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The Indian lawyer of the amateur Czech entomologist Emil Kučera who jumped bail and fled the country after getting a three year jail sentence for illegal insect collecting has said he would ask for an international arrest warrant to be issued against his client. Kučera, 52, was traveling with a professional entomologist when they were arrested on charges of insect collecting in the Singalia National Park, a protected nature reserve. The two men said they had never entered the park. Švácha, a renowned scientist was released, while Kučera got three years for the same offense. He said he had escaped India, after appealing the verdict, because he did not believe he could get a fair trial in Darjeeling.

The opposition Social Democrats would win a landslide victory in general elections if they were held today, according to a survey conducted by the CVVM agency. According to a poll released Wednesday the main opposition party would get 40 percent of the vote while the ruling Civic Democrats would get a mere 26,5 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats who won a resounding victory in the recent regional and Senate elections have strengthened their position by six percent compared to September.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, battling a seemingly inevitable leadership challenge at home, has made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. During the trip, the PM met with Czech troops serving in the country and awarded several troops honorary medals for their efforts. The visit was made to commemorate the anniversary of the Czechoslovak day of independence – the day in 1918, in which independent Czechoslovakia came into existence. Mr Topolánek visited the Afghan city of Kandahar, where Czech troops are serving as part of allied forces fighting Taliban anti-government forces. The visit is Mr Topolánek’s second to the country, and aides say it was planned well ahead of time but kept secret for security reasons. The PM is expected back in Prague late Tuesday.

Prague Mayor Pavel Bém, who late Monday announced his intention to challenge PM Mirek Topolánek for the Civic Democrat leadership, has revealed that he consulted with the Czech president over his decision. President Václav Klaus is the honorary head of the Civic Democrats and is widely viewed as having a fraught relationship with Mr Topolánek. During an interview on the matter, Mr Bém revealed that Mr Klaus had told him that if there were not change in the leadership of the party, it could find itself in electoral difficulties in the future. The conversation apparently took place shortly after the Civic Democrats suffered an overwhelming defeat in recent regional and senate elections. In separate comments, Mr Klaus has also stated that the elections were a referendum on the current PM’s leadership. A leadership contest will likely take place during the planned Civic Democrat party congress scheduled for December.