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On Wednesday, the Supreme Administrative Court in Brno delivered the first-ever verdict outlawing a political party in the Czech Republic. It ruled in favour of the government’s proposal to ban the far-right Workers Party on the grounds that it spreads xenophobia and racial hatred. Sarah Borufka has the details.

Czech security experts announced on Monday they had uncovered a global botnet network allowing hackers to steal private information by tapping private modems and other computer devices. The viral network, dubbed “Chuck Norris” after the brawny Hollywood star, was used to gain everything from banking passwords to personal info. It is only the second time Czech experts have seen such a system in use, saying on Monday that individual users and small businesses were at the greatest risk.

The smiling face of speed skater Martina Sáblíková has been all over the Czech media since she won gold at the Winter Olympics on Sunday. The Czech Republic has almost no tradition of speed skating, and no training course, and Sáblíková’s success represents the culmination of a sporting fairytale.

The Czech PEN club on Monday marked its 85th anniversary. Established in Prague just three years after the worldwide association of writers was founded in London in 1922, the Czech PEN club brought together some big names in pre-war Czech literature, including Karel Čapek, František Langer and Viktor Fischl. Today, the Czech PEN club carries on its mission of promoting freedom of speech, supporting oppressed writers in many countries around the world.

Villagers in two municipalities north of Prague have voted overwhelmingly against a plan aiming to turn a local airstrip into a new international airport. Under the plan, Letiště Vodochody would be transformed into a second airport serving the Czech capital, with around 1.5 million travellers or more processed each year. But many locals are worried that the new site will have a negative impact: traffic, noise pollution, property devaluation.

After months of deliberation, the Vatican has chosen the new archbishop of Prague, who traditionally ranks first among the country’s bishops. On Saturday, church officials announced that Dominik Duka, the current bishop of Hradec Králové, will succeed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk as the new head of the country’s Roman Catholic Church.

Concertino Praga – Czech Radio’s prestigious international competition for young musicians – has just announced the winners of this year’s event. The aim of the competition, which was established in 1966, is to search for talented young musicians all over Europe and help them embark on a professional career. Ruth Fraňková has more.

The Human Rights Minister, Michael Kocáb, has just unveiled a tool for internet users to report illegal material on the internet. In the four days it has been in operation though, the Red Button, as it’s called, may itself have come afoul of the law, reporting also its users’ personal data.

The Czech Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes has launched an on-line research project which will unearth more about the practices of the country’s communist regime. The institute wants to collect and publish the personal histories of all those who were killed trying to flee communist Czechoslovakia.

Last May a Czech photographer and graphic artist created a fake website called 'rent-a-baby.cz', to help draw attention to the high numbers of Czech children languishing in children's homes or orphanages. The website appeared at an exhibition called 'family happiness' that was supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. So imagine Jana's surprise when she was told eight months later that the same ministry had filed criminal charges against her...for trafficking in children.