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The Czech Republic, as of next year, will most probably have a higher excise tax rate on tobacco than the EU recommends. According to a new excise tax bill that is part of the reform package currently being discussed in Parliament, the tax is to rise to 1200 crowns per kilogram from 905 crowns, Deputy Finance Minister Dana Trezziova told the CTK news agency on Wednesday. The higher rate was pushed through by the health ministry, Ms Trezziova added.

The gradual increase in the price of cigarettes has led to many Czech smokers buying cheaper brands or rolling their own cigarettes.

Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil has defended a decision by the supreme state attorney to remove the prosecutor overseeing the case of Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek. On Friday, supreme state attorney Renata Vesecka replaced the prosecutor, saying he had made procedural errors. The opposition Social Democrats said, however, that she had interfered for political reasons as a case of alleged bribe-taking against Mr Cunek was about to come to court. Mr Pospisil said on Tuesday that a ministry analysis showed Ms Vesecka had acted in accordance with the law. He called on the Social Democrats to refrain from "politicising" the issue.

Two men drowned in Ostrava on Tuesday after jumping into a river in an attempt to escape from the police. A third man managed to swim across the Odra, while a fourth was prevented from entering the river, a fire service spokesperson said. The police said the men had been stealing copper piping from a nearby museum of mining. Both bodies have been retrieved by police divers.

Opposition leader Jiri Paroubek says the planned building of a US radar base in the Czech Republic would change the country's foreign policy, representing a "swing towards the United States to the detriment of the European Union". In an open letter to the prime minister, the Social Democrats boss called on Mr Topolanek to have the courage to explain the security implications of the planned base for Czech citizens. Mr Paroubek pointed out that polls suggest most Czechs are opposed to it being built. Mr Topolanek, a strong advocate of the planned radar, has rejected calls for a referendum on the issue. The base would be part of a United States global anti-missile defence system.