Daily news summary
Granddaughter of Peroutka files distraint order against Office of the President
Terezie Kaslová, granddaughter of Ferdinand Peroutka, filed a distraint order on Monday against the Office of the President after failing to receive an apology from the head of state. He had been ordered recently by a Prague court to do so over false accusations Mrs Kaslová’s grandfather, legendary journalist Ferdinand Peroutka had admired Hitler. Prague Castle has tried to delay the apology through its own appeal but the deadline for the apology was last Friday. Prague Castle now risks being fined up to 100,000 crowns. Mrs Kaslová’s lawyer, František Vyskočil, said it was his client’s right to file repeat distraint orders but said she would do so only once.
Two suspects charged with criminal negligence manslaughter in death of five-year-old
Two men have been charged with criminal-negligence manslaughter in the death of a five-year-old boy in Luzeč nad Cidlinou last month; the child was attacked and fatally injured by a pack of dogs. One of those charged is the child’s 55-year-old father who allegedly left his son unattended; the other man, aged 28 and the dog owner, is suspected of having let the animals roam free in the area where the boy was playing. If found guilty, the two men could face up to six years behind bars.
Monday marks 90th anniversary of Europe’s first live coverage of a sporting event
Monday, October 3, marks the 90th anniversary of Europe’s first live coverage of a sporting event: a football match between Slavia Prague and Hungaria Budapest in 1926. Radiožurnál’s Josef Laufer, who went on to become a broadcasting legend, provided live commentary of the match, a stroke of luck for the reporter after the original candidate to call the match failed to show up. Radiožurnál edged the BBC by several months in its live broadcast of a sporting event, Czech Radio said.
Greenpeace activists occupy brown coal plant cooling tower
Almost a dozen Greenpeace activists climbed to the top of, and occupied, a cooling tower at a brown coal power plant in Chvaletice in the Czech Republic. The team of activists is protesting against renovation of the plant which would enable it to remain in operation until the year 2030. The protest event in no way threatens operation of the plant as it is currently shut down. Two of its furnaces, from 1979, are being modernized.
Zátopková hospitalised after undergoing surgery
Former javelin thrower Dana Zátopková, holder of gold and silver medals from the 1952 and 1960 Olympic Games in Helsinki and Rome, underwent surgery shortly after celebrating her 94th birthday last week. The Olympian, wife of the late Emil Zátopek, also an Olympic champion, reportedly broke her femur near the hip, and was operated on Saturday morning. Mrs Zátopková’s secretary Karel Engel said that the operation had been successful and that she was doing well.
Regions of Olomouc and Moravia-Silesia to see intense rainfall raising danger of flooding
Meteorologists are warning that the regions of Olomouc and Moravia-Silesia are likely to see heavy rainfall late Monday and into Tuesday, with the possibility of flooding and first-level flood alerts being issued. The Jeseníky Mountains could see rainfall later taper off for the first snow of the season mid-week.
Anti-drug train makes stop in Bohumín
An anti-drug train which is part of an educational and preventive programme to try and keep young people off of drugs has made a stop in Bohumín, Moravia, where last year local elementary schools across seven municipalities had sewage water tested for the presence of illicit substances. The presence of drug abuse was also confirmed by an anonymous survey in nearby Orlové, which showed that roughly a quarter of students in grade nine had experimented with illegal drugs. The anti-drug train takes visitors on a 90 minute tour through different settings to get young people to think about the risk of abusing both legal and illegal substances.
Preisler work auctioned for 6.5 million crowns
A work by early 20th century Czech painter Jan Preisler sold in auction in Prague on Sunday for 6.5 million crowns, Albert Trnka of the European Arts auction house announced. The painting, called Three Young Women in the Forest, complete with the auction house’s fee will cost the new owner a total of more than eight million crowns. According to Mr Trnka, the price is the second-highest fetched by a Preisler work.
Football: Čech keeps clean sheet in late win against Burnley
Goalkeeper Petr Čech kept a clean sheet and fellow player Laurent Koscielny scored in the dying seconds for Arsenal against Burnley at the weekend in the Premiere League to clinch all three points. The match marked Arsene Wenger’s 20th anniversary as Arsenal coach. Although the Gunners dominated in possession, Burnley were not without chances: Johann Berg Gudmundson forced Čech into a full-length stop with a header; the match remained even until virtually the last play of the game.
NHL pre-season: Jágr was one of the draws in London, Ontario game against Dallas
Legendary Czech winger Jaromír Jágr was one of the draws in an NHL pre-season match on Sunday between his team the Florida Panthers and the Dallas Stars at the Budweiser Gardens arena in London, Ontario, home of the London Knights junior hockey team, news site idnes.cz reports. According to the idnes, interest in tickets was high not only among locals but also tourists. In the match, the Panthers edged the Stars by a score of 2:1. The regular NHL season, in which teams play 82 games, begins on October 12.
