Czech News 10.07.2014 - 03.07.2014

CR: 10.07.2014

Czechs honour four soldiers killed in Afghanistan suicide attack

Sirens sounded and bells tolled across the Czech Republic at midday on Thursday in homage to the four Czech soldiers who were killed in a bomb attack near the Bagram airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday. A fifth Czech who was seriously injured has been operated on again in hospital and is said to be in a stable but serious condition. He will not be able to return home for at least 10 days.

The bodies of the four in coffins draped with the national flag were airlifted back to Prague’s Kbely military airport on Thursday afternoon. President Miloš Zeman, Defense Ministry officials and members of the soldiers’ special unit were present to pay their respects. Flags have been being flown at half mast and candles light. All four soldiers will be awarded medals for bravery in memoriam. President Zeman said the men’s actions in Afghanistan helped protect civilians from attack at home and that was the main significance of their sacrifice.

Parachutists from the brigade in Chrudim, eastern Bohemia, where three of the four dead soldiers were based will start a public collection. Money collected will be divided between the families of the bereaved.

Pressure for Czech EU Commission selection grows

Czech media reported Thursday mounting pressure to select a new European Commissioner as other countries have already made their choice and deals over the hand out of portfolio’s start. The two main government parties, the Social Democrats and ANO, have each put forward their own candidates and in recent weeks have refused to concede. The daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported that one option that has surfaced is to keep current Czech commission Štefan Füle on. Another possibility might be ANO Minister for Regional Development Věra Jourová, be nominated for the post,it said. The business daily Hospodářské Noviny said a vote in the Cabinet might be called for in which the chances would increase that Social Democrat nominee Pavel Mertík would win.

Czech Republic chastised over failing to carry out air traffic shake-up

The Czech Republic has been criticized by the European Commission along with 17 other countries for failing to take steps for reorganizing its airspace management in line with European rules aimed at establishing more efficient and cheaper routes for planes. The decade old European rules calls for countries to cooperate by organising air traffic in functional blocks instead of along more traditional national lines. Czech neighbours Poland and Slovakia are also fingered for failing to make the required changes.

Two Czech children seriously injured on holiday in Croatia

Two Czech children are reported to have been seriously injured in a boat collision off the island of Hvar in Croatia, local media have reported. The two girls, both under the age of ten, are reported to have been airlifted to a hospital in Split in serious condition. The slobodnadalmacia.hr news site says one of them underwent brain surgery and both remain in intensive care.

European court rules on Czech surveillance camera case

A European court has failed to give a clear ruling on a Czech case focused on whether a property owner has the right to install and surveillance cameras and make use of the footage. The case has ended up before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg after a journalist in Tábor installed cameras after persistent attacks on his house. Footage of two suspects breaking into his home was captured in 2007 and they were identified as a result. But the home owner was then fined by the Office for Protection of Personal Data because the cameras took in part of a public street as well. The advocate general pushed back the case to Czech courts saying that they would have to decide whether the use of the cameras was an exceptional circumstance which took precedence over privacy.

PM Bohuslav Sobotka continues ministry tour at transport

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has continued his tour of ministries with a visit to the Ministry of Transport and its head Antonín Prachař on Thursday. Prachař said that work on the D11 motorway from Prague to Hradec Králové and onwards to Trutnov and the Polish border should start in a few weeks. Effects of a landslide which disrupted work on the D8 motorway to Teplice should be dealt with by the end of the year, the minister added. There was no need to change the planned route of the motorway, he added. Mr. Sobotka stressed the importance of a high speed rail link between Prague and Munich, adding that there was a lot of room for rail services to neighbouring Germany to be improved.

Zdeněk Svěrák awarded president’s prize at Karlovy Vary festival

Czech film actor, scriptwriter, director, and writer Zdeněk Svěrák ws awarded the president’s prize at the International Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Thursday for his lifetime contribution to cinema. The 78-year-old Czech, who won an Oscar in 1996 for the film Kolya in which he starred and directed, was given a standing ovation at the presentation in the spa town. Svěrák, whose films often contain a large dose of humour, said laughter was the main reward for his work.

Police swoop on South Bohemia auto theft gang

Police in South Bohemia say they have caught a gang responsible for stealing a total of around 30 cars, motorbikes, and tractors. The apprehended men are aged between 29 and 40 and could face prison sentences of up to eight years if they are found guilty. Goods were stolen almost daily and many of the vehicles were broken up and sold as spares. For the tractors though, documents were falsified and the group sought to sell them to farmers. The dauntless gang also apparently stole even from the police, with an engine from a car driven by a policemen found mounted in one of the alleged ringleader’s vehicles.

