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The lower house of the Czech Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) passed a law that bans smoking in some public places. If approved by the upper house (Senate) and signed by the president, smoking will be banned in public administration buildings, schools, cinemas, sports halls, and tram and bus stops. However, Christian Democrat deputy Josef Janecek says the law is "a victory for the tobacco lobby" as it fails to introduce a total ban on smoking in theatres, restaurants and bars, and workplaces. These places have the option of installing non-smoking areas if they want to avoid a complete ban. The law also restricts cigarette sales from January 1 next year. Cigarette sales from vending machines are banned and the shops allowed to sell cigarettes will be restricted to mainly tobacco shops and supermarkets.

Tests have confirmed the Czech Republic's 20th case of BSE, or mad cow disease. The State Veterinary Authority reported on Wednesday that the infected cow was from a herd close to the North Bohemian town of Liberec. Over one hundred cows will have to be slaughtered as a precautionary measure. Since 2001, when the first case of BSE was recorded, some 800,000 cows have been tested and 3,500 cows have been slaughtered as a precaution.

The Czech Prime Minister, Jiri Paroubek, said on Tuesday that he discussed the sensitive issue of China's human rights violations with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao. Mr Paroubek refused to disclose any details but said the topic came up during talks on the EU arms embargo on China, an embargo that the Czech Prime Minister stressed was an issue between Beijing and Brussels that Prague could not influence.

Mr Paroubek, who is currently on an official visit to China, also said three agreements in the fields of the automobile industry, the environment, and finance are currently being drafted that would improve economic bilateral cooperation. According to the internet news agency Euro OnLine, Mr Paroubek declined offers by Chinese politicians to buy Czech 'Vera' radar systems.

A new campaign called "Czechs against Poverty" was launched in Prague on Tuesday. Organised by fifteen NGOs (non-governmental organisations), it aims to show ordinary citizens and politicians how they can help reduce poverty in developing countries. While the goal is not to collect money for charity, it is to make Czechs take the initiative themselves and seek ways of helping citizens of poorer countries.