Daily news summary
Man accused of throwing eggs at Zeman acquitted
A Prague court has acquitted a man accused of throwing two eggs at President Miloš Zeman. Jindřich Frühauf, who is 63, had been charged with hurling the eggs during a demonstration against the head of state when he appeared at a public event on November 17, 2014. Judges said on Tuesday that there was no evidence to support the charge. Mr. Frühauf told the court he had been disgusted by the hysteria surrounding the matter; he said he felt like he was in Belarus, Russia or China rather than in the Czech Republic in the 21st century.
Anti-bird flu provisions wind down after five months
Special provisions introduced to combat bird flu in the Czech Republic have evidently been brought to an end after veterinarians abolished the last remaining protection zone at Poseč in the Karlovy Vary region, Czech Television reported on Tuesday. Since the start of the year vets have put down around 100,000 birds over fears of possible infection. Outbreaks of avian flu began in the Czech Republic almost five months ago.
ANO boss Babiš set to head party ticket in Central Bohemia
ANO chief Andrej Babiš says he is likely to head the party’s ticket in Central Bohemia in general elections in October. He made the comment in an interview with the news site Novinky.cz. The billionaire finance minister had previously said he would take the last spot on ANO’s candidates list in the constituency in order to test voters’ faith. An opinion poll released on Monday put ANO on 33.5 percent, with more than double the support of the second-placed Social Democrats, their current coalition partners.
Ostrava scientists can make world’s strongest titanium alloy
A team of scientists at the Technical University of Ostrava is capable of producing the strongest titanium alloy in the world, a member of the team, Radim Kocich, told journalists on Tuesday. The material is biocompatible so can be implanted in the human body. The scientists have been working on the development of biocompatible materials for three years with American colleague Terry C. Lowe and the discovery will be patented in the US.
Karlovy Vary to honour Ken Loach, present restored Shop on Main Street
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will this year present its Crystal Globe award for outstanding contribution to world cinema to UK director Ken Loach and his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, organisers said on Tuesday. The pair’s most recent success was I, Daniel Blake, which won at Cannes last year. The festival will also present a newly restored version of The Shop on Main Street by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, which was the first Czechoslovak film to win an Oscar, and pay tribute to screenwriter and director Jiří Brdečka, co-writer of Lemonade Joe. The 52nd edition of the Karlovy Vary festival begins on June 30.
Gerhard Richter exhibition to open at National Gallery Wednesday
An exhibition of work by the German artist Gerhard Richter is set to begin at the Czech National Gallery’s Kinský Palace on Wednesday. Featuring more than 50 pieces spanning six decades, it is the first retrospective of Richter’s work ever held in Central Europe, organisers said. Richter is one of the most expensive contemporary artists and the National Gallery has never previously insured an exhibition of such value, director Jiří Fajt told journalists on Tuesday. The exhibition runs until September 3.
Weather forecast
It should be rainy in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, with temperatures of up to 9 degrees Celsius. Similar weather and slightly lower temperatures are expected in the remainder of the week.