Last day of the Kunín jackal

A jackal has been shot by a hunter near Kunín in the eastern Moravia-Silesia region. The hunter apparently mistook the animal for a fox. It is the first time that a jackal has been found in the part of the Czech Republic though they have been spotted in the past in South Moravia and in Central Bohemia. The jackal is now set to be preserved and put on show at the local museum in Nový Jičín.

Czechs to honour soldiers killed in Afghanistan

The remains of the four Czech soldiers killed in Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Afghanistan will be flown back to the Czech Republic on Thursday. The government special is expected to arrive at Kbely airport around 13 pm CET. President Miloš Zeman, Defense Ministry officials and members of the soldiers’ special unit will be present to pay their respects. Flags are being flown at half mast and at noon bells will toll and sirens will sound around the country in their memory. All four soldiers will be awarded medals for bravery in memoriam.

09.07.2014

Czech soldier wounded in Afghan bombing reported to be in serious but stable condition

The Czech solider who was wounded in Tuesday’s terrorist suicide bombing in Afghanistan remains in serious but stable condition, a Czech military source reported on Wednesday. The soldier, who was flown to a US military hospital, has undergone two emergency operations and is likely to remain in Afghanistan for another 10 to 14 days. Four Czech soldiers were killed in the bombing, which also claimed the lives of ten Afghan children and two police officers.

Bells to toll on Thursday for soldiers killed in action

Cabinet members on Wednesday held a minute of silence as a mark of respect for the four Czech soldiers killed in Afghanistan and the government ordered sirens to go off and bells to toll around the country in their memory at midday on Thursday. They will also be awarded medals for bravery in memoriam by the president. The country will not be holding a day of mourning as such. A government plane is to leave for Afghanistan later today to repatriate the soldiers’ remains. Details about funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.

Afghan president denounces terrorist attack

The President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has denounced the Tuesday bombing as a cowardly and unforgivable act that took the lives of innocent civilians, including many children. In a statement published in the Kabul Times the Afghan president said such actions were not compatible with the teachings of Islam. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday.

NGOs call on government to renew its commitment to human rights

Ten Czech human right groups and NGOs have written an open letter to the prime minister, foreign minister and minister for human rights asking them to renew the country’s commitment to supporting human rights around the world. Among the signatories are Czechs in support of Tibet, the Czech branch of Amnesty International, the Vaclav Havel Library and People in Need. The centre-left government of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has been accused of downgrading support for human rights in return for furthering the country’s business interests. Czech and Chinese officials recently signed an agreement on boosting trade, which included a passage saying that the Czech Republic respects the territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China and does not support the independence of Tibet.

Israeli ambassador to Prague not ruling out massive ground operation

The Israeli ambassador to Prague Gary Koren is not ruling out a massive ground operation if Hamas attacks from the Gaza Strip do not cease. In an interview for the ctk news agency Ambassador Koren said that while the Israeli government favoured a ceasefire agreement it would not hesitate to protect its citizens. Violence along the Gaza frontier sharply escalated following the abduction and killing of three Jewish seminary students in the occupied West Bank three weeks ago.

Details emerge from smuggled KGB files relating to Prague Spring events

Details have emerged from the KGB files smuggled out of Russia in 1992 by senior KGB official Vasili Mitrokhin, which Britain declassified last week. Some of the files relate to an operation code-named Progress in which 15 Russian agents were sent to Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1968 to undermine the Prague Spring pro-democracy movement. They targeted journalists from Czechoslovak radio and television, academics from Charles University, members of the Christian Democratic Party and writers such as Pavel Kohout and Milan Kundera. Operation Progress was launched by then KGB chief Jurii Andropov. The files can be viewed at Cambridge University.

Slovak president on state visit to Czech Republic

Slovak President Andrej Kiska who is on a state visit to the Czech Republic has been received with military honours at Prague Castle by President Miloš Zeman. The heads of state expressed satisfaction with regard to the countries’ above-standard bilateral relations, though they agreed that there was room for improvement, such as improving the motorway connection between the two countries. They also discussed military cooperation and possible cooperation on foreign markets. The Slovak head of state will later meet with Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Senate chairman Milan Stěch.

EU Commission has long list of reservations over Czech plans to pump funds: report

The European Commission in Brussels has dispatched a long list of reservations about the Czech Republic’s plans to pump EU funds over next financing period until 2020. The daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported Wednesday that the list contains 88 specific reservations over the Czech strategy in the so-called Partnership Agreement. These cover, for example, the heavy onus on constructing incineration plants to deal with household waste, questions why past information technology programmes and investments have been such a shambles, and why plans to burn more biomass in power plants are not linked to cuts in polluting emissions. Overall, the Commission has called for more specific reasons and statistics explaining why certain investment options have been chosen. The Czech Republic is already lagging its neighbours Slovakia and Poland who have already had their Partnership Agreements cleared by Brussels. EU funds over the next seven years for the Czech Republic come to around 550 billion crowns.

