Former political prisoners remember victims of communism at Prague ceremony
Former political prisoners have held an annual memorial to the victims of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The ceremony at Prague's Motol crematorium culminated with the laying of a wreath at a nearby graveyard. The communist authorities refused to hand over the ashes of those they executed to their families, interring them at unknown and unmarked locations; deputy chairman of the Confederation of Political Prisoners František Šedivý said research suggested the cemetery was probably where many of the victims' ashes had ended up.
Funeral held for second Czech soldier to die in Afghanistan
The funeral has taken place of a Czech soldier who died in Afghanistan last week. The soldier was killed in a road-side bomb attack in the province of Logar, where he was serving with a Czech provincial reconstruction team. The Czech defence minister, Vlasta Parkanová, army chief of staff Vlastimil Picek and Chamber of Deputies chairman Miloslav Vlček were among around 500 people who attended the funeral in Uherské Hradiště. The soldier who died was the second Czech soldier to be killed in action in Afghanistan: a Czech military policeman died in a suicide bombing in Helmand province in March.
Baník fan dies after falling from train
A fan of Baník Ostrava football club died after falling from a special train taking supporters to a game against Sparta Prague in the Czech capital on Saturday. The accident occurred between the Bezpráví and Brandýs nad Orlicí stations in east Bohemia. The man, who was 30, is believed to have died after falling out a train door he opened while smoking a cigarette.
Temporary offices at Sparta stadium find fans guilty of misdemeanours during game
Meanwhile, special temporary offices set up at Sparta's stadium dealt with cases of hooliganism on the spot during the Sparta-Baník match on Saturday afternoon. Two Baník fans were found guilty of committing a misdemeanour after being arrested for fighting in the ground, while another man also came before a Prague 7 misdemeanours commission. A temporary court was also in place but did not sit as the offences were not deemed sufficiently serious. A court official said the measure, being tried out for the first time, had proved effective in deterring trouble. There has been violence between the two clubs' fans several times in recent years.
Slavia go in front with one game remaining in Czech league
Baník Ostrava beat Sparta 2:1 in that game, denting the reigning champions' chances of retaining the Czech league title. With one game remaining Sparta are two points behind Slavia Prague, who beat Mladá Boleslav 2:0 away. The last round of the season takes place next Saturday: Slavia play host to Jablonec at their new stadium, while Sparta travel to Liberec.
Nedvěd unlikely to return for Euro 2008, says Czech team's business manager
The business manager of the Czech national football team says it is unlikely that former international Pavel Nedvěd will return for the European Championship which begins next month in Switzerland and Austria. The announcement on Friday by Czech captain Tomáš Rosický that surgery would rule him out of Euro 2008 has led to increased speculation over a possible comeback by Nedvěd. However, national team business manager Vlastimil Košťál told the daily Sport that his information was that the veteran midfielder would not make himself available for selection. The Czech squad for the European Championship will be named on Wednesday.
Štěpánek pulls out of Rome semi-final with wrist injury
The Czech tennis player Radek Štěpánek withdrew with injury from a semi-final match at the Rome Masters on Saturday. Štěpánek was trailing Serbia's Novak Djokovic 0-6 1-0 when he pulled out, complaining of a wrist problem. The Czech had beaten world number one Roger Federer in the previous round in Rome.
Runners gathering ahead of 14th Prague International Marathon
Runners from around the world are gathering in the Czech capital ahead of the Prague International Marathon. Up to 5,000 runners are set to take part in the 14th Prague marathon, which gets underway on the city's Old Town Square at 9am. Unlike during a half-marathon earlier this year, participants will cross Charles Bridge, which is currently undergoing extensive reconstruction. A number of tram lines will be diverted and traffic restrictions will be in place.
Rest of May should be warm, say forecasters
The Czech Republic can look forward to more warm weather this month, a spokesperson for the country's hydro-meteorological institute told the iDnes.cz news website. There should be quite a bit of sunshine between now and the end of May, with above average temperatures of up to 26 degrees Celsius expected until at least the end of the first week of June.
It should remain quite sunny with some rain in places over the next few days. Temperatures will reach up to 23 degrees Celsius.
Author: Ian Willoughby