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A general referendum could be called by obtaining 250,000 signatures, under a bill proposed by the Minister for Human Rights Jiří Dienstbier. The decisions made in a referendum could only take effect with 25 percent voter turnout. Mr Dienstbier told the journalists on Wednesday that the bill would allow citizens to vote on “crucial issues of domestic and foreign state policy”. The draft bill also lists issues on which people would not be allowed to vote, such as introduction of death penalty. The bill, which is likely to pass in parliament, could come into effect as of January 2016.

The lower house of Parliament on Wednesday approved the draft of a new civil service law. The government has won support for the bill by taking on board opposition demands, including dropping a provision to create a top civil servant whose office would control the entire system. The new bill also includes a provision under which every minister would have at most two deputies who are political appointees, which was repeatedly criticised by president Miloš Zeman. The president warned MPs that he would take the civil bill to the Constitutional Court if they push the legislation through despite his previously signalled veto.

Two people died and six were injured in a bus crash on Wednesday, which happened near the town of Planá nad Lužnicí in the south of the country. In the crash, the bus struck a railway pole and caught fire. Five people, one of them seriously injured, were taken to hospital. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

The Czech national football team defeated Netherlands 2:1 in Prague on Tuesday night, in the opening game of their Euro 2016 qualification. The Czechs went ahead in the 22nd minute with a nice shot by Bořek Dočkal but the visitors equalized some 10 minutes into the second half. However, an overtime goal by Václav Pilař secured a full three points for the Czech team which scored an important win in their Euro 2016 campaign.