Consumer prices stagnating

Czech consumer prices stagnated in a year-on-year as well as month-on-month comparison in June after rising by 0.4 percent annually in May, the Czech Statistics Office said on Wednesday. The result was influenced mainly by a drop in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. A drop in inflation from 0.4 percent in May was generally expected, but a decrease all the way to a zero level is a surprise, analyst Patrik Rožumberský of UniCredit Bank told the ctk news agency. The board of the National Bank expects that the growth of consumer prices will be near the bank’s 2 percent inflation target for next year.

Sparta Prague to face Estonian champions in first Champions League qualifying game

Czech football league and cup champions Sparta Prague will face Estonian league winners Levadia Tallinn next Tuesday as the first hurdle in their to play in the prestigious Champions League. The Estonians beat San Marino club La Fioritu 7:0 at home on Tuesday night to take the two-match fixture 8:0. Sparta will play at home in Prague Tuesday with the return match in Estonia a week later.

08.07.2014

Four Czech soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Four Czech soldiers were killed and several more injured in a suicide terrorist attack in Afghanistan’s Parwan province, where the massive Bagram air base is sited, in the early hours of Tuesday, according to Czech Defence Ministry. The attack is reported to have killed ten civilians and two Afghan policemen.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to the media. Czechs have a contingent of around 150 which helps to protect the air base. Nine soldiers Czech soldiers have died in total during the Afghan mission.

Leading figures express regret, shock, missions will not be affected says PM

In immediate reaction to the deaths, Czech President Miloš Zeman expressed his deep regret for their deaths to the families and his profound recognition for what he described as their part in the struggle against international terrorism. Prime Minister Bohulsav Sobotka said the deaths was shocking and tragic. He added though that they would not influence the continuation of Czech army missions abroad. Defence Minister Martin Stropnický has cut short a holiday to return to Prague and ordered flags at the ministry to fly at half mast.

Czech unemployment total falls to 7.4 percent in June

The Czech unemployment rate slipped by 0.1 of a percentage point to 7.4 percent in June, the national labour office announced on Tuesday. The overall total of those without work still stands above half a million at just over 537,000. The latest fall is said to be largely due to recruitment for summer jobs and the ongoing recovery in the economy. The unemployment total has been dropping consistently since January.

Prime Minister says culture should not be ‘Cinderella’ ministry

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka started a tour of all ministries to check up on their progress on Tuesday. And he said it was not by chance that he selected the Ministry of Culture as the first stop on his ministerial tour. He said that it had become a Cinderella ministry over recent years and had borne the brunt of spending cuts. He said he wanted to change that and by the end the government’s term to boost its budget to around one percent of Gross Domestic Product. The prime minister also said steps would also have to be taken to address lower than average wages in the culture sector although many employed there are graduates. But he also suggested that the ministry become more involved in preparations to marks major events, such as next year’s 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus, and a Czech-Bavarian exhibition being prepared.

Weather office warns of storms, flash floods

The Czech weather office warned Tuesday of the possibility of severe storms across the country with the likelihood of hail and rainfall in some places of up to 50 millimetres. Wind speeds could increase to as high as 75 kilometres an hour and flash floods could occur, the office added. Rail links in the Liberec region were already cut on Tuesday. Storms on Monday night felled trees and disrupted transport with even the Prague tram system cut at one point because of flooding.

Drought conditions threatened in north Bohemia

In spite of the heavy storms, water authorities in the north of Bohemia say they are facing some of the most serious water shortages in the last 50 years. The reservoir at Chomutov, the fifth biggest in the country, is at the lowest level since it was constructed at the end of the 1960’s and tankers with drinking water are being prepared in the case the situation becomes worse. Bans on pumping water from streams and rivers are already in place at numerous localities across the region. The main problem stems from low snowfall in the winter which helps to fill up reservoirs and ground water reserves. Temporary storms will not resolve the problem, authorities say.

German mayors warn of Czech retaliation for road toll measure

Mayors on the German side of the Czech border have warned of the consequences of tolls that Germany intends to impose on foreign drivers from the start of 2016. The proposed tolls were unveiled by Minister of Transport Alexander Dobrindt on Monday and hit drivers even making short trips across the border on local roads. Mayors from towns and villages along the border have warned that Czech authorities could be tempted to retaliate in kind and impose similar tolls on foreign drivers on local routes and highways. At the moment Czech tolls apply only to motorways and apply to all drivers. The new German toll is expected to cost around 2,400 crowns a year.

