ČECH

Goalkeeper Petr Čech underwent surgery for a skull fracture Oct. 14 in Oxford, England, an injury he suffered playing for Chelsea in an English Premiership game in Reading. Čech was diving for the ball in the game's opening minute when an opponent kicked him in the head. Doctors announced that the surgery was successful, but gave no indication as to if or when he would be able to play again.

CARS

Prague could have its own Formula One racetrack within three years. A group of American and Canadian investors intends to build the track, along with a stadium, car showrooms and a high-rise hotel for 2.2 billion Kč ($98 million) in Prague 10 on the site of a decrepit industrial lot. Questions have surfaced about the investors' financial solvency and whether the project is a done deal, as Mayor Pavel Bém indicated.

PLANE

A Czech fighter pilot training in Sweden narrowly avoided firing upon a small plane, Swedish media reported Oct. 16. The plane, which was not carrying passengers, was towing an unmanned aerial target intended for the pilot of a Czech-owned Gripen fighter jet. Pilot error is blamed.

CORRUPT

Czech health care is teeming with corruption, according to a Transparency International report released Oct. 10. Some 200 billion Kč go into the system each year. Distribution lacks transparency and as much as 20 billion Kč are wasted or "lost." The result is an opaque, underfunded system in which patients commonly bribe doctors to get better treatment, the report said.

SMUGGLED

Police are looking for a group of human traffickers after 16 illegal refugees were found in a parked van in the Prague 4–Chodov Oct. 16. The refugees are of Chinese origin and were in good condition, although they had no documents and no money, police said. Officials believe the group may have been destined for Germany.

POLICE

Prague police deputy head Karel Lán was an officer for the secret police (StB) under the communist regime and participated in a KGB course in the Soviet Union, according to an Oct. 12 Mladá fronta Dnes report. Lán resigned from his post Oct. 7 but will remain with the city police as a lower-ranking officer.

ALERT

Acting Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek announced Oct. 17 that the special security measures put in place Sept. 23 will be decreased. Prague was on high alert, with armed police guarding landmarks, after intelligence services warned of a potential terrorist attack. The daily Mladá fronta Dnes quoted an anonymous source Oct. 6 saying that terrorists intended to kill dozens of Jews in Prague.

EMPLOYMENT

No other EU economy is more dependent on small businesses than the Czech Republic's, statistics released Oct. 16 said. The study by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, found that 95 percent of Czech companies employ fewer than 10 people. One in three Czechs are employed by these small firms, the study showed.