Daily news summary
Babiš government survives no-confidence vote
The minority coalition government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) has survived a no-confidence vote in the Czech lower house, as expected, with the support of the Communists and no defections from MPs in ANO or Social Democrat parties.
After nearly 17 hours of debate that began on Wednesday afternoon, the actual voting took 20 minutes, with the results in shortly before 4:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Opposition parties had tabled the motion after a preliminary European Commission audit found Mr. Babiš to be in conflict of interest in connection his business affairs.
It was the second time that the Babiš government, which was appointed a year ago on Thursday, faced such a challenge in the Chamber of Deputies.
Bratislava’s Comenius University awards Pavel Rychetský
The Chief Justice of the Czech Constitutional Court and Charter 77 signatory Pavel Rychetský on Thursday received the highest award of Comenius University in Bratislava, the Grand Gold Medal, for his contribution towards the development of democracy, legal science and the rule of law.
The ceremony took place on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the university. Among those who attended the event was the newly elected Slovak president, Zuzana Čaputová and Slovak Prime Minister Petr Pellegrini.
Karlovy Vary film festival ticket sales begin, 180 films on offer
Ticket sales for the 54th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) began on Thursday morning.
This year’s festival features around 180 films, of which 50 will be world or European premieres. Most films will have several screenings, allowing visitors more opportunities to get tickets.
The main stars of this edition will be Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore and her husband, director Bart Freundlich, who along with the actor Billy Crudup will present his new film "After the Wedding".
Other notable guests include actress Patricia Clarkson, who along with Moore will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, and actor and director Casey Affleck, who has an Oscar, Bafta, and Golden Globe to his credit. He will present “Light of My Life,” which he wrote, directed and produced
Prima TV granted license to launch CNN Prima News Channel
Czech Prima TV, the second most popular commercial TV in the Czech Republic, has received a 12-year license from the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting to launch a 24-hour news platform CNN Prima News Channel.
Prima announced its plan to team up with CNN International Commercial in April this year. It said the new channel should be launched in the next 12 months. CNN Prima News should combine international news coverage by the CNN, dubbed or subtitled, with national reporting covered by Prima. Prima TV was established in 1993 and is currently the third most-watched TV station in the country.
Czech carmakers saw record turnover in 2018
The turnover of Czech carmakers and spare parts manufacturers increased by 0.8 percent last year, to a record 1.1 billion crowns, the Czech Automotive Association announced at a press conference on Thursday. Final sales reached 617.5 billion crowns, up by 0.6 percent on 2017.
The growth rate slowed significantly compared to the previous year, when it rose by seven percent. According to the association chairman Bohdan Wojnar, the automotive industry likely reached its peak last year. He also said similar development is expected for 2019.
38.9 degrees recorded on hottest day of 2019 in Czechia
Wednesday was the hottest day so far this year in the Czech Republic, with a high of 38.9 degrees Celsius registered in Doksany in the north-west of the country. It is also the overall Czech temperature record for the month of June. Record temperatures for June 26 were recorded at 90 percent of stations that have been active for over 30 years.
Temperatures should cool a little on Thursday and Friday, but the heatwave is likely to return at the weekend, with daytime highs reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius.
Weather
Friday is expected to be mostly sunny with daytime highs ranging between 23 and 27 degrees Celsius.
