Daily news summary
Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka hosted lunch for homeless and poor
The Head of Czech Roman Catholic Church, Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka, hosted traditional Christmas lunch for the homeless and the poor. The lunch was served at the Archbishop Palace, at the Franciscan monastery at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows and the Capuchin monastery in Prague’s Hradčany district on Friday. The menu included beef stock with liver dumplings, roast duck and beef in cream sauce, and Christmas cookies. Every guest also received a small gift. Some 380 people arrived for the lunch, whose tradition was established 16 years ago by the Saint Edigio community.
Czech send record numbers of MMSes on Christmas Eve
People in the Czech Republic made 42.7 million calls from their mobile phones on Christmas Eve, the Czech News Agency wrote on Friday, citing data released by mobile phone operators. It is about three percent less than last year, which saw a record of 44 million calls for one day. The number of text messages sent over Christmas Eve went down for the second consecutive year to 74.3 million, while the number of MMSes saw a record of 1.17 million.
Prague Mayor hands out free soup on Christmas Eve
Politicians were handing out free fish soup in the centre of Prague on Christmas Eve. Scores of people formed a long queue on the city's Old Town Square to receive the soup from Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová, dressed in a chef's apron, who was assisted by ANO Party leader and Finance Minister Andrej Babiš and other councilors. Some three thousand portions of the soup, which for many Czechs is the first course of Christmas dinner, were prepared this year. Several other districts of Prague, including Vršovice, also joined the tradition this year.
Dozens of people pay tribute to Karel Čapek
Around a hundred people gathered at Prague's Vyšehrad cemetery on Friday to pay tribute to Karel Čapek, one of the greatest Czech writers of the 20th century. The annual meeting at the writer's graveside, which takes place on the occassion of his death on December 25, 1938, is organised by the Brothers Čapek Society. Karel Čapek is probably best known for his science-fiction novels, debating the ethicalaspect of human inventions. According to one of the participants of the meeting, screenwriter Vladimír Kučera, Čapek's thoughts remain valid to this day.
Most ski resorts in Czech Republic remain close due to lack of snow
Most ski resorts in the Czech Republic will remain closed over the Christmas period due to a lack of snow. Only about dozen ski centres, mainly in the Krkonoše and Jeseníky mountains, are currently open thanks to artificial snow, but they will probably be forced to close down as well, since the unseasonably warm wather is likely to continue in the next few days.
Three people died in fire on Christmas Eve
Three people died in an explosion and a subsequent fire that broke out in a family house in České Budějovice, South Bohemia, on Christmas Eve. Fire-fighter units were called to the blaze at around 12 a.m. on Thursday, pulling out bodies of a middle aged man and woman and a body of a child. Police, which have not yet confirmed the identity of the victims, are now investigating the cause of the fire. The remnants of the house will have to be demolished due to safety reasons.
Record temperatures for Christmas Eve registered in several parts of Czech Republic
Record temperatures for Christmas Eve were registered in several parts of the Czech Republic due to the unseasonably warm weather, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute reported. Record highs for December 24 were seen at a number of measuring stations in South Bohemia and in the Vysočina region. The highest temperature, 11.6 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Husinec near Prachatice. Meteorologists predict that the entire month of December should bring above average temperatures.
