News

An extraordinary session of parliament, which was meant to discuss the draft European constitution and a proposed US radar base in the Czech Republic, has been cancelled. The scheduled sitting ended in acrimony after the centre-right governing coalition blocked the approval of the meeting agenda. Opposition Social Democrat and Communist MPs say the development is proof that the government is trying to stifle debate in parliament. Civic Democrat prime minister Mirek Topolanek has rejected the accusation, saying that it was simply too early to begin discussions on the EU constitution and the proposed radar base.

A Czech judge who had been relieved of her duties for repeated drunkenness will be allowed to return to work again Mlada fronta Dnes reports. The daily says that disciplinary proceedings against Judge Jana Sladkova - who had been suspended from her job for coming to work in a drunken state on a number of occasions - have been discontinued. The reason the proceedings have been stopped is because Judge Sladkova has now voluntarily tendered her own resignation. Under Czech law, she is entitled to return to the court where she works in Rokycany, west Bohemia and hear cases while she is seeing out her notice period of three months. Ms Sladkova will also receive one half of the wages she was deprived of during the disciplinary process.

A radical Austrian anti-nuclear group announced on Wednesday that it will be blockading a Czech-Austrian border crossing in protest at the Temelín nuclear power plant on February 14. The Atomstopp Oberösterreich organisation says it will be holding a blockade at the Wullowitz-Dolni Dvoriste frontier crossing for an alleged failure to observe a Czech-Austrian treaty on nuclear safety. The controversial Temelín nuclear plant has been a sore point in Czech-Austrian relations since it began operating six years ago. Many in Austria claim that that the facility's Soviet design makes it more likely to experience a Chernobyl-style meltdown.

The Ministry of the Interior has said it wants to prosecute a second police officer in connection with the sale of a photograph of the dead body of popular composer Karel Svoboda to a tabloid newspaper. After Mr Svoboda apparently shot himself last Sunday a photo appeared in the Blesk redtop showing the dead man's hand and a pistol. Another 22-year old officer has already been dismissed from the police force and charged with abuse of office in connection with the incident. If convicted he faces up to 3 years in prison.