Daily news summary
Man injured in shooting near Muslim prayer centre in Karlovy Vary
A shooting took place near a Muslim prayer centre and cultural centre in the town of Karlovy Vary in West Bohemia on Tuesday evening. Police said that a 42-year-old man had been shot in the leg but refused to release more information. The condition of the shooting victim was reported to be stable and his life is not in danger. The news site iDnes.cz reported that the incident stemmed from a dispute between two men who appeared to be Czechs and the police said initial information suggested there was no connection between the incident and the prayer centre.
Czech and German secret services release publication about Prague Spring
The Czech and German secret services have released a joint publication about the activities of the German Federal Intelligence service during the so-called Prague Spring pro-democracy movement in 1968. It contains original documents and never before published photographs from the archive of the German secret service, concerning Prague Spring and occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops, head of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information Jaroslav Hrbek told the Czech News Agency. The Czech-German document can be downloaded for free from the website of the office.
Prague’s Palace of Justice evacuated over bomb threat
The police evacuated the Prague Palace of Justice shortly after mid-day on Wednesday, following an anonymous bomb threat. Explosive experts with sniffer dogs are conducting a search of the premises. The building houses several of the city’s district courts and state attorney’s offices.
Start of work on fourth Prague Metro line put back
The expected launch date for the construction of a fourth, “D” line for Prague’s Metro system has been put back by three years. Work should now begin on the new underground rail line in 2020, deputy mayor Petr Dolínek told the Czech News Agency on Tuesday. The process is being held up over problems with buying property along the planned route of the line, which is due to run from Náměstí Míru to the suburb of Písnice.
Architects to study Venus of Dolní Věstonice
The Venus of DolníVěstonice, one of the most valuable archaeological objects ever found on Czech territory, was transported on Wednesday under strict security measures from the Moravian Museum in Brno to a laboratory at the FEI technological Institute in Brno. Archaeologists want to conduct further research of the figurine to have a better idea of how it was created. The ceramic figurine, believed to be 29,000 years old, was discovered in Dolní Věstonice in 1925 and is considered one of the oldest artefacts of its kind in the world.
Czech investor buys rare Mauritius postage stamps
An anonymous Czech investor has bought two of the rarest postage stamps in the world: the so-called red and blue Mauritius. They were sold in a private transaction for an estimated 100 million crowns. The stamps bearing the profile of Queen Victoria were issued by the British Colony Mauritius in September 1847 in two denominations: one penny red brown and Two pence blue. The two stamps might go on public display in Prague at the World Exhibition Praga 2018.
Czech interest in booking holidays in Tunisia and Egypt increases
Czech interest in booking holidays in Tunisia and Egypt has been increasing. According to Czech tour operators, bookings to Egypt for September and October have increased by 50 percent compared with the same period last year, while bookings to Tunisia grew by 14 percent. The interest in Turkey, however, is low due to the security reasons. Greece still remains the most popular destination of Czech tourists. The average prices of last-minute September holiday tours are around 3000 crowns cheaper than in the summer.
Average price on new flats in Prague increased by 11 percent year-on-year
The average price of new flats in Prague increased in May and June by 11.2 percent year-on-year to 75,600 crowns per square metre, according to the recent data released by Deloitte consultancy on Wednesday. Compared to the previous two months, it represents an increase by 2.8 percent. At the end of June there were 4,700 new flats available in the Czech capital, which is a 30-percent drop on 2015.
RegioJet posts 37percent year-on-year increase in sales
The private bus company Student Agency and RegioJet rail service owned by businessman Radim Jančura have posted a significant year-on-year increase in sales in 2015. Student Agency reported a jump by 23 percent to 2.88 billion crowns, while RegioJet increased its sales by 37 percent to 718.5 million. It is the first time that RegiotJet ended in black numbers since its establishment in 2011. The success of both companies was fuelled by strong economic growth. Student Agency and RegioJet transported some 13.4 million passengers in 2015, which is an increase by one fifth compared to the previous year.
World firefighters’ championship gets underway in Ostrava
More than 400 volunteer and professional firefighters from 15 countries are taking part in the World Championship in Fire and Rescue Sport, which got underway in Ostrava on Wednesday. The championship was originally to be held in Turkey, but it was moved to the Czech Republic for security reasons. The championship opened with a male and female junior competition in ascending the fourth floor of a training tower outside the Ostrava fairgrounds. Czech male and female teams as well as juniors will be defending medals from the previous championship.