Travel agency goes bust, Czechs should be able to continue holidays

The Brno-based travel agency Monmare has announced it has gone out of business and declared bankruptcy. It is the second major Czech travel agency to crash so far this year. The company said that low prices on the travel market meant that it could not cover its costs and continue. The agency said it has 86 Czech tourists abroad at the moment, most in Bulgaria but some in Turkey. They will not apparently be forced to cut short their holidays and special measures to get them home will not be required.

Murder trial renewed after mix up over accused’s age

A court in Plzeň has been forced to reopen a murder trial because of a mix-up over the age of the accused. The man, Hieu Nguyen Manh, was originally sentenced to four years for the murder of his girlfriend on the grounds that he was 17 years old at the time of the crime. In now turns out that he is 21 months older than he appears on his passport given out when he arrived in the Czech Republic aged 13. As a result he counts as an adult and could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

PM to make an inspection round of all ministries

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is to pay a series of inspection visits to all ministries in the next few days to be briefed in detail on their plans and priorities. On Tuesday he is to visit the Ministry of Culture where Culture Minister Daniel Herman will inform him on the reconstruction of Czech cultural monuments, support for Czech film and other plans in the pipeline. The Czech government wants to gradually increase financing for culture to 1 percent of the GDP, which is the present European standard.

07.07.2014

Britain declassifies KGB files relevant to Prague Spring events

The British authorities have declassified part of a large collection of KGB files smuggled out of Russia in 1992 by senior KGB official Vasili Mitrokhin, the AP news agency reported on Monday. The so-called “Mitrokhin archive” is considered to be the biggest and most significant collection of documents relating to the work of the KGB and its agents. Among others, the files list undercover agents sent to Czechoslovakia to infiltrate the dissidents behind the 1968 Prague Spring pro-democracy movement. The declassified files can be viewed at Cambridge University.

Energy Regulatory Office slams draft amendment to energy law

The head of the Energy Regulatory Office Alena Vitásková has criticized the government-proposed amendment to the energy law. At a press briefing in Prague on Monday Ms. Vitásková said that the law should guarantee fair and equal rights to all players on the energy scene, noting that in its present form the draft law would create a privileged space for monopoly producers and distributers and disadvantage consumers. The Industry and Trade Ministry which drafted the amendment has not so far responded to the criticism.

Czech-Vietnamese cooperation in cracking down on drug related crime

A group of Vietnamese police officers and lawyers are due to arrive in the Czech Republic later this month to help the Czech authorities deal with the Vietnamese community’s growing involvement in drug-related crime. The officers will serve as undercover agents and try to infiltrate Vietnamese drug gangs which are involved in growing marihuana and trafficking the home-made drug crystal methamphetamine not only in the Czech Republic but to neighbouring Germany. Following Czech-German talks on cracking down on cross border crime last month, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec on Monday met with his Vietnamese counterpart in Prague to consider effective means of addressing the problem.

Government expresses serious interest in acquiring OKD coal mining company

If the mining company New World Resources were to put the Ostrava black coal mining company OKD on sale the government would seriously consider acquiring it, Industry and Trade Minister Jan Mládek told Czech public television on Monday. He said the government would like to see OKD, which employs around 14,000 people, kept in operation for another 10 years. New World Resources said last week it was preparing for the possible sale of its unprofitable daughter companies, including OKD. OKD runs four mines in the Czech Republic, including the Paskov mine in North Moravia, which it plans to close in three years’ time.

Jiří Dienstbier seeks to ease European concerns over civil service law

Minister for human rights, equal rights and legislation Jiří Dienstbier is due in Brussels Monday to try and win European Commission support for Czech proposals on a new civil service law. The Commission has said that billions of crowns in EU funding depends on whether the Czech Republic implements an acceptable framework for an independent and professional civil service. It is the last country in the EU to have put such a framework in place. The government has put its proposal to parliament with most of the provisions set to take effect from 2016. However, the Commission is said to be concerned that some of the measures will not be in force until a year later in 2017. Amongst others, Dienstbier is due to meet Social Affairs Laslo Andor with an overall agreement on how to use social and investment funds up till 2020 one of the issues.

Constitutional Court to deliberate vaccination controversy

The Constitutional Court is to review two laws which ban children who have not been vaccinated against serious vaccine-preventable diseases from attending pre-school facilities. The law on public health stipulates that in order to protect others these institutions can only enrol children who have the shots recommended by the national immunization schedule. The court is to deliberate the matter on the grounds of a complaint from parents who feel that this is discriminatory. An increasing number of parents are refusing to get their children vaccinated on the basis of studies which suggest this could put them at risk.

