Daily news summary
No damage done to Charles Bridge by unauthorised graffiti clean-up
An expert analysis has confirmed that no damage was done to Charles Bridge by the unauthorised removal of graffiti from one of its support pillars.
Meanwhile the man responsible for the clean-up job has come forward to explain his motivation to the authorities.
According to the police the man is a professional, who makes a living removing graffiti from buildings. The man reportedly denied that he had cleaned-up the graffiti as a PR stunt and said he had removed the graffiti with steam and hot water so as not to damage the centuries-old stones.
He said he had decided to act because time was running out and after a fortnight it would have been hard to remove the graffiti without using chemicals.
Extreme drought now on 75 percent of Czech territory
Seventy-five percent of Czech territory is now suffering from extreme drought due to high temperatures and high evaporation levels from the soil and water surfaces.
According to the Czech Hydro-meteorological Institute the isolated storms and rain-showers over the past few days brought only partial relief in places and did not improve the overall situation.
Water management facilities have been taking drought regulation measures on the country’s dams, streams and rivers.
Woman served six years for acid attack in Plzeň
The regional court in Plzeň has sentenced a forty-six-year-old woman from Moldova to six years in prison for an acid attack against two men and a woman at a night-club in the city. All three suffered severe burns and had to undergo multiple surgery.
The incident apparently happened during a fight and the woman was trying to protect one of the men involved. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
Slight increase in HIV infections
Doctors have registered 121 new cases of HIV in the first six months of this year, according to the National Reference Laboratory for HIV/AIDS of the State Health Institute in Prague.
Last year the number of infected persons registered was 208 - the lowest in seven years. According to the lab’s data there are currently 3488 persons registered HIV positive in the Czech Republic, of which 3010 are men. 653 persons have developed full-blown AIDS and 307 have died of AIDS.
Czech expats meet in Prague for two-day conference
Czech expats from all around the world will gather in Prague on Thursday for a two-day conference on maintaining their native language skills. The event is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Czech Schools without Borders, a non-profit organisation established in the 1930s with a mission to teach Czech language and culture to Czech children living abroad.
Part of the event, held at the ministry’s Tuscany Palace, will be a Czech Diaspora Day marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.
International Organ Festival kicks off in Prague
The 24th International Festival of Organ Music gets underway in Prague on Thursday. The opening performance at St. James’ Basilica in Prague will be given by US organist Mark Steinbach, who will play a repertoire including Philip Glass and Johann Sebastian Bach. The festival continues until September 19.
Weather forecast
Friday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered showers and daytime highs between 23 and 27 degrees Celsius.
