Daily news summary
Nineteen people intoxicated by dangerous synthetic drug
Nineteen people, including a 15-year-old boy, suffered acute intoxication after consuming synthetically made marihuana that appeared on the black market in Ostrava.One drug addict is reported to have died after combining the drug with a heavy dose of alcohol.
Several boxes of the dangerous consignment were reportedly found on a garbage heap on the outskirts of the city and the police fear that there could be thousands of doses of the dangerous substance among drug users.
Officers have so far confiscated 50 packets of the drug and arrested four people.
Comic book depicts milestone events in Czechoslovak history
Palacký University in Olomouc has issued a comic book portraying two milestone periods in Czech history – the events surrounding the birth of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and the Soviet-led invasion of the country in 1968.
The comic book, created by university students on the occasion of the country’s 100th birthday,, was presented to the public within this year’s Street Art Festival in Olomouc and copies of it have been sent to schools around the country. It can also be viewed online.
Summer of 2018 tied for hottest since regular monitoring began
The summers of 2018 and 2003 were the hottest in the Czech Republic since 1961, when meteorologists began measuring average temperatures regularly.
According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), the average temperature for the months of June, July and August was 19.3 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees higher than the average for the summers of 1981 through 2010.
Recently, the ČHMÚ announced that summer 2018 was the hottest ever measured at the Klementinum in Prague, which has the oldest measuring station in the Czech Republic, commissioned in 1775.
Building near Pilsen railway station partly collapsed
A building near the Pilsen railway station partly collapsed overnight on Wednesday, leading police to evacuate a dozen people from a neighbouring hostel.
The two-storey structure, located at the crossroads of Mikulášská and U Trati streets, will likely have to be demolished. At least one homeless man had been sleeping in the otherwise vacant building, police said.
Ice hockey Extraliga season starts on Friday
The ice hockey Extraliga season starts on September 14, with Kometa Brno the favourite, having won the past two seasons. Among the other clubs in the 14-member Extraliga with solid prospects this year are 2018 season finalists Oceláři Třinec and semi-finalists Bílí Tygři Liberec.
Sparta Praha, which finished in the bottom half last year has taken on a new coach, German former defenseman Uwe Krupp, are tipped as likely strong contenders, as are Škoda Plzeň, which won the championship in 2013, finished last season in third place, and also has a new coach, Ladislav Čihák.
Morcheeba to play Metronome festival in Prague
The Prague music festival Metronome has announced that British band Morcheeba will be among the headliners at its fourth edition, in June 2019.
Previous international acts include veteran rockers such as Iggy Pop, John Cale and David Byrne, and acts such as The Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack.
Weather outlook
Friday should be partly cloudy in Prague, and in Central and Northern Bohemia. But rain is expected throughout the rest of the country. Daytime highs should be between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.
