Thursday, 9 February 2012
Politics | ČTK
Senate approves direct presidential elections

Senate yesterday approved an amendment to the country's constitution introducing direct presidential elections. Václav Klaus' successor will therefore be elected by the public, not parliament, in early 2013. Many ČSSD senators, who enjoy a majority in the upper house of Parliament, spoke against the bill which was put forth by the centre-right government. However, 49 out of 81 senators voted in favour of the new legislation.
National | ČTK
ACTA opponents plan country-wide protest

Opponents of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will join the Europe-wide protests on Saturday and stage demonstrations across the country, the Czech Pirate Party announced on its website yesterday.
Politics | Czech Position
Bill curbing politicians' immunity passes hurdle

Lower house lawmakers turned out in sufficient numbers to back a proposed constitutional change aimed at curbing their immunity.
National | Radio Prague
Legislators approve changes covering denial of fatherhood

Lawmakers have approved changes to legislation covering the denial of fatherhood, overriding an earlier Senate veto.

Czech Republic and the EU | ČTK
Senate recommends Czechs join EU fiscal treaty

The Senate yesterday passed a resolution recommending that the Czech Republic joins the EU's fiscal compact.
Prague | Czech Position
Murder sentence on US 'tram shooter' upheld by Prague appeal court

Murder sentence of 16 years on US "tram shooter" is confirmed at Czech appeal court.
Prague | Czech Position
Prague City Hall rewards honest Ukrainian treasure finders

Three Ukrainian builders to receive CZK 200,000 each for handing in historic silver treasure valued at around CZK 6.28 million.
Politics | Czech Position
Date set for party boss Bárta's corruption trial

Much-anticipated trial of Public Affairs' (VV) de facto leader Vít Bárta on bribery charges is scheduled to start on 5 March.
National | ČTK
Child abuser conditionally released from jail

Barbora Škrlová, who was in 2008 sentenced to five years in prison for her role in the Kuřim child abuse case, was yesterday conditionally released from jail.
Politics | ČTK
Právo: ODS losing members en masse

Members are leaving the senior government Civic Democratic Party (ODS) en masse while other parties' membership shrinks as well, daily Právo reported yesterday.
News | ČTK
Gov't okays tender for transport of troops

The government yesterday approved the Defence Ministry's plan for a tender for the transport of soldiers to NATO and EU operations worth CZK 500 million.
News | ČTK
Czech scientists help combat sleeping sickness

Researchers from the Czech Science Academy's (AV) Institute of Molecular Genetics have discovered groups of genes that regulate the human organism's resistance to the fatal African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness.