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Czech trust in the European Parliament is higher than its own, a new poll conducted by the STEM agency has suggested. The poll was conducted just days before a recent presidential election in February. More than 1,400 respondents over the age of 18 were queried. The poll suggests that half of Czechs trust the EP, while only about one-third express confidence in the country’s own Chamber of Deputies; less than 30 percent say the same for the Senate. The Czechs' trust level in the EP and the EU has not considerably changed in the past few years. Confidence decreased in 2005 during sharp disputes between the EU member states over their influence on European institutions.

The Czech government will deal with the issue of recognizing Kosovo “when the time is right”, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said on Thursday. The Czech Republic is aiming to maintain good relations with Serbia; in the European Union, the Czech Republic has made several positive steps towards Belgrade and it does not want to reverse its policies. Serbia is one of eight countries in transition which the Czech Republic has been assisting. The Czech Foreign Minister said that whether or not the Czechs recognize Kosovo will have no impact on the situation in the former Serbian province. Mr Schwarzenberg had already announced that the Czech Republic would recognize Kosovo after a majority of EU countries do so.

Zdeněk Zelenka, a former nurse in a hospital in eastern Bohemia, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for a series of murders he committed by administering lethal doses of the blood-thinning drug heparin to his patients. A court in Hradec Králové said Mr Zelenka committed seven murders and attempted another ten between May and October 2006. The former nurse said he gave his patients the drug to “see some action”. Experts confirmed that Mr Zelenka is sane and fully responsible for his deeds. In the Czech Republic, 33 prisoners are currently serving life sentences.

The Supreme Administrative Court rejected on Thursday a complaint by Plzeň City Hall concerning a banned neo-Nazi march that was planned for January. The authorities in Plzeň, western Bohemia, had banned the march that was allegedly organized in protest of restrictions of freedom of speech. The organizers, with links to Czech neo-Nazi movement, contested the ban at a court which said Plzeň City Hall did not have the right to ban it. The City Hall then complained about the verdict at the Supreme Administrative Court which has confirmed the ruling. The neo-Nazis are now planning to march in Plzeň on March 1.