News

1947 trial of late shoe magnate Jan Antonin Bata to be reopened

A Prague court has agreed to the reopening of the 1947 trail of the late shoe magnate Jan Antonin Bata. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in jail for not publicly joining the resistance to the Nazis. His nephew Tomas Bata, who is 94, appealed for the case to be reopened sixty years after the original trial, which he says was manipulated. Jan Antonin Bata did a great deal to expand the international Bata shoe company after its founder, his step-brother, also called Tomas Bata, died in 1932. He himself died in the mid 1960s in Brazil, where he had founded a number of towns.

Three Czechs believed to have been on missing Cambodian plane

Three Czechs are believed to have been on an aeroplane which has gone missing in Cambodia. The three were among 20 passengers on the Russian-made twin propeller plane, which is believed to have crashed between two tourist destinations in the country. The aircraft disappeared from radar screens shortly before 11 am local time, half an hour before it was due to land.

Fire-fighters complete clearance of site of bird flu farm

Fire-fighters have finished clearing a turkey farm in Tisove, east Bohemia where an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected last week. It was the first occurrence of any type of bird flu on a poultry farm in the Czech Republic. Around 2,500 turkeys died, while another 6,000 were put down after tests confirmed the disease. On Monday the police reopened a road leading to the village.

Youths charged with killing of Vietnamese barman

Two sixteen-year-olds have been charged with the killing of a 35-year-old Vietnamese barman in Znojmo, south Moravia. Police said they believed the motive for the killing was robbery. The two youths could face up to 16 years behind bars if found guilty.

Former pop star accused of collaborating with StB

Vaclav Neckar, a popular singer in the 1960s and '70s, collaborated with the communist StB secret police, Lidove noviny reported. Mr Neckar provided information on his group's manager to the StB before becoming an agent in the period 1978 to 1987, the daily said. He is also accused of informing on singer and Charter 77 signatory Marta Kubisova, a former band mate in the trio Golden Kids. Mr Neckar, who had a stroke in 2002, refused to discuss the allegations.

Helena Vondrackova celebrates 60th birthday with Prague concert

The third member of the Golden Kids, Helena Vondrackova, celebrated her 60th birthday with a concert at Prague's Zofin Palace on Sunday night. Ms Vondrackova has been very popular with Czech audiences since winning a talent contest in 1964.

Army to introduce field bakeries to provide Czech bread for soldiers

The Czech Army is to introduce field bakeries to make bread for its soldiers in Afghanistan and Kosovo, Hospodarske noviny reported. An army spokesperson told the paper that while on missions Czech soldiers were forced to eat American sliced white bread and missed their own Czech wheat-rye bread. Researchers at the Brno University of Defence said the lack of Czech bread caused psychological problems for soldiers. The Czechoslovak Army had 110 field bakeries in the mid 1980s, but they had all been closed down by 2002.

British chain Halfords coming to Czech Republic, region

The British retail chain Halfords is to shops in the Czech Republic. The car parts and bicycle seller's first Czech branch will open in a shopping centre on the outskirts of Prague this week. Halfords is planning to open 50 stores in the central European region.

Danny DeVito set for Karlovy Vary closing ceremony

The American actor and director Danny DeVito is set to appear at this year's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The star of such movies as Twins and LA Confidential, Mr DeVito will receive an award for outstanding contribution to world cinema at the festival's closing ceremony. This year's Karlovy Vary festival features over 220 pictures. It begins this coming Friday night.

Weather

Temperatures are set to drop somewhat, and will reach a maximum of 18 degrees Celsius in the next few days. It should be mostly bright with some rain in places.