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Commemorations in Prague on Thursday are marking the 45th anniversary since student Jan Palach set fire to himself to protest the Soviet-led invasion of former Czechoslovakia and its aftermath. Palach set fire to himself in Prague’s Wenceslas Square on January 16, 1969, and died from his burns three days later. A commemoration of the young student has been scheduled at Charles University’s Philosophy Faculty, where Palach was a student. It is one of a series of events taking place. Palach said his protest was aimed at the acceptance by his fellow citizens of the clampdown on liberties which had prompted the Soviet-led invasion half a year earlier.

The Czech Chamber of Commerce faces allegations of fraud over applications for EU funds. The European Anti-Fraud Office, or OLAF, found that the Chamber falsified the signatures of people who it said would work on the administration of EU grants and also submitted fake declarations to secure funding, Czech Radio reported quoting sources in Brussels. The Czech Chamber of Commerce has appealed against OLAF’s findings but said it would fully cooperate in the investigations. The European Commission has also criticized the Chamber’s role in supervising a Czech programme encouraging the take up of research and innovation which provided funding to several of its member companies.

Czech gas and oil company MND has announced the purchase of a 70% stake in rights to explore for natural gas in south-west Germany. Possible reserves around Neuried could eventually amount to five times the natural gas which MND currently exploits in the Czech Republic every year. MND says it has around 10 billion crowns to buy up foreign oil and gas rights, reserves, and companies.

In tennis, Czech Barbora Záhlovová-Strýcová failed to create an upset against second seeded Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Australian Open. Záhlovová-Strýcová went down 6:1. 6:4 in spite of a fight back in the second set in which she twice broke the Belarusian’s serve.