News

Czech ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr has now notched up 1,400 points in the NHL, the highest number ever for a European player. He made one assist and scored two goals in the New York Rangers 6:1 defeat of Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jagr has questioned the Czech team's preparations for the Turin Winter Olympics; he said insufficient back-up for the players was one reason he had quit international hockey.

Police say they have evidence that a fugitive Czech businessman tried to forge a promissory note issued by the country's ruling Social Democratic Party. Radovan Krejcir escaped to the Seychelles last summer after he was accused of tax evasion and conspiracy to murder. He says the police investigation was initiated by the Social Democratic Party, which owes him 60 million crowns (an estimated 2.5 million US dollars) that it borrowed four years ago to finance its election campaign. The Czech police are now in possession of a fax, which they say was sent by Mr Krejcir to commission someone to forge a promissory note. The document includes instructions on the note's graphic design, colour, and personal information on former Social Democrat leader Stanislav Gross.

Judges at Prague's Municipal Court have asked the Czech Justice Ministry to request the extradition of two Czech nationals, who are currently under investigation for drug smuggling in Turkey. The men have been in detention in Turkey since April 2004 when police at the Greek-Turkish border discovered 26 kilograms of a drug containing heroin in their car. Prague Municipal Court judges say the two men are innocent and were unaware that the drugs were in the car. Evidence presented at a separate trial is reported to prove their theory.

President Vaclav Klaus has signed a bill that introduces a road toll system for vehicles above 12 tonnes in 2007. The state currently makes around 1 billion crowns (around 42 million US dollars) off special coupons that drivers have to buy to use the country's motorways. The new system, which is to be provided by the Austrian company Kapsch, is estimated to bring in around 10,5 billion crowns a year.