POLAND - Prime Minister Jirí Paroubek said relations with Poland will remain strong despite an election there Sept. 25 promising to deliver more center-right parties to power. Poles ousted a leftist government long tainted by corruption and scandals.

POLL - Czechs have more confidence in their government, according to a recent poll by the CVVM agency. Forty-two percent surveyed said they trust the administration of Prime Minister Jirí Paroubek, up from 37 percent in June. President Václav Klaus remains the country's most popular politician, with a 71 percent approval rating.

CRASHES - An ultra-light plane crashed in the east Bohemian city of Hradec Kralové Sept. 25, killing the pilot. On Sept. 23, an ultra-light plane crashed shortly after taking off from Rasosky airfield, injuring its pilot. Six Czechs have died in ultra-light plane crashes this year.

RACE - The Peace Race international cycling contest will return in 2006 after a one-year hiatus. The eight-day race, set to begin in the Czech Republic May 27, will take riders across Bohemia and through Germany before circling around to end in Salzburg, Austria.

PETS - The nation's first official pet cemetery has opened in the west Bohemian town of Stará Voda. It took more than a year to get the 1-hectare (2.5-acre) site operational. Dogs, cats, parrots, hamsters and fish can be buried there at costs ranging from 200 Kc ($8.30) to 2,000 Kc, according to the animal's weight.

ELECTIONS - The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) is calling for early elections to be held at the end of the year. Recent polls show the ODS is well ahead of the Social Democratic (CSSD) administration but suggest the CSSD may be closing the gap. Paroubek said elections were not feasible until February of next year at the earliest.