Daily news summary
Iraqi refugees who left for Germany to return to detention centre in Czech Republic on Monday
A group of 25 Christian refugees from Iraq, who were detained in Germany, will probably be sent back to the Czech Republic on Monday, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Police, Kateřina Rendlová, told the Czech News Agency. The refugees originally came to the country within a resettlement programme for 150 Christian families from Iraq. Last week, they asked for the return of their passports and left for Germany. On Sunday, the German police detained their bus and at the moment the group is still being held at the Czech-German border. Upon their return to the Czech Republic, the refugees will be sent to a detention center and the police will try to send them back to Iraq through readmission procedure as soon as possible, the Foreign Police spokeswoman has said.
PM Sobotka meets with expatriates in Minessota
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met with Czech expatriates in St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday. Some 300 people welcomed the Prime Minister in the building of the local Sokol sport organisation with giant puppets, traditional folk costumes as well as bread and salt. There are some 85,000 people with Czech roots living in the Midwest state. Earlier on Saturday, Mr Sobotka bestowed the Karel Kramář medal in memoriam on Charles Proshek, a significant physician in Minneapolis and former Czechoslovak honorary consul. He also held talks with Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, primarily about bilateral economic cooperation.
Czech Foreign Minister to visit Israel and Palestine
Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lubomír Zaorálek, will start a three-day working visit to Israel and the Palestinian autonomous territories on Sunday. During his visit Mr Zaorálek will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu, president Reuven Rivlin as well as with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki. On Monday, the Czech Foreign Minister, along with Israeli Minister for Social Equality, Gila Gamliel, is scheduled to attend the third Israeli-Czech Forum, which focuses on issues of mutual interest or the situation in the Middle East.
Education ministry to earmark 35 million to fight bullying
Czech Ministry of Education will earmark 35 million crowns for the regions to help them fight bullying in schools, Education Minister Kateřina Valachová said in a debate on commercial TV Prima on Sunday. The move comes in reaction to a shocking case of students who bullied their teacher in a secondary technical school in Prague. The minister has also called on Czech school inspectors to focus more on the problem in the future. The Education Ministry currently prepares new set of directives to raise the legal protection and safety at schools.
Firefighters bring forest fire in White Carpathians under control
Twenty firefighter units have brought a forest fire in the White Carpathians in the Hodonín region under control after over five hours. The blaze broke out on Sunday morning in a hardly accessible terrain and spread to an area of 500 to 500 metres. The situation was further complicated by a strong wind, which prevented the firefighters from using helicopters. The cause of the forest fire has not yet been established.
Above-average temperatures expected in April
Temperatures in the Czech Republic in April should be above-average for the time of the year, according to a regular monthly weather forecast issued by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute. Rainfall levels in the next four weeks should also be above average. Temperatures are expected to hover between 14 to 16 degrees Celsius but towards the end of the month they could exceed 20 degrees Celsius.
Czech swimmer crosses Gibraltar, setting new women's record
Czech long-distance swimmer Magda Okurková has crossed the Gibraltar Strait in a time of 3:42:42, setting a new Czech women's record. She covered the distance of 16 kilometres in very windy conditions and improved the existing record set by Abhejali Bernardová by more than 52 minutes. Altogether eight Czech swimmers, five women and three men, have covered the Strait of Gibraltar to date.
