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Following backing received in a confidence vote by the Czech Doctor's Association on Friday there is good chance the association's President David Rath will be named the country's next health minister. Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek said as much on Saturday, describing Mr Rath's chances as "excellent". The outgoing minister, Milada Emmerova, was sacked earlier in the week over continuing problems in health sector finances. Mr Rath, her possible successor, is 39, and is unaffiliated with any political party. He has said if chosen for the post he will respect Social Democrat policies.

National football side manager Vlastimil Kostal and team coach Karel Bruckner have welcomed a decision by former team captain Pavel Nedved to return for two matches against Norway in the final play-off preceding the World Cup. Nedved, who retired last year but plays for Italy's Juventus Turin, announced the desire to help his country through the final qualification games. The star midfielder has made no decision on whether to return for the actual World Cup next year, should the Czech Republic win.

The Czechs, currently ranked 4th in the world by FIFA, have been fairly successful in European Championships but last played in the World Cup in 1990.

Following warnings by the European Union on the possibility of a bird-flu pandemic, common flu vaccines in the Czech Republic have sold out. Pharmacies throughout the country sold out their vaccines in a single day, with pharmaceutical companies promising new batches in the coming week. However, officials have warned vaccines are only effective against the common flu - not the deadly bird virus. The government, meanwhile, has ordered an additional 600,000 does of Tamiflu vaccine - said to be effective against bird flu - at a cost of 600 million crowns.

The purchase is part of the country's emergency plan, following the European Commission's confirmation that the deadly strain of bird flu, known as H5N1, had been identified in cases in both Turkey and Romania.

A twenty-year-old driver has been taken into custody for a hit-and-run that killed two teenage girls in the early hours of Saturday morning, as they waited outside a discothèque in the north-east Moravian city of Ostrava. Three others were injured, one remains in critical condition. The driver drove away from the scene. The two girls who died were aged 15 and 18. During Saturday police apprehended the hit-and-run suspect at his home; they are investigating reasons behind the accident, including whether the man had been driving drunk.

Part of the next James Bond film Casino Royale is to be shot in Prague, the Czech BBC reported. Shooting is due to get underway in January. The James Bond franchise was the centre of world media attention on Friday when actor Daniel Craig was named as the new Bond.

Polish prosecutors investigating the purchase of the Czech Unipetrol oil group by Poland's PKN Orlen have asked for permission to question 15 people in the Czech Republic, a spokesperson for the Krakow state attorney's office said on Friday. Unofficial sources suggest the 15 include the Czech minister of finance, Bohuslav Sobotka, and former prime minister Stanislav Gross. The new management of PKN Orlen says it has uncovered evidence of secret payoffs to Czech politicians.

The lower house has voted to tighten regulations on seasonal sales in shops. Under the new legislation there would be set dates for the beginning and end of sales in chain stores. Furthermore, if goods are advertised at specially reduced prices retailers would have to either have sufficient numbers of the goods in stock, or announce how many they have.

A Czech Airlines plane flying to Montreal twice had to return to Prague airport on Thursday night because of problems with its computer system. However, a spokesperson for CSA said there had been no danger to the plane's passengers.

The Czech football team will play Norway for a place in next year's World Cup finals in Germany. The first of two play-off games takes place in Oslo on November 12th, with the second in Prague or Teplice four days later. Czech coach Karel Bruckner said after Friday's draw that he was not familiar with the Norwegian team, but said the fact the second leg was at home would be an advantage for his players. The Czechs last reached the World Cup in 1990.

Forty-four percent of Czechs would be willing to pay extra in cash at doctors surgeries, according to a poll by the Median agency quoted in Friday's Mlada fronta Dnes. The governing Social Democrats are opposed to cash payments for medical treatment. However, doctors' leader David Rath - one of three candidates for the job of health minister - says he is in favour.