Daily news summary
Czech communists stick by nominee to head committee overseeing police supervisory body
The Czech communists have said they will not renounce their bid to have lower house lawmaker Zdeněk Ondráček head the committee which oversees the national police supervisory unit, GIBS.
The position of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia was repeated by the chairman of its lower house parliamentary group, Pavel Kovářik on Sunday on public broadcaster Czech Television.
Ondráček failed to be elected to the post last Friday although he was the sole candidate put forward. Some lawmakers have objected to the fact that as a member of the police he took part in the brutal repression of demonstrations against the communist regime at the end of the 1980s, including the protests that led to its overthrow in November 1989.
Czech clinics lack quality sperm : report
The Czech Republic is beginning to lack quality sperm for donation, according to clinics sounded out by public broadcaster Czech Television.
Doctors said that the demand for sperm was rising from infertile couples. However, stricter conditions for sperm donors meant fewer and fewer could meet the requirements, they added.
One clinic in Brno said that only around 10 percent of potential sperm donors could meet the requirements for the total number and quality in an ejaculation.
In the past soldiers and more recently university students have numbered among the biggest donors. But these are more and more frequently affected by stress and other lifestyle problems that can cut sperm numbers and quality.
Czech Christmas likely to be warm and rainy
Christmas in the Czech Republic is likely to be warm with rain or a mix of rain and snow, according to the long term monthly prediction of the national weather office.
Daytime temperatures are likely to rise to above zero and as high as 5 degrees Celsius in the days running up to Christmas.
During the first two weeks of January the forecasters say even nighttime temperatures are likely to remain above zero.
Social housing seen as high priority for new minister
The incoming Minister for Regional Development, Klára Dostálova, has said that constructing social housing should become obligatory for local councils.
She added, in an interview with Czech Television, that a second attempt to introduce such legislation would be a priority for her.
Social housing was a priority for the outgoing Social Democrat led government but disagreements between coalition parties about how this should be framed in law meant that it did not get passed in parliament. One of the basic problems were also arguments about which target groups should benefit from such housing.
Around a quarter of Czech restaurants seen open for Christmas
Around a quarter of Czech restaurants should be open over Christmas day, according to a survey by Internet restaurant and gastronomic guide, Restu.cz.
Those likely to be open will probably be at the top end of the market and in larger towns and cities. In Prague, the proportion of restaurants open could rise up to 35 percent. They traditionally offer special menus, often reserved in advance, for the occasion.
Around 53 percent of hotels are expected to be open, according to the site Hotel.cz.
Čech moves up to 199 Premier League clean sheets
In football, former Czech international keeper Petr Čech moved onto a tally of 199 clean sheets in the Premier League after Arsenal’s 1:0 win against Newcastle United. The win moves Arsenal into the top four in the league. Čech was little tested during the match apart from a late rally by the Magpies.
He is likely to face a much tougher test in the league when Arsenal host a high scoring Liverpool team on December 22.
Weather
The weather on Monday is expected to be cloudy with sunny intervals and the chance of snow showers in the west of the country. Top temperatures will range between minus one and two degrees Celsius.
