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Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan has defended police intervention that on Saturday brought to an end an illegal music festival known as Czechtek. Police - numbering more than a thousand and in full riot gear - resorted to using tear gas and water cannons against hundreds of partygoers on a meadow near the village of Mlynec na Tachovsku, west Bohemia. Many refused to leave the grounds and began throwing bottles. According to reports dozens suffered mostly minor injuries, with around twenty partygoers and five officers suffering more serious wounds requiring medical attention.

Despite the clash, the interior minister called the police intervention "necessary", though he said he regretted there had been injuries. Mr Bublan pointed out that officers decided to act following an assessment by a public prosecutor and an authorised expert at the scene, who backed earlier complaints by neighbouring landowners that visitors had damaged private property and broken the law. Police gave a half-hour advance warning before resorting to force to push attendees off the grounds. On the whole some 5,000 visitors attended the Czechtek festival before it was rolled up Saturday.

One Czech man was killed during storms in north-west Bohemia on Friday when he took cover under a tree struck by lightning. Storms contributed to several accidents around the country including the derailment of two trains that struck fallen trees on the track. No one on the trains suffered injury. Elsewhere, trains failed to run on some routes as crews cleared fallen debris.

Czech opera singer Richard Haan made history on Friday when he became only the 9th Czech to successfully swim across La Manche - the English Channel. The 55-year-old completed the swim in 14 hours and 7 minutes after setting out from England's Dover. Haan is one of three Czechs who set their sights on the Channel this week.

Czech police have intervened at an allegedly illegal music festival - known as Czechtek - held annually in the Czech Republic. Early Saturday the festival, held on a meadow near the village of Mlynec na Tachovsku, in west Bohemia, continued with some 5,000 visitors. But, police - numbering more than a thousand in riot gear and backed, for example, by water cannons - intervened Saturday afternoon, trying to force visitors off the grounds. Part of a nearby highway was closed off. Several hundred visitors reportedly refused to back down and began throwing bottles, at which point police resorted to using tear gas.

The police intervention followed charges pressed by neighbouring landowners who complained that visiting fans had clogged local roads and had damaged private property.

Police intervened only following an assessment by a public prosecutor and an authorised expert saying that festival-goers had broken the law. But, the owner of the grounds has complained he rented the site to festival organisers legally.

In the past, Czechtek has courted no small measure of controversy: last year the event, held elsewhere in Bohemia, resulted in property damages of an estimated 1.4 million crowns - the equivalent of about 56,000 dollars US. At that time police also stepped in.

Czech football striker Milan Baros may soon be headed for the German Bundeslige, to play for Schalke, if the team's owners can reach a deal with Baros' current club, Liverpool. Schalke coach Ralf Rangnik has revealed that his club has struck a deal with the 23-year-old Czech striker and the player's agent, adding that Schalke would make moves towards agreeing a transfer with Liverpool next week. Liverpool has put up a hefty asking price for Baros - 7 million British pounds. Other clubs that expressed an interest in the striker have been Aston Villa and Deportivo.

A new temperature record has been set in Prague. Meteorologists in Prague's historic Klementinum library recorded 35.2 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon. So far the highest temperature recorded for the 29th of July was 34.7 degrees Celsius in 1921, 1947 and 1994.

Former triple world and Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny will decide whether to compete at world championships next month after Friday's Golden League meeting in Oslo. The 39-year-old world record holder said he would announce his decision on Monday. The Czech, widely acknowledged as the greatest javelin thrower in history, will be up against home favourite and Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen and world leader Tero Pitkamaki of Finland in Oslo. The world championships take place in Helsinki from 6 to 14 August.

Police have ordered techno music enthusiasts blocking a part of the D5 motorway in west Bohemia to leave, preventing the CzechTech music party from happening. Techno fans heading for the village of Mlynec in West Bohemia, where this year's CzechTek illegal music festival was supposed to take place, on Friday morning blocked a stretch of the motorway with their cars. Many other cars got stuck in the 10-kilometre-long traffic jam. As in past years, the location of the free event had been kept secret up until the last moment. Last year's CzechTek ended after four days as police dispersed the participants.

The body of a 21-year old Czech who was murdered two weeks ago in the Scottish town of Arbroath, will be repatriated on Saturday. The costs will be covered by the proceeds of a public collection launched by Sue Smith who first discovered the young man's body. Ms Smith is also helping the bereaved parents to deal with all the legal formalities. So far people in the UK have collected 6,000 pounds, part of which will cover the installation of a memorial plaque on the spot of the tragedy. Eighteen-year old Adam Gallagher from Arbroath has been accused of murdering the 21-year-old Czech, who was a seasonal worker in the area.

German Bundesliga runners-up Schalke admit they are unlikely to sign Czech international striker Milan Baros from Liverpool claiming the seven million pound asking price is too high. Schalke entered the race for Baros's signature on Thursday but have baulked at Liverpool's valuation of the topscorer from the Euro 2004 finals. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is prepared to let the 24-year-old Baros go after signing Peter Crouch from Southampton but he wants a sizeable transfer fee for the marksman. Premiership side Aston Villa have already had a five million pound offer turned down and are considering whether to up their bid.