Daily news summary
PYD appeals for Saleh Muslim’s release
The Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has appealed for the release of its former leader Saleh Muslim who was arrested in Prague early on Sunday on an international arrest warrant. The PYD says his arrest was immoral.
Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist organization and many of its members are on Turkey’s wanted list.
Ankara has already filed an extradition request and a Czech court will decide whether to hand Muslim over to the Turkish authorities.
Knight and Dame of Czech Culture awards handed out
Writer Jáchym Topol, auxiliary Prague Bishop Vaclav Maly as well as playwright Helena Albertová and writer and historian Zora Dvořáková were awarded the titles Knight and Dame of Czech Culture by Culture Minister Ilja Smíd on Sunday.
The awards to personalities who were persecuted and prevented from working in their profession for openly opposing the communist regime were presented within the Mene Tekel international festival against totalitarianism and in support of national memory.
Actress Jiřina Štěpničková, who spent almost ten years in a Communist prison after a failed attempt to cross the border for the West in the 1950s, was decorated in memoriam.
Members of Olympic team back from the Winter Games in Pyeongchang
Members of the Czech Olympic team, returning from the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, touched down in Prague shortly before 2 pm on Monday. The team won seven medals, including two golds, at the games which just wrapped up in South Korea.
Later in the day medalists, including the Games’ snow queen Ester Ledecká who won gold in the women’s super-G and the snowboard parallel slalom, were scheduled to appear on stage at Prague’s Old Town Square, to be greeted by thousands of fans and well-wishers inspired by their performances at the Olympic Games.
Police encourage homeless people to go to shelters in face of extremely cold temperatures
Municipal police officers have focussed on areas where homeless people sleep, in an effort to get them to go indoors, to various shelters for the night. The move comes at a time when the Czech Republic has been hit by extremely cold weather.
Officers doing their rounds, whether in Prague or towns like Ústí nad Labem and Zlín, have encouraged those sleeping rough to take shelter and have been providing information. Temperatures have fallen well below zero at night, putting lives at risk.
Flu claims 10 lives in Prague since start of year
Ten people in Prague this year have died from flu-related illnesses, nine of them above the age of 60, while 30 people had to be treated in emergency wards or intensive care. The news was confirmed by the chief hygiene office in the Czech capital. The number of those infected with acute respiratory illness is roughly the same as a week ago, around 1,250 patients per 100,000.
To try and curb the flu epidemic and protect other patients in hospital, most hospitals but also many pensioners’ homes have banned visits.
Rolling Stones return to Prague on July 4
The legendary rock band The Rolling Stones will perform in Prague on July 4 of this year, the company Echo Promotion confirmed on Monday. The band – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood – performed five times before in the former Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. The concert, at Prague’s Letňany airport, is part of the European leg of the bands No Filter tour.
Advance ticket sales are to begin on March 9. A maximum eight tickets will be available per transaction.
Weather
Mostly cloudy conditions with a chance of snow are expected on Tuesday.
Daytime temperatures should remain well below zero, at around -8 degrees Celsius.
