News

A 79-year-old man has died, probably of carbon monoxide poisoning, in his home near the Moravian town of Olomouc. His wife has been rushed to hospital by helicopter. Police believe the death was an accident rather than a case of suicide. They are now investigating the source of the toxic gas.

The Prague Castle management expects the Roman Catholic Church to hand over St Vitus Cathedral in the near future. Following Friday's ruling of the Supreme Court which overturned previous court decisions that returned the cathedral to the Roman Catholic Church, a spokesman for the President's office, Petr Hajek, said he does not expect any difficulties concerning the transfer. The cathedral has been managed by the Catholic Church since last June. Friday's decision by the Supreme Court criticised the earlier rulings on legal grounds, and returned the case to the district level. Legal disputes between the Czech state and the Roman Catholic Church over ownership rights to St Vitus cathedral have been going on for 13 years.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus who will mark four years in office at the end of February stands a strong chance of being re-elected for a second term, analysts told the CTK news agency. Mr Klaus has indicated several times he plans to seek re-election next year. Political analysts hesitate to predict the names of other potential candidates. Polls have repeatedly shown that President Klaus enjoys strong public support.

Demolition work is in progress on the Travnik building in the town of Prerov despite efforts by the local town hall and the Culture Ministry to save it. The Culture Ministry intended to put the early 20th century building back on the list of cultural monuments after having removed it six months ago. In the meantime, however, a local construction company had begun demolition works despite protests from architectural experts and the Culture Ministry. A commercial centre is to be built in its place.