Daily news summary
Prime Minister Sobotka held talks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka expressed his support to Egypt in its fight against terrorism during a meeting with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Budapest on Tuesday. In addition to migration and terrorism, the two politicians have also discussed economic cooperation and tourism. The meeting took place ahead of the Visegrad Four countries, comprising of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, with the Egyptian head of state. They will debate mainly the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and the related migrant and terrorism issues. The Budapest summit is the first official meeting of the V4 prime ministers after Budapest took over the group's presidency from Warsaw at the beginning of July.
Czech arrested after record gun haul found in van at Channel Tunnel
British police have announced the arrest of a 23 year old Czech and a Pole who have been charged with trying to smuggle 79 hand guns across the channel. The two men were caught on the French side of the tunnel after British police said they found the guns hidden in specially constructed compartments of the van. The haul is said to be a record. Police said they had no doubt that the guns were destined for use in crime on British streets. The Czech was reported to have been living in Britain for some time.
European Parliament building in Strasbourg to be named after Havel
A European Parliament building in Strasbourg will be named after the late Czech president, dissident and playwright Václav Havel. The ceremonial opening is set to take place on Wednesday. A bronze bust of the first Czech president will be unveiled at the entrance to the building in the presence of Havel’s wife Dagmar and the head of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The event will also be accompanied by an exhibition of photos of Václav Havel taken by Tomki Němec. The main conference room in the building will be furnished with a tapestry by Czech artist Petr Sís.
Trade surplus drops to 14.3 billion crowns in May
The Czech Republic’s trade surplus in May dropped to 14.3 billion crowns, a decrease of 2.8 billion crowns on the same month in 2016, according to preliminary data released by the Czech Statistical Office on Tuesday. The favourable result was driven by the increased surplus in car exports and reduced deficit in hard coal and refined oil products. According to experts, the monthly export total in May was the second highest in the history of the Czech Republic only exceeded by the result after March 2017.
Traditional pilgrimage festival gets underway at Velehrad
The traditional pilgrimage festival marking the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Greek missionaries who brought Christianity to the Czech lands, got underway at Velehrad in South Moravia on Tuesday. The event, called the People of Goodwill Days, was launched with an exhibition of orthodox icons by Bulgarian artist Stefka Nicolov. Tens of thousands of believers are expected to take part in the event, which culminates on Wednesday night with a celebratory mass and a charity concert.
Czech land prices continue to soar in second quarter
The price of Czech farm land continued to rise in the second quarter of the year according to the webserver and price calculator, Farmy. CZ. Prices rose by around 4.0 percent in the second quarter compared with the first. That followed on from an 8.0 percent rise in the first quarter. One of the factors fuelling the rise is the continued availability of loans for land prices, the server said. Czech land prices are reckoned to be very cheap compared with those in Western Europe.
Weather
Wednesday is expected to be partly cloudy with daytime highs ranging between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius.
