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An internal check into the police response to the shooting at the Prague Faculty of Arts concluded that the police intervention was “fast, professional and fully in line with internal regulations”, the head of the internal investigations unit Michal Tikovský said at a press briefing in Prague. He said the professional response to the crisis had saved lives and confirmed that it had not been possible to gun down the attacker from his position on the roof of the building. However he said crisis communication could have been better, pointing out that the faculty and university management was not informed immediately about the danger.

Czech banks have started cutting interest rates on savings accounts in reaction to the Czech National Bank's decision to cut the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 6.75 per cent in December, Czech Television reported. Interest rates are currently between 2.0 and 6.25 per cent. But from the end of January they will fall on most savings accounts, the repoirt said. For example, Česká Spořitelna, the bank with the largest number of clients, will reduce the base rate from 4.0 to 3.5 percent.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala has left on a working visit to India aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and tapping new opportunities in business and trade. Ahead of his departure the prime minister said cooperation in innovation and applied research offered considerable potential, adding that the two sides would be signing an agreement on a strategic partnership in innovation and trade.

In the course of the next two days, Mr. Fiala will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, deliver a speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit economic forum, as well as visit Jaipur University and hold talks with representatives of the local government and the business community. Prime Ministrer Fiala said India is a rapidly developing market and presents great opportunities for Czechia.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala has thrown his weight behind the embattled Labour Minister Marian Jurečka who has come under pressure to resign because he did not cancel a Christmas party held at the ministry on the night of tragic shooting at Charles University and himself attended it until the late night hours. “Mr. Jurečka made an error in judgement, but he regrets the mistake and has since apologized,” Prime Minister Fiala said at a press briefing on Tuesday before departing for a working visit to India. The prime minister added that he thinks this was the right way to handle things and thus considers the matter closed. The Christian Democratic Party is to meet on Tuesday evening to take a stand on the matter.

In answer to a question from a journalist about whether the labour minister would receive a "yellow card" for his actions, as Justice Minister Pavel Blažek did for his meeting with controversial political lobbyist Martin Nejedlý last year, Mr. Fiala responded that that was an error "of a different magnitude".