Liska, 30, appointed minister of education

Ondrej Liska of the Green Party has been named minister of education. Mr Liska, who is 30, replaces his party colleague Dana Kuchtova; she stepped down two months ago after failing to draw on the entire EU funding available to the Czech Republic. Appointing the new man on Tuesday, President Vaclav Klaus said the Education Ministry had been a rock on which several of Ondrej Liska’s predecessors had foundered, though he said his youth and élan would stand him in good stead. Last week the president expressed reservations about naming Mr Liska education minister due to his comparative youth.