News
Croatian police call for more information for Czech tourists after 14 deaths
The police in Croatia have called for Czech tourists in the country to be better informed about the dangers of holidaying by the Adriatic Sea; 14 Czechs have died in Croatia so far this summer, including a 16-year-old boy who was killed when his rubber boat was struck by lightning on Sunday. Croatia is the most popular foreign holiday destination for Czechs, with an estimated 800,000 due to visit the country this year.
OECD: Czech Republic, Slovakia record stable high economic growth
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have had the most stable high economic growth among all the countries in the OECD in recent years, according to a study on the organisation's website. The Czech economy is growing by more than four percent a year, while in Slovakia it is five percent.
PM Paroubek meets candidates for post of culture minister
Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has held meetings with the two men in the running to replace the late Pavel Dostal as culture minister. Mr Paroubek said both actor Viteslav Jandak and Vladimir Darjanin, head of the Czech pavilion at Expo 2005, were qualified for the job in different ways. Mr Jandak's name emerged after many in the Czech arts world questioned the suitability of Mr Darjanin.
Supreme court rejects compensation claim from fugitive businessman Krejcir
The Supreme Court in Prague has rejected a claim by businessman Radovan Krejcir for six million crowns in compensation after he was remanded in custody for three months without charge. The court threw out a previous ruling under which Mr Krejcir was granted compensation of 200,000 crowns. Mr Krejcir has been on the run since he escaped police custody in mid June.
In a related story, the Interior Ministry has said that one of the police officers who allowed the fugitive businessman to get away should face charges. The Czech Press Agency reported that the officer in question was Jan Spitalsky, who was leading a search of Mr Krejcir's luxury villa when he escaped.
New flats selling more slowly
It takes three times as long to sell a new flat in the Czech Republic now as it did in the year 2000, according to research quoted in Tuesday's Hospodarske noviny. Whereas the average new flat was bought in six months five years ago, today the average is a year and a half. At the same time the number of flats being built is on the increase, rising from 7,700 in 2003 to 10,700 last year.
Petrin Tower most visited sight in Prague last month
The Petrin Observation Tower was the most visited sight in Prague last month, according to figures released by the Prague Information Service. Almost 50,000 climbed the city's "little Eiffel Tower" last month. The second most popular sight was the Old Town Hall, which was visited by 37,000 tourists.
Weather
Temperatures are set to rise over the next few days to around 25 degrees Celsius. We should see sunny spells, with some rain in places.
