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Descendants of the Tugendhat family have officially petitioned the Brno city authorities and the Culture Ministry for the return of the Tugendhat Villa. It dates from 1928 and is the only example of modern Czech architecture on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Tugendhat family, who were Jewish, left in 1938. The villa was taken over by the Gestapo and confiscated by the Czechoslovak state in 1945.

The support team for a German man hoping to set a new world record for running around the world in less than 260 days have been robbed twice on the Czech stage of the run, Pravo reported on Tuesday. Special clothing was stolen from the team's car in Kladno, while camera equipment was taken in Pribram.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he will appoint a new government led by Civic Democrat Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Tuesday, seven months after inconclusive national elections. Mr Topolanek has formed a three-party coalition with the centrist Christian Democrats, the Green Party and his own right-of-centre Civic Democrats but the grouping has only 100 votes in the 200-seat lower house. Prime Minister Topolanek said earlier he would offer his resignation if the coalition fails to win a confidence vote, which must be called within 30 days of the government being appointed. Mr Topolanek's first - minority Civic Democrat - government lost a confidence vote in October.

President Klaus earlier expressed objections to the three-party coalition because, he said, it would have to rely on Social Democrat or Communist Party deserters to win a confidence vote. He also opposed the Green Party's nomination of long-time exiled senator Karel Schwarzenberg as foreign minister, fearing that his close links to neighbouring Austria would prevent him from championing Czech interests. Mr Topolanek has also come under fire from within his own party ranks for allocating more than half the cabinet posts to junior coalition partners.

Prime Minister and Civic Democrat chairman Mirek Topolanek has said his party should hold an extraordinary congress if his second government does not win confidence in the lower house. Mr Topolanek also said he was prepared to ask the lower house for a confidence vote before the 30-day deadline set by the constitution.