Film production turnover surges in 2014, advertising shoots down

Film production turnover in the Czech Republic rose last year by more than 20 percent from just over 4 billion crowns to over 5 billion, according to the Audiovisual Producers’ Association. The association highlighted an 82 percent jump to just over 2.8 billion in the production companies turnover related to foreign film shoots. One of the reasons for the surge in business was the increase in 2013 in the budget for incentives for foreign film productions from 300 million to 500 million crowns. The government has decided to boost the budget for next year to 800 million crowns. The association also pointed out the shrinking budget spent by advertisers with one of the problems higher fees on the main Czech commercial television channels.

Money being squandered in public procurement

The Supreme Audit Office has found huge discrepancies in operation costs at various public institutions, the ctk news agency reports. For instance the differences in cost in procuring office equipment or vehicle maintenance were huge and some institutions paid ten times more than others for employee education programmes. Finance Minister Andrej Babiš has repeatedly criticized what he calls squandering of public funds at ministries and public institutions and the government is planning to introduce central purchasing as a way of saving money and bringing greater transparency to the process of public procurement.

Slovak president to visit Czech Republic

Slovak President Andrej Kiska is due to arrive in Prague on Tuesday for a two-day visit. He is to be received with military honours at Prague Castle by President Miloš Zeman and later meet with Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Senate chairman Milan Stěch. The Czech Republic and Slovakia spent 73 years in a common state and the two countries enjoy above-standard bilateral relations.

Police searching for hoax caller targeting central bank

Police are searching for a hoax caller whose threats have closed the central bank’s Ostrava headquarters three times in as many weeks. The latest incident happened place on Monday morning when the building was evacuated in the wake of an anonymous bomb threat. The police are investigating the case as scaremongering under which the culprit could get up to five years in prison.

06.07.2014

Karlovy Vary: Lech Walesa to be present at director’s cut of Andrzej Wajda biopic

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival continues on its second day with the spotlight perhaps on the world premiere screening of the director’s cut of Andrzej Wajda’s film ‘Walesa: Man of Hope’. The version of the film will be screened in the presence of former Polish dissident and leader of the Gdansk shipyard strikes that helped to topple the Communist regime, Lech Walesa. As well as the former Polish president the lead actors of the film will also be present. Later on Sunday, French actor and director Fanny Ardent will present her latest film ‘Obsessive Rhythms.’

Lech Walesa attacks lack of global solidarity

In an interview on Czech Television Sunday, Lech Walesa repeated warnings about the lack of solidarity in dealing with worldwide and European problems. The situation in Belarus and willingness to tackle ecological and climate problems, were examples, he said. Walesa also attacked the level of democracy in his own country saying that a democratic framework was in place but apathy reigned and the supplementary steps to make the democratic system work well were lacking. Former Czechoslovak prime minister and leader of the Czech Senate Petr Pithart echoed some of the criticisms, highlighting for example the Ukraine crisis and France’s willingness to sell large warships to Russia and Germany’s former approval for gas pipelines from Russia that would bypass Poland.

Jan Hus commemorated on anniversary of execution

Commemorations are taking place on the 599th anniversary of the execution of Bohemian church reformer Jan Hus in Constance, Germany, in 1415. July 6 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. A sermon will be read in the Bethlehem chapel in central Prague, where Hus preached, with events taking place at his birthplace, Husinec, and at Constance. Hus was tried and burnt at the stake for alleged heresy against the Catholic Church, where a new exhibition about him has been prepared. The main target of Hus’ attacks were the sale of indulgences and corruption in the Catholic Church. Religious wars followed the execution as Hus’ followers attempted to safeguard their religious beliefs.

Fish stocks threatened by low water levels

Czech fish farms and anglers’ associations say hot weather and insufficient rain are devastating stock. Some fish have had to be transferred to other pons in the south of the country because they are suffocating where they are, the news server Novinky.cz reported on Sunday. The low levels of ponds and rivers are also leaving fish easy prey to cormorants. Low water levels have also resulted in the fast spread of a parasitic infection of fish which causes dark spots on their skin and leaves them open to other infections.

Prime Minister to embark on ministry tour

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is to launch a summer tour of ministries starting with the Ministry of Culture on Tuesday. The series of visits is expected to check on how they are performing and fulfilling the coalition programme around half a year after he was sworn into office and the government was formed. The visit to the Ministry of Culture will be followed by inspections at the education and transport ministries. In spite of rumours that Minister of Justice Helena Válková might be for the chop if further problems occur at her ministry, the prime minister is not believed to be preparing any changes in his Cabinet team for the moment.

Traditional Race of Kings takes place in Hluk

The traditional Ride of the Kings took place Sunday in the south-eastern town of Hluk. The ride takes place every year and is part of traditional folklore in the region where a young by dressed in traditional costume and his retinue enter the town. The tradition has been included in UNESCO’s list of cultural events. Hluk, like most similar towns, holds the event every three years with the town of Vlčnov the only one to hold it annually. The tradition is sometimes said to date back to the flight of a Hungarian king in the 15th century disguised in women’s clothes after losing a battle.

