry has promised oncologists such a mistake will not be repeated. Mr Vorlicek said that the oncologists' data is based on the national oncological register comprising the whole population. He added that cancer patients and their families were terrified to hear news about small chances of treatment, before they were told those were are at least the same or even better than in some countries.

Sparta is set to face Viktoria Zizkov in the first division Gambrinus Liga in what is the season's first Prague derby at the weekend. In their last first division match-up four years ago, Sparta won 1:0. Zizkov is currently coached by Stanislav Griga, who once played for Sparta, while Sparta is coached by Michal Bilek, who spent several seasons behind the Zizkov bench. Sparta are currently fourth in the league but are undefeated in their last ten league games, carrying over from the spring.

Despite having voted for a package of reforms approved in the lower house on Tuesday, Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek has now split with the government on how these reforms should be implemented. Mr. Kalousek proposes a further taxation of employees from 2009 by increasing tax-exemptions; however, the biggest party in the coalition, the Civic Democrats, wants to reduce personal income tax from 15% next year to 12.5% in 2009. The Civic Democrats have rejected Mr Kalousek's proposal, calling it a provocation and violation of the coalition agreement.