Daily news summary
European Commission moves proceedings over refugee quotas to second phase
The European Commission has moved proceedings against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland for not fulfilling their duty to take in refugees into a second phase. The commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopulos, announced the news on Wednesday. The European Commission has sent Prague, Warsaw and Budapest an opinion outlining its arguments; the three now have one month to respond. The Czech Republic has argued that inactivity on the part of Italy and Greece, which are on the frontline as regards refugees, has prevented it from carrying out the background checks necessary for accepting migrants under the EU’s quota scheme.
Czech woman stabbed in Egypt clinically dead
A Czech woman injured in a knife attack on tourists at the Hurgada resort in Egypt is now clinically dead, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The woman, who is aged 36, suffered multiple organ failure after her condition significantly deteriorated in recent days. Czech doctor Petr Kolouch, who has been attending the woman in a Cairo hospital, said she was only being kept alive artificially and that there was no hope of improvement. An Egyptian man stabbed to death two Germans and injured four others, including the Czech woman, in an attack at a hotel beach in Hurgada on July 14.
Trust in Czech police at highest point in quarter century
Trust in the Czech police is at its highest level in a quarter century, suggests an opinion poll conducted by the STEM agency. Some 65 percent of respondents said they trusted the force in last month’s survey. Throughout the 1990s – the first decade after the fall of communism – trust in the police never reached 40 percent and in 1997 was as low as 27 percent. STEM, which has been running similar surveys since 1993, said the current high level of backing may reflect the sense that security needs to be beefed up as a result of the migrant crisis.
Czech online spending up 13 percent in first half of 2017
Czech consumers made purchases amounting to CZK 46.5 billion from online retailers in the first half of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 13 percent, according to the Heureka.cz website. The Association for Electronic Commerce expects a further acceleration in online spending in the second half of the year and total revenues of around CZK 115 billion for the whole of 2017. E-commerce now amounts to almost 11 percent of the entire Czech retail market.
Czechs arrested for using metal detectors at Crete archaeological site
Two Czechs have been arrested on the Greek island of Crete for using metal detectors illegally at the site of an archaeological dig. Local media said the two were charged with the violation of regulations on the protection of cultural heritage after entering a highly restricted area. Both men were released on bail on Tuesday and efforts are being made to secure their return to the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Czechs, aged 33 and 35, were arrested in the Chania area on July 21.
Work to do for Czech clubs after Champions League third round first legs
Slavia Prague beat BATE Borisov of Belarus 1:0 at home in the first leg of their Champions League third round qualifying tie on Tuesday evening. The only goal of the game came from a 20th minute penalty. The spot kick followed a foul that led to a red card for the visitors, though Slavia were unable to take more advantage of having an extra man. Meanwhile, Viktoria Plzen twice led against Romania’s FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) but were eventually held to a 2:2 draw. The return legs take place next week.
Weather forecast
Thursday should see sunny spells and some rain in the Czech Republic, with temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius expected. Daytime highs are due to rise in the following days, reaching around 30 degrees Celsius at the start of next week.