Weather office warns of high temperatures, storms

The Czech weather office has warned of high temperatures and the possibility of violent storms across the country on Monday. Temperatures could rise to up to 33 degrees Celsius, the office said. The heat wave will be broken by violent storms coming in from the west with the likelihood of hail and possibility of flash floods. Winds could reach speeds of up to 75 kilometres an hour.

05.07.2014

Petra Kvitová wins second Wimbledon final in straight sets

Petra Kvitová won her second women’s singles title with a 6:3, 6:0 demolition of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard on Saturday in less than an hour. The win is the 24-yer-old Czech’s second Grand Slam success after triumphing at Wimbledon in 2011. Following that win her form has been intermittent. Kvitová went into the final as the favourite against the young Canadian who was in her first Grand Slam final. Kvitová, who was seeded sixth for the championships, dominated the match, in particular thanks to powerful forehand crosscourt winners.

Petra Kvitová hopes for easier adjustment after the Wimbledon win

Petra Kvitová thanked her back up team and family which turned up to witness her triumph. She said her team had worked out a strategy for the final and it paid off. She admitted in the post match interview that she had struggled after her first Wimbledon win in 2011 but hoped that after the second it would be easier. The final was watched by Czech-born nine times Wimbledon singles winner Martina Navrátilová and 1998 Czech singles winner Jana Novotná. Kvitová should move up to fourth ranked women’s player in the world following the Wimbledon win.

Mel Gibson launches Karlovy Vary film festival

The 49th International Film Festival at Karlovy Vary started on Friday night with Oscar winning Oscar winning actor and director Mel Gibson being awarded a Crystal Globe for his lifetime contribution to cinema. Gibson, who admitted it was his first time in the Czech Republic, mixed with crowds of fans and signed autographs before an open air screening of his cult film ‘Mad Max’ from 1979. His last film, Apocalypto, from 2006, will be shown later in the week. He has just finished the filming of Blood Father, in which he stars as a father of an estranged daughter who is being sought by drug dealers.

Mel Gibson dismisses Jewish protests over star guest status at festival

Gibson’s star guest status at Karlovy Vary has been attacked by Jewish groups in the Czech Republic who highlighted past comments deemed to be anti-Semitic. In an interview at the festival’s launch, Gibson said he had tried to deal with those complaints and dismissed them as ‘just noise.’ The head of the Jewish Community, Petr Papoušek, in a letter to the festival’s organising committee accused Gibson of propagating xenophobic and anti-Jewish sentiments and regretted the film festival had invited him as its star guest. Gibson was criticized for his depiction of Jews in the film, The Passion of the Christ, which he directed and was also caught on tape in an anti-Semitic rant in 2006.

Police reported to have tracked fugitive Czech businessman to London

Police have a lead that on the run Czech businessman František Savov has sought refuge in London. The news server Insider said that police had got information on his whereabouts from wiretaps of conversations. Savov, who has been sought since March in connection with suspected tax evasion totalling billions of crowns, is the owner of a series of the Mladá Fronta publishing house and a series of publications including the business paper E15 and magazine Euro.

Czechs mark state holiday of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Czechs have been marking the state holiday of St. Cyril and Methodius on Saturday. One of the main events was the culmination of the tradition pilgrimage festival at Velehrad in South Moravia at the site where the two saints helped establish Christianity more than 1150 years ago and translated the bible in Slavic languages. In a sermon Prague Cardinal Dominík Duka highlighted how Czechs still owe much to the legacy of the two brothers from Byzantium with the greatest heritage being spiritual not material.

Construction company starts to secure dangerous rock face at Děčín

A construction company started work Saturday on making safe part of a steep rock face at Děčín in the north of the country where around 25 tonnes of rocks and heavy boulders fell last weekend. Some of the boulders fell amid houses lower down which have been evacuated. Permission for the work to start was given Friday by the local council. It is hoping that the state forestry company which owns the land will contribute to covering at least half the costs of the emergency work.

Decisive Austro-Prussian war re-enacted near Hradec Králové

Around 400 military enthusiasts with horses and field guns re-enacted the 1866 battle of Chlum u Sadov, north of Hradec Králové, on Saturday. The original battle pitted a 215,000 strong Austro-Saxon army against a slightly stronger Prussian army. The battle gave the Prussians a decisive win in the campaign and the leadership of German-speaking nations in Central Europe for the following decades. Participants in the re-enactment came from across Europe and as far away as the United States. The 1866 battle was the second biggest held on European soil during the 19th century.

