Czechs hit the streets over austerity program

Thousands of Czechs have taken to the streets of Prague and other major cities to protest changes to the pension and healthcare systems, as well as austerity measures promoted by the center-right government of Prime Minister Petr Necas. They also called on Necas’ Cabinet and President Vaclav Klaus to resign. Around 2,000 demonstrators protested outside the Czech public television building against what they called biased reporting on their rallies. Several thousand protesters also rallied in Brno, the country's second-largest city, while hundreds took part in demos in other regions of the country.