News

Twenty-year-old defender Jan Simunek has been called up for the Czech squad for the first time ahead of a Euro 2008 qualifier against Germany on October 17. Simunek, who plays for German side Wolfsburg, captained the Czech Republic at this year's Under 20 World Cup, where the country reached the final. First team regulars Milan Baros, Marek Jankolvski and Jan Polak all miss the Germany game through suspension.

Interior Minister Ivan Langer has been fined 9,000 crowns for the leak of the so-called Kubice report - a classified report by the country's intelligence service. The incident happened just days ahead of last year's parliamentary elections and the leak of the report, which claimed that organized crime had infiltrated the Czech civil service, caused a public uproar. Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek claims that his party lost the elections as a result of the ensuing scandal. Minister Langer has paid the fine but argues that he was not to blame. He says that at the time the committee was dealing with the Kubice report, he went to the bathroom for a couple of minutes, leaving the report open on the table. Any one of the people who remained in the room could have copied parts of the document then, Langer said. The fine was imposed by the National Security Office.

In connection with the approaching date of the Schengen enlargement the Czech foreigners' police on Monday carried out a nationwide operation to clamp down on foreigners residing in the country illegally. Over 500 officers checked out dormitories, metro and railway stations, construction sites, factories and gambling houses where illegal aliens tend to hang around. Expulsion proceedings have been launched against 12 foreigners, the circumstances of many others is being investigated. According to a police spokeswoman the search also uncover four wanted persons.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today it had raised its long-term foreign currency credit ratings on the Czech Republic to A from A- and its long-term local currency rating to A+ from A. S&P's credit analyst Kai Stukenbrock said the upgrade reflected the implementation of public finance reform, which will help bring down the Czech Republic's comparatively high government deficit. The ratings are furthermore supported by good economic growth prospects, a well diversified and wealthy economy, and an above-par external position, Stukenbrock said. The higher the rating, the cheaper the country can borrow money.