04.07.2014

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicks off

The 49th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicks off in the west Bohemian spa town on Friday night with a red-carpet ceremony at the Thermal Hotel. Among the festival’s guests this year is US actor and director Mel Gibson who is set to receive a Crystal Globe award for lifetime achievement. Seven films will have their world premieres at the festival including the Czech movies All My Tomorrows and the documentary film Magic Voice of a Rebel. The Karlovy Vary festival runs until July 12.

Social Democrats launch inner-party referendum on ballot nomination rules

The coalition Social Democrats have launched a first ever referendum on changes to the inner workings of the party. Ballots were sent to some 22.500 party members on Friday, asking them whether election candidates should be approved by all party members in their voting district, whether to introduce a 40-percent quota for women on Social Democrat ballots, and whether the party should spearhead legislative efforts to limit the number of paid public offices held by one person. Social Democrat party members have until August 3 to return the ballots. Prime Minister and party chair Bohuslav Sobotka said he hoped the vote would revive the party and attract new members.

New car registrations up by 16 pct between January and June

More than 94,000 new cars were registered in the Czech Republic in the first six months of the year, which was some 16.4 percent more than in the same period last year, according to figures released on Friday by the country’s Car Importers Association. Sales of trucks, light utility vehicles, and buses also registered an increase. Škoda remains the most popular brand in the Czech Republic with a 30-percent market share, followed by Volkswagen with 9.3 percent and Hyundai with 9.1 percent. Analysts expect car sales for the entire year will see a 5-percent annual increase. However, only 4 percent of the country’s vehicle fleet are annually renewed, one of the lowest rates in Europe, according to the Car Importers Association.

Apolinář hospital opens ward for children with alcohol and drug addictions

Apolinář hospital in Prague has opened a special ward for minors suffering from alcohol, drug or gambling addictions. A survey among doctors revealed a growing need for such a facility with 5,000 potential underage patients in Prague and central Bohemia alone. Children sample their first alcoholic beverages at around 11 years and come into contact with drugs at around 13 years of age on average. 60 percent of Czech teenagers reportedly drink alcohol on a regular basis.

Heavy storms with hail to hit parts of Czech Republic

Meteorologists have warned of heavy storms with hail and torrential rain that will hit parts of the Czech Republic on Saturday. The storms should first reach southeast and southwest Czech Republic and move towards northeast across central and eastern Bohemia and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Rivers and streams in the affected areas are likely to swell and possibly flood roads, streets and houses, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said on Friday.

Tens of thousands expected at Cyril and Methodius celebration

Up to 30,000 pilgrims from the Czech Republic and abroad are expected to mark the anniversary of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Velehrad, in South Moravia, over the weekend, the news website novinky.cz reported. The event, commemorating the Christian missionaries, kicks off on Friday with a concert; on Saturday, Cardinal Dominik Duka and Olomouc Archbishop Jan Graubner will celebrate a mass at the Velehrad basilica. The Byzantine brothers Cyril and Methodius arrived in Great Moravia in 863, preaching the Gospel in a Slavic language.

Czech scientists patent new method of neck, head cancer treatment

Scientists from Prague’s Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences have patented a new method of biological treatment of neck and head cancer, the head of the research team, Karel Smetana from Charles University said. The method, which is much less devastating for patients than those currently in use, is based on supressing the activity of genes that convey information between cancer cells and connective tissue cells in areas affected by tumours. If clinical tests confirm the method’s effectiveness, it could be introduced in some 10 or 15 years’ time, the scientists said.

Police: Suicide attempt behind Havířov gas blast

The police have charged a 47-year-old man over a gas explosion that occurred in the north-eastern town Havířov on Monday. Investigators believe the man set fire to gas in his apartment which resulted in a blast that damaged the building. No one else was injured in the incident but the police said at the lives of least 12 people were at risk. If convicted, the man would face up to eight years in prison.

Czech police arrest three men suspected of dealing with terrorists

The Czech police have arrested three men suspected of cooperating with terrorists who are wanted by the US authorities. The two African and one Ukrainian national are in custody in Prague. The three reportedly attempted to sell drugs and weapons to the tune of 160 million crowns to two undercover US agents posing as Colombian terrorists. The suspects face charges of drug-trafficking, money laundering and illegal arms trafficking.

Czechs knocked out of Wimbledon doubles

Czech Republic’s Radek Štepánek and Leander Paes of India were knocked out of Wimbledon doubles after they lost to the Canadian-US pair Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the tournament’s semi-finals on Friday. In the semi-finals of ladies doubles, the Czech-Chinese pair Andrea Hlaváčková, Jie Zheng lost to the Italians Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-2.

