News

The Czech speed skating champion Martina Sáblíková has taken the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 metres at the World Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The Czech speed skater on Thursday beat defending champion Ireen Wüst of the Netherlands by more than a second and earned her third career title. Wüst’s compatriot Marije Joling finished third.

Under pressure political party leader Tomio Okamura received another rebuff when his proposal for direct election and dismissal of local mayors was rejected in the lower house of parliament. Okamura’s proposal was dubbed by one of his peers as the worst piece of legislation ever to be presented. Ninety-five of the 145 members of parliament present rejected the proposal out of hand during Wednesday’s session. Okamura is currently dealing with a rebellion within this Dawn (Úsvit) party with 10 out of the party’s 14 members of parliament saying they plan to launch a new party and strategy without him.

The European Commission on Thursday approved the Czech government’s state aid for the phase-out of the Paskov coal mine in Moravia-Silesia. Under the government’s plan, mining will continue for three more years and the government will pay 600 million crowns for social and training programmes for miners. The mine’s owner, OKD, on Thursday announced its intention to dismiss 300 employees by the end of April. Another 500 workers, mostly of retirement age, will leave during the year. Some 800 people will be also dismissed by OKD’s contractors. The future of the mine, which produces dark or hard coal often used in the steel industry, has been undermined by a collapse in world coal prices.

The lower house on Thursday passed a resolution supporting the strengthening of Czech humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees, who are now living in camps in Jordan and Turkey. At the same time, the deputies rejected the idea of binding EU quotas for the acceptance of refugees and came out against the restriction of movement in the Schengen zone. Instead, the lower house came out in support of a joint EU effort to better protect the alliance’s outer borders. In January the cabinet accepted a proposal for the country to take in 15 families of Christian Syrians, who are now living in exile and approved a programme to help refugees directly in the affected areas.