Daily news summary
EC to sue Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary over migrants
The European Commission has announced it will sue the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary in the bloc's top court for their refusal to take in asylum-seekers in line with the EC’s mandatory redistribution mechanism. The issue has caused a rift between those reluctant to take in refugees and other European governments who accuse them of a lack of solidarity.
The EC’s deputy chair Frans Timmermans said a change of attitude on the part of these countries’ governments could still resolve the situation out of court.
Politicians criticize EC’s decision to sue Czech Republic
Czech politicians across the political spectrum have criticized the European Commission’s decision to take the country to court over migrants.
The newly appointed Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he would try to negotiate the lawsuit’s withdrawal with EC representatives at the EU summit in Brussels next week. He said migrant quotas were not the right solution for Europe and only boosted extremist parties on the Continent.
The head of the right-wing Civic Democrats Petr Fiala said that the quotas were a bad decision and taking the Czech Republic to court was even worse. He said such moves only undermined the trust of the public in EU institutions.
The president’s spokesman reiterated the president’s view that mandatory migrant quotas “interfered in the Czech Republic’s internal affairs.”
Court clears all ten charged in connection with Studenka tragedy
The regional court in Nový Jičín has acquitted all 10 people standing trial in the case of a collapsed bridge in Studénka which caused a serious train crash in 2008. The bridge collapsed just minutes before a passenger train ploughed into the debris. Eight people died in the accident, dozens of others were injured and the damage amounted to around 180 million crowns.
The judge ruled that since experts were unable to say what exactly caused the bridge to collapse he could not attach the blame to any given person. Those charged in the case include civil engineers from the firm contracted with the renovation of the bridge. Families of the victims have expressed deep disappointment over the verdict.
Czech Republic one of the safest countries from cyber threat
The Czech Republic is one of the safest countries as regards cyber threat according to a survey released by Chech Point, a multinational provider of hardware and software products for IT security. The Czech Republic figures 119th on a list of countries surveyed. The countries most at risk, judging by the number of cyber attacks that have taken place, are the Dominican Republic, where the treat is deemed highest, followed by India, China, the US and Honk Kong.
Czech Senate rejects proposed gun law
The Czech Senate on Wednesday rejected a draft amendment to the constitutional bill on security that was aimed at allowing legal gun owners to use their weapons if called onto act in cases where members of the public were at risk.It said such a change was unnecessary and could be abused.
The draft amendment was submitted to the Senate by the previous chamber of deputies before October's general elections in reaction to the EU directive clamping down on firearms possession.
Czech foreign trade surplus narrows in October
The Czech Republic’s foreign trade surplus in October slumped by five billion crowns year-on-year to 9.7 billion crowns, according to preliminary data released by the Czech Statists Office on Thursday.Compared to the previous month, exports in October increased by 0.7 percent and imports by 2.2 percent.
Weather forecast
Friday should be partly cloudy to overcast, with more rain and snow showers in the eastern parts of the country, and day temperatures between 3 and 7 degrees Celsius.
