News

A new national train timetable came into effect on Sunday. Twelve new express trains have been added to the Czech Republic’s rail network, though a number of local lines have been discontinued. Fares on Czech Railways trains have increased by 11 percent; the company’s general director said on Sunday it was unlikely there would be further fare increases before next December.

The Czech men’s team have won a cross country skiing World Cup relay race for the first time ever. Success for Martin Jaks, Lukas Bauer, Milan Sperl and Martin Koukal came at the Swiss resort of Davos, when Koukal managed to cross the finish line just centimetres ahead of a member of the Italian team. Prior to Sunday’s win the Czechs’ best finish had been in third place.

Hunters shot dead a wild boar which had fallen into an empty swimming pool in the garden of a house in Svihov, west Bohemia on Saturday, the news website iDnes reported. The animal, which weighed around 50 kg, went berserk when it became trapped in the pool. Local fire officers first contacted a vet; he did not have a tranquiliser gun so they turned to the police, who did not have a net large enough to catch the boar. The local mayor then gave a member of the local hunting association permission to shoot the animal.

The Communist Party have suspended discussions on whether to back economist Jan Svejnar for the post of president in elections in early February, deputy leader Jiri Dolejs said. The Communists executive committee will wait to see whether Mr Svejnar has the genuine support of the Social Democrats; though the latter’s leader Jiri Paroubek has repeatedly expressed support for Mr Svejnar, the Communists believe some Social Democrat legislators may not actually back him in the bicameral vote. Jan Svejnar, who has spent most of his life in the USA, is supported by the Greens and is hoping to win the backing of the Christian Democrats. He is set to announce next week whether he is standing.