News

President Václav Klaus has issued pardons to 13 people on the eve of the Christmas holiday. Mr Klaus’s spokesman said in most cases the pardons had been granted for humanitarian reasons. Among the recipients was a woman found guilty of attempting to stab her husband to death; she had an eight-year jail term rescinded on the grounds that she had been repeatedly physically abused by her partner. Four foreigners were pardoned; as well as seeing their convictions overturned, the four have had expulsion orders quashed and can now remain in the Czech Republic. Some have criticised the tradition of presidential pardons as a relic of feudalism.

One in four Czechs are planning to attend midnight mass on December 24, suggests a poll conducted by the Median agency and published in Lidové noviny. The newspaper said the expected attendance at midnight mass somewhat contradicted the Czech Republic’s reputation as one of Europe’s most atheistic states. One priest told the daily that the midnight service was often full of “once a year attendees”, rather than regular church-goers. An expert on religion said annual church-goers were either believers who do not normally attend services, or non-believers who view Christmas mainly in cultural terms and enjoy the music.

Prague Airport has paid over CZK 4 billion for land on which it plans to build a new runway, a spokesperson said. The operators of Ruzyně airport bought nearly 80 hectares from around 20 different owners, significantly adding to the value of the state-owned company ahead of a planned sell-off. Analysts quoted by the Czech News Agency said Prague Airport could now be worth CZK 26 billion more to a potential buyer than if it had not bought the land. The government had been hoping to raise more than CZK 100 billion through the privatisation, though expectations have been revised downwards because of the global financial crisis. Meanwhile, a spokesperson said Prague Airport would likely handle 12.65 million passengers this year, a record number.

The Interior Ministry has reduced the number of countries whose citizens can apply for green cards to work in the Czech Republic, iHned.cz reported. Due to the global financial crisis and an expected fall in demand for low-paid workers from abroad, both Vietnam and Mongolia have now been excluded from the scheme, the news website said. The final list of countries which can take part will be announced next Monday, just days before the green card system comes into effect.