Daily news summary

Hundreds take part in protest event expressing opposition to plans for nuclear waste repository

Hundreds of residents in seven municipalities held protest events on Saturday expressing opposition to plans for the Czech Republic in the coming years to begin building a deep geological nuclear waste repository. The country's Radioactive Waste Depository Authority is aiming to conduct geological surveys in all seven areas to assess suitability. Protestors on Saturday held sports events and one of the towns said it was withdrawing its representatives from talks with the authority, on the grounds it had misrepresented their position. The protest comes only a few days before the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

Report points to increased criminal activity of Balkan gangs

A report on migration and the integration of foreigners for the Czech government and Parliament, points to an increasing presence in the Czech Republic of criminal gangs from the Balkans, some with operation centres in neighboring Germany. Russian-speaking and Asian gangs, however, reportedly continue to top the list. The Czech News Agency reported that criminal activities by foreign gangs included the sale of illegal drugs, as well as tax, mortgage and leasing fraud. In 2015, as in previous years, criminal organisations reportedly also attempted to bribe officials, influence public tenders and to influence the legislative process as high as the government and parliamentary levels. They also tried to infiltrate the state administration, justice sector and the police.

Court to begin hearing case of firebomb attack on defence minister's home

Prague's Municipal Court next week will begin hearing the case of Russian student Igor Shevcov, accused of having tried to firebomb the defence minster's residence in Prague. According to the prosecution, Mr Shevcov threw at least four Molotov cocktails, containing numerous chemicals, at the home. Some of the bottles failed to hit their target or to explode. One hit the roof and burst but the flames did not spread far. The police said it had not exploded with "full intensity". Three people were at home at the time of the attack; Minister Martin Stropnický was not. If found guilty, the suspect could face between three to eight years behind bars but the attack could still be re-qualified by the court as a more serious crime, meaning a potentially tougher sentence.

Police barred more than 10,500 perpetrators of domestic abuse from their homes since 2007

Since new legislation was introduced in 2007, the police banned perpetrators of domestic violence from their homes in 10,614 cases. The legislation allows officers of the law to confiscate owners' home keys for 10 days to give victims a chance to escape the cycle of violence. Statistics released by Bílý kruh bezpečí, a civic organization helping victims of domestic abuse in the Czech Republic, suggest that around 10 percent of reported domestic violence cases take place in the Czech capital. The year the new regulations were introduced, the police barred perpetrators 862 times; the highest number was in 2011, when it did so in 1,430 cases. Last year, the police did so 1,306 times. Experts note that domestic abuse has several forms: physical, sexual, psychological and economic.

University of Pardubice sees drop in interest in Bachelor studies

The University of Pardubice has confirmed that the number of applications for Bachelor studies have dropped in recent years. While in 2012, the university received more than 8,100 applications the number dropped to around 5,200 this year, representing a 36 percent decrease.The news was confirmed by the university's spokeswoman. She credited lower state support as having a partial impact. The highest interest in studies at the University of Pardubice are in business areas, including management and public finance, the Czech News Agency reported.

Stanley Cup playoffs: Neuwirth shuts out Capitals

Czech goalie Michal Neuwirth and his club the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Washington Capitals for their second win in their first round series. Neuwirth stopped 44 shots while Philly potted two goals for the win. The team trails 3-2 in their best-of-series after losing the first three games with Steve Mason in goal. The Flyers will be hoping to win game six on home ice.

In other playoff action, the Florida Panthers and Jaromír Jágr (who had an assist) lost on home ice in second overtime against the New York Islanders and are a game away from elimination. The final score was 2-1. The Panthers trail the series 3-2.

Extraliga final: Liberec a win away from title

Hockey club Liberec only need one more win against Sparta Prague in the Extraliga final to be crowned champions. On Friday, the White Tigers edged Sparta 4-3, with two goals from Michal Řepík. Liberec lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game six takes place in Prague on Sunday.