News

The upper house of Parliament, the Senate, has rejected a new Labour Code, which was pushed through the lower house by the Social Democrats and the Communists. The opposition Civic Democrats and the two junior ruling coalition parties the Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union say the bill threatens the flexibility of the labour market and is unconstitutional because it gives trade unions too much power, and makes it difficult for employers to let go of unproductive staff and employ new people.

In November, over 25,000 members of 51 trade unions flocked to Prague to support the proposed new Labour Code in a demonstration that was the biggest that the country has seen since the Velvet Revolution sixteen years ago.

A Swedish court has found the adoptive father of a Czech boy, who died earlier this year, guilty of neglect and has sentenced him to six months in prison. Three-year old Erik, who was sent to the Swedish family in the town of Jonkoping last year, died of untreated pneumonia and blood poisoning. His body was covered with over 150 bruises and festering wounds.

His adoptive parents originally faced up to six years in prison on charges of psychological and physical abuse, resulting in death. The charges were reduced to neglect after an expert on infectious diseases testified that the wounds may also have been caused by a skin disease. The court is still awaiting the result of the adoptive mother's psychiatric assessment.

Czech ice hockey player Jaromir Jagr has set a new record for points scored in one season at his club the New York Rangers. After four assists in Rangers' 5:1 defeat of the New York Islanders on Wednesday, Jagr has 113 points. He also leads the NHL players points table.

Rivers in the Czech Republic are continuing to rise, with around 70 places in the country on high flood alert. The worst affected areas are in the Znojmo region, on the River Luznice in south Bohemia and on the River Morava in the Zlin region. Fire fighters and the army are working around the clock to try to deal with the situation.

One person has died: a five-year-old boy fell into a stream and drowned near Trebic on Tuesday evening.

The Spolana chemical plant in Neratovice, central Bohemia has shut down production, after a high flood alert was declared in the area. Tens of tonnes of poisonous chemicals escaped from the plant during floods in 2002.

There were fears that animals would have to be moved from the lower part of Prague Zoo, but officials say it now seems such an evacuation will not be necessary.