Daily news summary

Czech Foreign ministry: Czech Republic will not agree with illegal migration

The Czech government cannot give its consent to illegal migration, the Czech Foreign Ministry said on Saturday in reaction to the migration pact, drawn up by the United Nations on Friday. The ministry also pointed out that the pact is a non-binding agreement.

The pact, approved by all 193 member nations except the United States which quit the talks last year, aims to improve ways to handle the global flow of migrants. Formal adoption of the pact is set for December in Morocco.

Meanwhile, Hungarian media reported on Friday that the country's foreign minister may propose that Budapest pull out of the pact, because it could aid the flow of migrants to Europe.

Okamura re-elected leader of anti-immigrant Direct Democracy and Freedom Party

Tomio Okamura was re-elected chairman of the anti-immigrant and anti-EU Direct Democracy and Freedom Party (SPD) at a party congress on Saturday. Mr Okamura, who was the only candidate to run for the post, received 150 out of 152 votes. Radim Fiala was re-elected first deputy leader of the party.

In his opening speech to the party conference on Saturday, Mr Okamura said that the Czech Republic succumbs to dictate from Brussels and Berlin. He also said the country was threatened by totalitarianism spread by NGOs supported by foreign funds.

Prague court delivers verdicts in case of rhino horn smuggling

A Prague court has delivered verdicts concerning the case of rhino horns smuggling into the Czech Republic, the Czech News Agency reported on Saturday. A group of 16 men were accused of offering to bring back trophies from South Africa for clients as part of luxury safari trips between 2011 and 2013.

One of the accused, Mao Nguyen Hue, has been found guilty of illegal handling of protected animal, receiving a two year conditional sentence and a fine of 600,000 crowns. The rest of the group were cleared of charges.

Prague placed 50th in USB’s annual index of richest cities

The Czech capital has been placed 50th in the annual index of the richest cities in the world, put together annually by Swiss Bank USB, the website Novinky.cz reported on Friday. The index has ranked 77 metropolitan areas according to prices of basic goods and services, incomes and purchasing power.

According to the study, Switzerland’s Zurich is the most expensive city in the world, followed by Geneva, Oslo, Copenhagen and New York, while Kiev, Lagos and Cairo are the cheapest cities.

Boat sinks on Baťa canal in South Moravia

A boat carrying two adults and three children sunk in the Baťa canal near Uherské Hradiště in South Moravia on Friday evening. All of the people on board managed to escape the sinking vessel by jumping on another boat. The boat was pulled out of the canal in the early hours of Saturday.

The Baťa canal, built in the 1930s by Tomáš Baťa, founder of the world famous Baťa shoe company, is the only navigable man-made waterway in the Czech Republic. Formerly used to transport coal, the canal is now used for water tourism.

Javelin thrower Jakub Veselý takes bronze at Diamond League event

Czech javelin thrower Jakub Vadlejch won the bronze medal at a Diamond League in the Rabat on Friday. He threw 85.31 metres at the event at the Moroccan capital in his last series of throws.

The 27-year-old athlete, who was the overall winner of the Diamond League in 2016 and 2017, has reached the podium for the first time this season.

Weather

Sunday is expected to be mostly sunny with day-time highs ranging between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius.