Prague - The Czech government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek collapsed Tuesday after it lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament midway through the country's presidency of the European Union.

The leftist opposition was helped by four lawmakers elected to Topolanek's ruling coalition in toppling the cabinet by the slimmest of majorities, 101 votes.

Topolanek collected 96 votes in the 200-seat lower house after failing to meet the renegades' demands in last-minute talks. Three lawmakers were absent from the vote.

Prague - The Czech government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek collapsed Tuesday after it lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament midway through the country's presidency of the European Union.

The leftist opposition was helped by four renegade lawmakers elected to Topolanek's ruling coalition in toppling the cabinet by the slimmest of majorities, 101 votes.

Topolanek collected 96 votes in the 200-seat lower house after failing to win over the renegades in last-minute talks.

Seoul - The European Union and South Korea on Tuesday postponed concluding a Free Trade Agreement after reaching a tentative deal on almost all points, officials said.

Talks over the outstanding issues are to continue in early April on ministerial level at the sidelines of the G20 meeting in London, the chief negotiators of both sides said after the end of the formal negotiations in Seoul.

Prague  - The Czech government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek faced a vote of no-confidence on Tuesday, a test that threatens to undermine his country's presidency of the European Union.

Topolanek's fall at home would provide ammunition to his critics abroad, analysts said.

"(French President) Nicolas Sarkozy would be one of the first to make himself heard," said political scientist Petr Just, a lecturer at Metropolitan University in Prague.

Brussels  - The European Union and Ukraine on Monday are set to agree on a programme of political reforms and physical repairs to the former-Soviet state's giant gas network, EU officials said.

One fifth of all the natural gas consumed in the EU flows through Ukraine's 13,500-kilometre network of gas pipelines, but experts say that that network will need some 2.5 billion euros (3.4 billion dollars) in investment over the next six years just to keep pipes and pumping stations in running order.

Brussels  - European Union leaders were set to keep a cautious stance Friday on the question of boosting emergency funds for struggling EU and world economies, calling for action without saying how much, if any, money the 27-member bloc should offer.

A draft joint statement which EU heads of state and government were set to discuss on the second day of their spring summit said that the bloc should "keep under review" the size of a fund it maintains to help EU members who do not have the euro keep their currencies stable.