News

Civic Democrats: PM should explain origin of his money in parliament

The vice-chairperson of the lower house, Miroslava Nemcova of the opposition Civic Democrats, has said that the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross should clarify the origin of the money he used to pay for his luxury flat in Prague. Speaking in a televised debate on Sunday, Ms Nemcova said her party will demand that the matter be discussed as an extraordinary item on the agenda of a forthcoming parliament session. Ms Nemcova said the controversy surrounding the purchase of the prime minister's flat was casting a bad light on the whole country.

Recently the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes discovered that Mr Gross's flat cost more than he had officially earned. The controversy surrounding the purchase took a new turn on Friday when former journalist Rostislav Rod said he had lent almost one million Czech crowns to Mr Gross's uncle, who in turn lent some of the money to the prime minister. The daily Mlada Fronta Dnes says this is a third explanation the public have been given by Mr Gross's family since the controversy broke out.

Pre-schooler badly bitten by dog in North Bohemia

A four-year old girl was badly bitten by a dog on Saturday in a village near the northern town of Decin. She suffered injuries to her face and head. The girl had to be transported by helicopter to a specialised clinic in Prague. Doctors say her condition is stable after a surgery she underwent on Saturday. Eye witnesses said the attacking dog belonged to the girl's parents.

Heavy traffic causes jams on mountain roads

Roads leading to some skiing resorts in Bohemia remained blocked on Sunday as unusually good skiing conditions attracted thousands of skiers to the mountains. For example the town of Bedrichov in the Jizerske Mountains in North Bohemia banned all incoming traffic except for public transport and the residents' cars. The authorities in many skiing resorts have recommended to skiers to leave their cars in special car parks outside the towns and use trains or shuttle buses instead. Layers of new snow as well as sunny weather attracted thousands to the mountains in Bohemia and Moravia over the weekend.

Novak to meet Xavier Malisse in Millennium International Championships final

The Czech men's tennis number one, Jiri Novak, beat South African Wesley Moody in Saturday's semi-finals of the Millennium International Tennis Championships at Delray Beach, Florida. He will meet third-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the tournament's final on Sunday. It is Novak's first tournament of the season; the 29-year-old took January off to spend time with his family.

Weather

The weather should continue to be sunny to partly cloudy with daytime temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius.