Daily news summary

NATO changes strategy for patrols in Afghanistan

Czech soldiers serving in NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan will no longer be in the front line of patrols, deputy head of the Joint Operation Centre Štefan Muránský told the daily Pravo.

The NATO command centre changed its strategy after three Czech soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber while patrolling an area near Bagram Military Base in August. In future patrols will be led Afghan soldiers who will be covered by NATO troops.

Thousands attend NATO Days at Mošnov airfield

Tens of thousands of people attended the opening day of the NATO Days and Czech Airforce Days military show at the Mošnov airfield near Ostrava on Saturday.

The event`s main partner this year was the United States, which presented its pilots and military technology at Mošnov for the first time this year.

The biggest attraction was an air show in which military pilots performed various air stunts.

The event, which is one of the largest military air shows in Europe, also celebrated 100 years of the Czechoslovak air force. On display are veteran planes as well as modern fighter jets used by the army.

Constitutional Court turns down complaint by Nikulin

The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic has turned down a third complaint by alleged Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin that he was wrongly refused asylum in the Czech Republic and extradited to the United States to face charges.

The verdict upheld earlier rulings by lower-instance courts which said Nikulin did not have the right to asylum in the Czech Republic on humanitarian grounds.

Nikulin was arrested in Prague in 2016 with both Russian and US authorities calling for him to be handed over.

In March of this year he was extradited to the US where he is suspected of hacking computers at Silicon Valley firms including LinkedIn and Dropbox. The decision sparked protests from Russia and was criticized by President Miloš Zeman.

Tripartite agrees on budget priorities for 2019

Government officials, employers and trade union leaders on Friday approved the priorities outlined in the government’s draft budget for 2019.

The Finance Ministry has proposed a state budget with a 40 billion crown deficit, that envisages a hike in public sector wages, higher pensions and more money for investments.

The government aims to scrap 1300 jobs in public administration, which should save around 3.4 billion crowns.

Woman convicted of hate speech given suspended sentence

The regional court in Tachov has revealed details of the verdict in the case of a 26-year-old woman charged with hate speech against a mixed class of first-graders.

The woman, who was found guilty of inciting racial hatred on social networks was handed a suspended sentence and fined 20,000 crowns. The verdict may still be appealed.

The woman commented on a class photo of largely Romany, Arab and Vietnamese first-graders in a local school, saying they should all be shot. The incident caused public outrage and the school was given special police protection.

Neighbours come together for outdoor festival

More than 100 neighbourhoods in Prague and 23 other towns and cities joined the annual outdoor festival Zažít město jinak (Different City Experience) organized by the civic association Auto*Mat.

Billed as a celebration of public space, the event involves neighbours getting together for a meal outdoors, concerts, theatre performances and workshops.The event has gained increasing popularity and is being held for the thirteenth time this year.

Weather forecast

Sunday should bring clear to partly cloudy skies with day temperatures between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius.