Daily news summary
EU justice commissioner warns against attempts to manipulate European elections
EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has warned against organized disinformation campaigns in the European elections, particularly manipulation from Russia.
In an interview for the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) Jourová said "we cannot allow that even in one member state the election results are tampered with by manipulation.”
The commissioner said these elections were “a fateful choice for Europe” and that organized disinformation campaigns from abroad were seeking to exploit current divisions in society. “Europe needs to be aware," Jourová said.
Protests against Benešová as justice minister to take place for third time
People are set to protest for the third time against the appointment of Marie Benešová as justice minister in Prague, Brno and other Czech cities on Monday evening. Organisers Million Moments for Democracy are demanding the removal of Ms. Benešová and the installation of what they call an independent minister of justice.
Critics have linked her recent appointment by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to the fact that police have recommended that the PM face trial on charges of illicitly acquiring EU subsidies.
Construction of high speed rail network to start in 2025
The construction of a high speed rail network in the country should begin in 2025, the newly-appointed transport minister, Vladmír Kremlík told journalists after a visit to Czech Railroad Management.
The Czech Republic should adhere to French norms for speed trains for which it will pay SNCF Mobilités around 11 million crowns.
The fastest Czech train, the Pendolino, travels at a maximum speed of 150 km per hour on conventional tracks.
Petition against sale of Počerady coal-burning plant to Tykač
Academics and former politicians have written an open letter to the Czech energy utility ČEZ petitioning the management not to sell the Počerady coal-burning electric power plant to entrepreneur Pavel Tykač. The petitioners say its continued operation would be in violation of the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement.
Among the signatories are former prime ministers Petr Pithart and Vladimír Špidla, sociologist Jiřina Šiklová and former environment ministers Bedřich Moldan and Martin Bursík. Members of the public are being encouraged to take a stand as well.
Consumer price growth slows
Year-on-year consumer price growth slowed down to 2.8 percent in April, down from 3.0 percent in March, according to data released by the Czech Statistics Office.
The prices of rents, some food stuffs and petrol went up, while the price of alcohol, tobacco, sugar and eggs decreased.
Analysts predicted that after inflation reached its peak in March it would stagnate and gradually decline.
Slavia beat Plzeň 3:1 to close in on title
Slavia Prague took a major step toward winning the Czech football league by beating their nearest rivals Viktoria Plzeň on Sunday evening. The Prague side’s 3:1 victory leaves them five points ahead of Plzeň. All the game’s goals came after the 80-minute mark.
The match was part of a new “superstructure” in which the top, middle and bottom groups of clubs at the end of the regular season face one another in a round robin system. Sunday’s game was regarded as the toughest test for Slavia, who finished first after 30 rounds.
Weather forecast
Tuesday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered showers and day temperatures between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius.
