Daily news summary
Government to launch firearms amnesty in July
The Czech government is planning to launch an amnesty for illegally held firearms in July, Czech TV reported on Saturday quoting government legislation. Members of the public will be invited to hand in unregistered firearms and ammunition without facing penalties or legal action; they will also be able to apply for permit so that they can keep the weapons legally. The last gun amnesty was held in 2009 when the police retrieved 7,000 firearms.
Health insurers launch major cancer screening campaign
The Czech Republic’s largest health insurance firm, VZP, has invited some 408,000 of its clients for cancer screening, a spokesman for the company said. The insurer is planning to reach all of its 1.2 million clients who should regularly be screened for the disease but fail to turn up. These include women aged between 25 and 70 to be screened for breast and cervical cancer; both men and women aged between 50 and 70 should be tested for colorectal and anal cancer. Other Czech health insurance companies are also taking part in the campaign, in total, they want to send out 1.85 invites by the end of the year; those who choose to ignore the invitation will be approached again next year.
Prague’s metro A line out of operation over Easter
The A line of Prague metro has been closed for maintenance work for the duration of the Easter holidays. The entire line closed on Friday afternoon, and is set to reopen on Tuesday, April 22nd. Prague’s transport authority advise travellers to use the XA tram line instead, or other tram and bus lines. English-speaking staffers at metro stations are providing information about alternative routes, a spokesman for the transport firm said.
Arbitration court orders completion of Prague’s Blanka tunnel complex
A court of arbitration, part of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, has ordered the building firm Metrostav to complete Prague’s Blanka tunnel complex within five months. The court also said the city of Prague had to pay 4.04 billion crowns to the firm. The decision came months after work on the controversial tunnel was halted last December over disputes between the company and Prague City Hall. A Metrostav spokesman said the firm would resume work as soon as it received the payment while Prague Mayor Tomáš Hudeček said the city would pay the required sum. However, the construction company has in the meantime demanded the city pay another billion crowns; the court of arbitration will deal with the latest petition in June. The Blanka tunnel, designed to channel traffic from the city centre, has been criticized as an overpriced and non-transparent project. Its total costs are expected to reach some 36 billion crowns.
Ballet dancer wins Czech Mr Gay pageant
Michal Klepetek, a ballet dancer of the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc, has won the Czech Mr Gay pagent. The 28-year-old dancer defeated another six finalists in the competition’s final held in a Prague theatre on Friday night. The contestants competed in several rounds including a swimsuit catwalk, question responses, and a free discipline. The organizers raised 35,000 crowns that was donated to a cancer-research endowment fund.
Czech women’s tennis team is leading Italy 2:0 in Fed Cup semi-finals
Czech women’s tennis team is leading 2:0 against defending champions Italy in their Fed Cup semi-finals tie in Ostrava after Lucie Šafářová defeated Italy’s number one Sara Errani 6-4 6-1 in the opening singles match on Saturday. In the second Rubber, best Czech player Petra Kvitová beat Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-2.
Hockey: Zlín in 2:0 lead over Brno in league playoffs’ finals
PSG Zlín defeated Kometa Brno 3-0 at home on Friday, taking a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoffs’ final series. Zlín goals came in the 16th, 40th and 55th minutes; Kometa have so far scored no goals in the final series. The series now moves to Brno where the third game is scheduled for Monday.
