Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy March 10 to protest the occupation of Tibet. Environment Minister Martin Bursík, chairman of the Green Party, flies the Tibetan flag every year to commemorate the March 10 anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation. Bursík was criticized by the Chinese Embassy in Prague.

Some districts of Prague are planning to replace social welfare payments with a voucher system, the daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported March 9. The vouchers can only be redeemed for necessities such as food and clothing and not for alcohol or cigarettes. So far Pragues 2, 6 and 12 have signed on for the plan.

Continuing talks between the government and the Catholic Church have left the two sides close to reaching a deal on ownership of St. Vitus Cathedral. The church has agreed to turn over the cathedral but has not set a date. In February, the supreme court sent the battle for St. Vitus back to the lower court, which will discuss it again May 3.

Vladimír Doležal, a former deputy for the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), was acquitted March 8 of corruption charges. Doležal was charged in January 2006 with allegedly demanding an 800,000 Kč ($37,300) bribe from Prague 10 District Councilor Tomáš Hrdlička (ODS), head of the local zoning committee.