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The lower house has overridden a Senate veto and approved a coalition amendment to the Building Act, introducing a centralised system of state building authorities. The Senate rejected the bill in August, with critics saying it favours developers, creates corruption risks and goes against the interests of municipalities and the public. It will now go to President Petr Pavel for his signature.

The coalition of ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists says the changes will speed up and simplify building permits. A single proceeding handled by one authority and ending with one approval would be enough. Former regional development minister Ivan Bartoš of the Pirates called it a law "written for developers" and warned of a disastrous impact.

The State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF) continues to pay subsidies to Agrofert and has not stopped processing further applications, Czech Radio reported on Wednesday.

The European Commission announced earlier this week it had suspended payments of some EU subsidies to companies within the Agrofert holding, saying Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) is potentially in a conflict of interest.

According to SZIF spokeswoman Češpiva, however, the European Commission’s decision has not changed the fund’s approach to Agrofert. She said the fund could not suspend the processing or payment of subsidies at its own discretion and must comply with Czech and EU law.

A national cancer centre was officially opened on Wednesday at Prague’s Motol and Homolka University Hospital at a cost of 4.96 billion Czech crowns. Most of the funding came from EU grants under the Czech National Recovery Plan.

The centre’s individual departments have been gradually opening to patients since around mid-August, with some expected to begin operations in October.

Once fully operational, the centre will increase the hospital’s capacity for cancer care by 40 percent.

Prague’s High Court has upheld the acquittal of former volunteer ranger Jiří Lobotka, who was accused of starting the massive wildfire in Bohemian Switzerland National Park in 2022. The appeals court rejected a prosecutor’s appeal, confirming a lower-court ruling from January. The ruling is definitive.

The courts said Lobotka’s guilt had not been proven. He initially confessed to starting the fire twice, but later withdrew his confessions. He was taking anti-depressants and had spent time in a mental home.

The wildfire broke out near Hřensko in July 2022, forcing the evacuation of around 500 people and involving some 6,000 firefighters. The operation lasted 21 days and caused an estimated 270 million Czech crowns in damage.