Daily news summary

Czech leaders express condolences to Great Britain following suicide bombing in Manchester

Czech political leaders, including Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, have expressed condolences to the families of victims in Britain after an apparent suicide bombing in Manchester killed at least 22 people and injured 60 others. Children were reportedly among the fatalities. The bombing, which investigators are treating as a terrorist attack, occurred at Manchester Arena where thousands of people had been attending an Ariana Grande concert. The guardian.co.uk reported that the police were investigating whether the alleged bomber, who was dead at the scene, was part of a larger network.

Country’s most notorious prisoner released from jail

Jiří Kajínek, the Czech Republic’s most notorious prisoner, has been released from prison, after he was granted a pardon by President Miloš Zeman on Tuesday. Jiří Kajínek was serving a life sentence after being found guilty of two contract killings, a crime he has always denied committing. He made headlines by escaping from a maximum security prison. Dozens of people, including TV crews and journalists, had been waiting outside the Rýnovice prison in Jablonec nad Nisou for his release.

Finance Minister Babiš to be sacked on Wednesday

President Miloš Zeman is set to dismiss Finance Minister Andrej Babiš from his post on Wednesday, the president’s spokesman Jiří Ovčáček announced at a press conference on Tuesday. Babiš will be replaced by Ivan Pilný, the head of the lower house’s economic committee.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka had proposed the dismissal of ANO party leader and billionaire businessman Andrej Babiš to the president over continuing corruption allegations and unexplained financial dealings. Mr Babiš has persistently denied any wrongdoing.

Constitutional Court: detaining Kosovo family was illegal

The Constitutional Court has ruled that holding a Kosovo family in a detention centre for foreigners in 2014 was in violation of their basic human rights. According to the court’s ruling, placing the family in the facility for refugees was unnecessary and excessive. The man and his two children, aged three and six, were detained in Hungary where they applied for asylum, but later left the country to try to get to Germany. The Czech police arrested them at a train station in Břeclav and placed them in a detention facility in Bělá-Jezová in Central Bohemia.

Kvitová may come back in Paris

Czech tennis player Petra Kvitová could make her long-awaited return to tennis at the French Open in May, her spokesman Karel Tejkal told the Czech News Agency, adding that the decision will be made at the very last moment. The two-time Wimbledon champion has been out of action since December 2016 after she was hurt during an attack at her apartment in the Moravian town of Prostějov sustaining injuries to her left, playing hand. According to Tejkal, she is definitely ready to appear in Wimbledon in July.

Czech singer Lenny wins top categories at Anděl Awards

Czech singer Lenny was the big winner at this year’s Anděl Awards which were handed out during a televised ceremony on Monday, winning the prizes for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year. Her debut, Hearts, which includes the hit Hell.o, has received extensive play and coverage. Thom Artway, meanwhile, was voted Best Newcomer and Best Male Vocalist.

Some 13,000 people attend Deep Purple concert in Prague

Some 13, 000 people attended a concert by the British hard rock band Deep Purple in Prague’s O2 Arena on Monday night. The show was part of the band’s in inFinite Long Goodbye tour promoting their new album called inFinite. The legendary band performs regularly in the Czech Republic.