Daily news summary
Christian Democrats against third and fourth EET waves
Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka has said the Christian Democrats will not support planned third and fourth waves of the EET or electronic cash registers system introduced last December to increase tax revenues and clamp down on the grey economy. Speaking on a Sunday TV debate programme, Minister Jurečka said his party was against the next waves and would not support them after the election later this year. Questioned over the matter, he also said he would not serve as minister in any government that did. The third and fourth waves are to affect craftspeople and food producers such as farmers' markets. Fellow guest on the programme former finance minister Miroslav Kalousek charged that if the Christian Democrats, the junior party in government, had voted against the EET in the first place, no such step would be necessary. The electronic cash registers system is the brainchild of current finance minister Andrej Babiš, the head of the ANO party.
Film Masaryk wins big at the 24th Czech Lion Awards
The film Masaryk by director Julius Ševčík won big at the Czech Lions on Saturday, taking 12 awards including Best Picture. The win surpassed the previous record of 11 wins set by Burning Bush (dir. Agnieszka Holland) in 2014. Actor Karel Roden, who portrayed the Czech diplomat Jan Masaryk, won Best Actor, while the award for Best Actress went to Michalina Olszanská for her role in I, Olga Hepnarova, (the story of a real-life murderer in communist Czechoslovakia).
The biggest disappointment of the night was for WWII drama Anthropoid, about the assassination of Nazi reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich: the film had been nominated in nine categories but came away empty-handed in all the major awards. It did take a consolation prize, winning in the Film Fan category. Meanwhile, Czech Lions for outstanding contribution to Czech cinematography went to Eva Zaoralová and JiřÍ Bartoška for their peerless organization and running of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Maslák makes history at European Athletic Indoor Championships
Pavel Maslák won a historic treble in the 400m men's race at the Belgrade 2017 European Athletics Indoor Champions on Saturday, after golden finishes in Gothenburg in 2013 and Prague in 2015. He is the first man to win the indoor 400m on three occasions. Maslák, who is 26, won with a time of 45.77 ahead of Poland's Rafal Omelko with 46.08; the Netherlands' Liemarvin Bonevacia came third with a time of 46.26.
Three other Czechs also finished with medals: athlete Zuzana Hejnová won silver in the women's 400m, Tomáš Staněk won silver in the shot-put and Filip Sasínek won bronze in the 1500m.
Football: Arsenal woes continue
Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech and football club Arsenal slipped to fifth spot in the Premier League on Saturday, losing decisively against Liverpool which went third. Liverpool got two unanswered goals in the first half; Danny Welbeck put the Gunners within one in the second before Liverpool added a third goal. The Mirror reported that shoddy defense and not Čech were to blame for the first half goals.
Saturday was unusually mild, with previous record highs matched, or surpassed, at 22 measuring stations
Twenty-two of 30 measuring stations, operating for a period of 30 years and longer, registered unusually warm temperatures for Saturday, March 4, either matching of surpassing previous highs. Saturday saw temperatures on average ranging between 13 and 18 degrees Celsius; the highest was 20.4 degrees in the Znojmo area.
Weather
Monday should be overcast with a chance of rain. Daytime temperatures of 8 degrees Celsius are expected.
