News

A painting by the French artist Maurice de Vlaminck sold at auction in Prague on Saturday for 5.3 million CZK (279,000 USD). Experts had estimated the price of the painting, which dates from 1914, at 7 million CZK. According to the head of the auction house, Marie Galova, the Czech fine art market has a ‘very local character’, and thus buyers show interest primarily in Czech works of art. She said the Vlaminck painting was an exceptional offer aimed to test whether Czech would be willing to shell out for a top-quality work by a foreign painter. As it is, Vlaminck’s painting has become the 13th most expensive work of art to be sold at a Czech auction. Only one foreign painting features in the list of the ten most expensive paintings to be sold at auction in the Czech Republic. That work is by Russian artist Ivan Shishkin, and titled At the Mirror. It sold in 2006 for 7.5 million CZK.

Czech striker Milan Baros is considering a move away from his club Lyon, unhappy with spending too many games on the bench. His agent, Pavel Paska, told the Czech daily Sport on Saturday that Baros would decided whether to stay on at Lyon in the course of the next 14 days. Baros, who was the top scorer in the Euro 2004 championship, last played in Lyon’s first team on the 2nd October. According to his agent, the French Champions are unwilling to let Baros go, and may well try and block any move away from the club. Mr Paska added that the situation could be resolved by freeing up a place for Baros in the team’s first eleven. Milan Baros is worried that without more time on the pitch, he will go into next year’s Euro 2008 championship underprepared.

The troubled striker has been making news most recently for exploits off the pitch. He faces a hefty fine and driving ban having being caught speeding by the French police at the beginning of November. Mr Baros was driving his Ferrari at over 270 km/h, which police later said was a regional speed record.

Russian news agency ITAR-Tass has quoted a statement by an unidentified official at the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that US proposals for broader cooperation on missile defense fall short of real cooperation. Proposals bringing Russia in on missile defense, were put forward by the US this week. As part of its plans, the US is hoping to deploy radar and rocket installations in the Czech Republic and Poland, respectively. Moscow remains highly critical of the US missile shield proposal, suggesting the system would be a threat to Russia’s security. Russia has also made clear it will suspend participation in the CFE Treaty (the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe) in December as a result.

Czech and German police will establish two centres in mid-December in connection with the Czech Republic's entry to the Schengen area. Interior Minister Ivan Langer and German counterpart Wolfang Schaeuble revealed the information on Friday. The centres will be formed in Petrovice, north Bohemia, and Schwandorf, Bavaria. Checks at the Czech-German border will be lifted in almost four weeks’ time, which will require a new method of police checks at border areas as well as cross-border cooperation.. Ivan Langer revealed that Czech police will have ten officers in Petrovice and five at Schwandorf. The centres will focus on the exchange of information within the Schengen Information System. Regular border checks are to be lifted as of December 21st.