03.07.2014

Czech PM says Czech Republic has not abandoned Havel’s legacy

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has rejected the notion that under his leadership the Czech Republic has gradually been abandoning the late president Vaclav Havel’s legacy with respect to democratic principles and human rights observance in the world. In an interview for the ctk news agency Mr. Sobotka said that since taking office in January of 2014 his cabinet had considerably improved the country’s image abroad and was more successful than its predecessors in promoting Czech interests in the European Union. The coalition government has come under fire for fueling business ties with China at the cost of downgrading its support for Tibet. Mr. Sobotka said the Czech Republic was not ignoring human rights issues, merely strengthening economic diplomacy.

Czech PM to visit US for unveiling of Havel’s bust in Congress

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka will visit the United States in November where he will attend the unveiling of a bust of the late president Vaclav Havel in the U.S. Congress, the ctk news agency reports. The unveiling ceremony has been scheduled to take place on the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. In 1990, the late Czech president delivered one of his most famous speeches before the U.S. Congress.

eMoney Services files law suit against Prague

The company eMoney Services, which owns the rights to the Prague multi-purpose Opencard has filed a law suit against the city of Prague and the Prague Transport Authority. The company claims it is owed 40 million crowns for rights to the card and another 30 million crowns for services provided for Opencard’s operation. City Hall has been locked in a drawn-out dispute with eMoneyServices and took over the running of the card after the contract for its operation expired. However it lacks the right to change or re-programme the existing software. Prague’s Municipal Court recently issued a preliminary order preventing the firm eMoneyServices from blocking Prague’s transport card, a step that would have affected close to one million city transport users.

Bavarian prime minister in Prague

Visiting Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer on Thursday met for talks with the Czech head of government Bohuslav Sobotka. The two officials signed an agreement on strengthening cooperation in business, science and education. Fighting cross-border crime was also a topic high on the agenda since the Bavarian authorities are having an increasing problem with home-made drugs smuggled across the border from the Czech Republic. Bavaria will open an official representation in Prague later this year which should further improve bilateral relations, long hampered by the controversial Beneš decrees.

Coalition parties patch up rift over company board positions

Coalition parties appear to have patched up but not fully resolved their clash over the share out of seats on supervisory boards of state companies. Last week’s move by ANO leader and finance minister, Andrej Babiš, to replace a swathe of board members at state controlled power company ČEZ with his nominees created anger, particularly from the smallest party the Christian Democrats, which found it had no representative on the board. Wednesday’s meeting of party leaders resulted in agreement that the Christian Democrats would put forward its candidate to be reviewed by the finance ministry. Social Democrat leader and prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka admitted afterwards that full agreement had not been reached. ANO bosses continued to argue that the ministry responsible for the state company should have the right to decide how to fill the board, a policy which is in conflict with the share out policy of recent years.

Tickets on sale for Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Hundreds of film fans have been queuing up for tickets to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival which is due to kick off on Friday. The festival offers viewers over 200 films, including seven international premieres, two Czech premieres and, for the first time ever, an animated film. The festival will open with the international premiere of the American sci-fi I Origins, which will be personally introduced by the film’s lead actor Michael Pitt, director Mike Cahill and actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey. Among this year’s celebrity guests are Mel Gibson, Michael Pitt, French actress Fanny Ardante who will present her third film Obsessive Rhythms for which she wrote the screenplay and directed and award-winning Hollywood actress Laura Dern.

Czech Jewish community not happy about Mel Gibson’s presence at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

The Czech Jewish community has protested against the presence of American actor Mel Gibson at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the fact that he is to be presented with the Crystal Globe Award in recognition of his contribution to world cinema. In a letter sent to the festival’s president the Jewish community says that Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ portrays Jews as evil and bloodthirsty enemies of Jesus and argues that the award presented to him may fuel anti-Semitism.

Czech entomologist discovers unknown spider

Czech entomologist Milan Řezáč has discovered an unknown spider species in the Macocha abyss in south Moravia, the ctk news agency reports. The spider is from the Harpactea family and has been given the working name “six-eyed-spider”. Řezáč, who earlier discovered a new spider species in Israel, will publish a description of his latest find in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Petra Kvitová secures place in Wimbledon final

2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová beat her friend and compatriot Lucie Šafářová 7:6, 6:1 in an all Czech semi-final on Thursday, opening the way for her third final at Wimbledon. On Thursday she will face either Romania’s Simona Halep or Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard hoping to win a second Grand Slam title.

Petr Čech’s agent says keeper’s future is with Chelsea

In football, Czech and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech is being counted on by the London club for the upcoming season and longer term future. Čech’s agent Viktor Kolář said a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain or Monoco is out of the question at the moment and the Czech keeper is part of Chelsea’s long term plans. His comments appeared in Thursday’s edition of the daily Hospodářské Noviny. Rumours of a transfer for Čech and his replacement by on-loan Chelsea and Belgian national keeper Thibaut Courtois have been circulating for some time.