News

Sports climber Adam Ondra has won the legendary Rock Master competition in Arco, Italy  for the seventh time. He defeated the reigning world champion Jakob Schubert of Austria in the final  discipline on Saturday. With his seventh victory Ondra matched the achievement of Spanish record holder Ramón Julián Puigblanque.

Over 80 percent of Czechs are worried about the impact of the government’s austerity package on their family budget, according to an August survey conducted by Generali Investments.  Three quarters of respondents are most afraid of the VAT increase on some products. Two thirds of Czechs are saving on energy and 60 percent of respondents are also saving on food. More than half of Czechs have cut back on eating out over the past year and a third of respondents are economizing on their hobbies. Due to the relatively high inflation, 67 percent of Czechs fear for their savings.

The debate on EU enlargement has recently gained momentum, the head of the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU Edita Hrdá, said in an interview for the ctk news agency. Hrdá said the EU’s expansion is in the interest of the Czech Republic and the country contributed to it not only during its recent presidency of the EU Council. European Council President Charles Michel said this week that the EU must be ready to accept new members by 2030. According to Hrda, this deadline may be realistic, but it depends on whether member states will join gradually or together in a larger group. She said some EU members were still anxious about the possible problems further expansion could bring.

President Petr Pavel has nominated Judge Pavel Simon to the panel of Constitutional Court judges. Simon is chairman of the Supreme Court panel specializing in state liability for damages and non-pecuniary harm. President Pavel said in a statement that he is convinced that Simon meets the professional and moral requirements for the post. The Senate has 60 days to consider the nomination.

The president has already appointed five of his nominees as constitutional judges. They are Josef Baxa, Daniela Zemanová, Veronika Křesťanová, civil law professor Kateřina Ronovská and constitutional lawyer Jan Winter. Judge Robert Fremr turned down the appointment following media pressure over his pre-1989 activities in the judiciary. Fourteen of the 15 places on the panel have now been filled.