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Prime Minister Jan Fischer, the head of the current government, will be taking up the post of vice president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in September. Mr. Fischer’s portfolio will include communication with member countries of the bank, as well as the European Commission, and supervising environmental and social aspects of the EBRD’s work. Mr. Fischer said on Wednesday that if the formation of a new Czech government after May’s general elections should not be completed by September 1, the starting date of his term as the EBRD’s vice president, he would remain in office until the new government was formed. The Czech prime minister applied for the position of EBRD vice president on the recommendation of both the Czech finance minster and the governor of the Czech National Bank. He will be replacing the former Slovak minister of finance Brigit Schmögnerová, whose term expires this year. The EBRD’s board of directors is expected to approve Mr. Fischer’s nomination in May.

A spokeswoman for Prague’s Ruzyně airport said that eighty percent of flights scheduled for Wednesday will go ahead. Three-hundred-twenty flights are expected to depart or arrive at Prague’s international airport on Wednesday, including some connections to London, which has seen very limited service in the past few days. The French airline France KLM has cancelled all its connections between Paris and Prague, leaving many Czechs stranded in France. Airport officials expect flights from and to Ruzyně to return to normal capacity by the end of the week. The airport closed down for three days on Friday, after a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland spread over the continent.

Experts from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said on Wednesday that remaining particles of volcanic ash still in the air over the Czech Republic should disperse by 8 p.m. on Wednesday. In heights over 3000 meters, the concentration of volcanic ash particles in the air is already at a negligible level. Meteorologists expect that strong winds and rain later on Wednesday will clean the air over the Czech Republic of any remaining ash particles in lower heights as well.

A tourist has vandalized the astronomer statue, which is part of Prague’s famous astronomical clock on Old Town Square. The incident, which happened late on Tuesday night, was filmed by security cameras. Thanks to the footage, police were able to quickly arrest the perpetrator. It shows the man breaking off part of the arm of the statue with a metal basket removed from one of the square’s trashcans. Police said that they have not yet been able to question the perpetrator since he still under the influence of alcohol. The man will most likely be charged with vandalism. This is the third time that the astronomer statue has been vandalized in recent years, the last incident happened in April of last year.