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The Finance Ministry, the newspaper Lidové noviny reported, will soon send out the details of proposed austerity measures to government ministries and relevant institutions - cuts necessary to help tackle the deficit. Under the proposal, state expenses should be 28.2 billion less than previously expected by the end of the year; of that, savings of 10.2 billion crowns will come from individual ministries. According to the Czech daily, the Education Ministry will be among those that will have to save the most – more than three billion crowns in 2010; all 14 ministries will have to reduce their operational budgets by 2.5 percent. Institutions that will see cuts, meanwhile, include the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Constitutional Court, and the Office of the President. The cabinet will discuss the proposals next Wednesday.

Security at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Czech Army in the district of Prague 6 will be boosted as of September, General Staff spokeswoman Mira Třebická has said. The move comes after the HQ was surprisingly broken into by thieves last week, who made off with several honorary military medals. The break-in prompted Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra to call for increased security by the military police; they had guarded the building until last year, when security was slashed by Mr Vondra’s predecessor as part of cost-cutting measures. Following the break-in security experts expressed concern over the ease with which perpetrators made their way inside, although sensitive information was reportedly not stolen. An investigation by the military police continues.

Czech car production rose by 18 percent in the first half of 2010 confirming a recovery in the economy heavily dependent on its three major car plants, trade data has shown. In a recent press release the Association of Automotive Industries said that Czech producers turned out some 560,000 motor vehicles in the first six months. The increase was mainla driven by the production of passenger and light utility cars. Volkswagen's unit Škoda Auto, the largest Czech car maker, raised output by 16.7 percent to around 286,000 vehicles. TPCA Czech and Hyundai Motors are the other two major producers.

The regional court in České Budějovice has handed a 25-year-old man, found guilty of murdering his two-month-old daughter last year, an exemplary sentence of 20 years behind bars. The defendant in the case admitted to hitting the baby once but denied taking further actions. However, an autopsy revealed intentional and additional brutality that left the infant beyond the help of emergency workers. The incident took place last December 31, after the man had an argument with his partner. Both parents, the authorities said, were users of marijuana and the Czech methamphetamine known as pervetin.