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Police successfully tracked down an elderly man who attacked a fellow senior at Prague’s Malostranská metro station in March. The assailant, it has been revealed, is an 80-year-old resident of Olomouc, in Moravia. He will not be charged for his role in the incident. According to available information, he could not be held accountable for health reasons; the police could not disclose additional details. In March, the attacker hit a 74-year-old man in the head with his crutches (after the latter had asked him to let him pass) that he lost consciousness near the escalator in the metro and fell. Passers-by provided first aid, and the man was also treated in hospital. The case against the attacker was suspended in June, a police representative confirmed.

Three people aboard a private helicopter, including the pilot, were lucky to escape largely without injury on Friday evening when the aircraft crashed in Poprad, Slovakia. One of those aboard was Czech, while the other two were Slovak nationals; the pilot suffered minor injuries. The accident took place at around 7:30 pm. Fuel leaked from the helicopter but emergency crews intervened. It is thought that stormy weather contributed to the crash, which officials are investigating.

Town and regional representatives as well as the Culture Ministry and private firm Incheba, signed a memorandum on Friday in Moravský Krumlov on joint cooperation on the renovation of the local chateau. The site, which is owned by Incheba, housed Alfons Mucha’s Slav Epic for more than 50 years, and will receive an injection of 6.2 million in 2012. Moravský Krumlov’s Mayor Tomáš Třetina said he expected in 2014 to launch new efforts for the famous work to be returned. The Slav Epic is currently on display in Prague. Culture Minister Alena Hanáková stressed that Friday’s agreement referred in no way to Mucha’s famous cycle. She said the role of the ministry over its future would be to work as liason between Prague and Moravský Krumlov.

Czech rower Ondřej Synek, who secured the Czech Republic’s second medal at the Olympic Games in London on Friday, has expressed more than satisfaction with the result. The Czech competitor came in second place in the 200m race with a time of 6:59.37, beaten only by New Zealand’s Mahé Drysdale, who clinched a time of 6:57.82. Synek told idnes that afterwards he had joked with Drysdale that ‘some people collected silver, others gold’, adding that true gold was waiting for him at home – his wife is expecting. Synek also received silver in the same discipline four years ago in Beijing.

The women’s basketball team got off to an excellent start on Friday against the US jumping to a 10 point lead before the American players began to regain their bearing. In the end, the Czechs lost by a score 61:88. The women’s team will have to defeat Angola on Sunday in order to book a spot in the play-offs.

The Czech Republic has secured two more medals at the Olympic Games including its first gold.World champion rower Miroslava Knapkova won the women's single sculls with a dominant performance over her nearest competitor Fie Edby Erichsen of Denmark, winning by more than three seconds.

Adela Sykorova took bronze in the women's 50m rifle three positions competition.

Czech police have reportedly secured property belonging to Social Democratic Central Bohemian governor David Rath. The former governor and Health Minister is currently remanded in prison awaiting trial on charges of corruption. Lawyers representing Mr. Rath have accused the police of doing so in order to prevent the suspect from being able to sell his property so that he might raise bail. Mr. Rath will reportedly be eligible for possible bail in mid-August. The police have thus far declined to comment on the matter.

Prague Zoo posted a pre-tax profit last year of 33 million crowns, a rise of five million crowns against the previous year, according to a newly-released annual report from the zoo. An increase in car park fees brought in 13.4 million crowns, with fears of increased costs putting off drivers apparently not realised. However, increased ticket prices appear to have confirmed fears that this would hit visitor numbers, with a record 1.37 million visitors last year expected to fall to 1.2 million this year. Overall, the zoo made 131.7 million crowns on ticket sales last year, exceeding expectations by 15 million crowns. Overall, the 2011 report shows revenues of 340 million, expenditures of 313 million and post-tax profits of 26.8 million crowns.

Sightings have been reported in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo of Czech made L-39 Albatros fighter jets being used by the regime against the local population. According to a report in the UK paper the Independent, a civilian camp in the city was deliberately target by a regime pilot possibly flying a L-39 Albatros, used by the Syrian military. A video obtained by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper appeared to confirm that the L-39s are being deployed in the fight against anti-Assad rebels. The planes were manufactured by the company Aero Vodochody in the late 60s and early 70s. They were sold by the Czechoslovakian government to various Soviet allies, including Syria, and some of these still remain in use today.

The Czech Republic won a second Olympic medal on Friday as rower Ondřej Synek came in second place in a 200m race with a time of 6:59.37. He was beaten to the gold by New Zealand’s Mahé Drysdale who came in with a time of 6:57.82. This is Synek’s second Olympic medal – he won the same medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Czech Republic’s first medal at this year’s Games was won on Wednesday by kayaker Vavřinec Hradilek.