News

MP calls on others "offered bribes" to speak out

Freedom Union MP Zdenek Koristka, who says he was offered a bribe by the opposition Civic Democrats to bring down the government, has called on other coalition deputies who have had similar experiences to say so publicly. Mr Koristka says the Civic Democrats offered him 10 million crowns (over 300,000 euros) not to support the government in a vote of confidence on Tuesday.

The party strongly denies the claim, and chairman Mirek Topolanek said he was considering filing slander charges over the matter, which is currently being investigated by the police.

President Vaclav Klaus commented on the issue on Sunday, saying he knew Mr Koristka and did not regard him as completely trustworthy. Mr Klaus said he hoped people would think twice before starting "artificial affairs".

Tuesday's confidence vote will be the first test of the three-party coalition led by Stanislav Gross, which - like the previous government - has a majority of just one seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Two Social Democrat MPs are seriously ill and may not make the vote.

On Sunday, senior Civic Democrat Vlastimil Tlusty said the party would consider "pairing" with one of the ill deputies, Hana Orgonikova, thus cancelling out her lost vote. But he said his party would not pair with Miloslav Vlcek, who has been ill for a long time and had "plenty of time" to resign his seat.

Ceremony remembers Romanies interned at camp in Moravia during WWII

A service was held near the Moravian town of Hodonin u Kunstatu on Saturday, in honour of 1,400 Romanies who were interned at a Nazi internment camp there from August 1942 to September 1943; most of them were later killed at Auschwitz. A holiday centre with a swimming pool now stands on the site of the camp.

Doctor attacked after being called out to attend to inebriated man

A doctor was taken to hospital with concussion and a broken nose on Saturday night, after being attacked when called out to attend to a very drunk man at a camp in Vlasim, central Bohemia. Police are searching for the doctor's assailant, who is believed to be the brother of the inebriated man. There have been several cases of ambulance personnel and other rescue workers being attacked since the beginning of the year.

Beer output down in first half of year due to cool start to summer

Output at Czech breweries fell by 1.5 percent in the first half of the year, due to the cool start to the summer, Jan Vesely of the Czech Brewers Union said on Sunday. He added, however, that the hot weather in the latter part of the summer should ensure output for the year as a whole matches that of 2003.

Two silver medals for Czech Republic at Olympics on Sunday

The Czech Republic took two silver medals at the Olympic Games in Athens on Sunday. Lenka Smidova came second in the women's Europe sailing category, while a silver medal was also awarded to the Czech men's coxless quadruple sculls comprising Tomas Karas, Jakub Hanak, David Jirka and David Kopriva. This brings the Czech team's tally at Athens to five medals - two silvers and three bronzes.

Weather

Monday should be sunny in many parts of the country, with temperatures ranging between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius.