News

The Czech military is offering civilians the chance to experience a day in the armed forces to see what a soldier's life in the army entails. The project, which will be held for the first time this year, is intended to boost recruitment and to introduce people who are considering serving in the army or as active reserves, to the activities of the 25th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment in Strakonice. This particular regiment is currently in need of recruits, particularly for the positions of driver and operator. Only adult Czech citizens can apply for the chance to become a "soldier for a day". They must have a clean criminal record and need to send an application form to [email protected] by the end of August.

Police have charged Petr Bursík, Karlovy Vary Transport Councilor for the Civic Democratic Party, in connection with the Chomutov corruption case. He is being prosecuted for manipulating public contracts, for which he faces up to eight years in prison. He has not been taken into custody. Bursík has denied any wrong-doing, but has said that he will suspend his membership in the Civic Democratic Party, so as not to damage the party ahead of the autumn elections. Fourteen other people have been charged in the massive corruption case that stretches across four regions.

Close to 70,000 people visited the Olympic Festival at Lake Most in the course of the past fortnight, trying out over 50 sports and rooting for Czech athletes at the Paris Olympics. The city will keep two sports venues open for the public after the festival closes - a parkour track and a skate park. The organizers now have eleven days to dismantle the other venues. A model of the Eiffel Tower made of recycled plastic will also be taken down.

Czech artists and well-known personalities from other spheres have published an open letter calling for solidarity with their colleagues in Slovakia who are losing their jobs due to a purge implemented by Slovak Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová. The proclamation titled “It's time to lend a hand!” was endorsed by theatre director Jiří Suchý, actor and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák and former constitutional judge Eliška Wagnerová, among others. In recent days, Šimkovičová has dismissed the heads of a number of respected cultural institutions, among them the head of the Slovak National Gallery and the director of the Slovak National Theatre.

The dismissed head of the Slovak National Theatre, Matej Drlička, has described the sackings as “a concerted crackdown on freedom of artistic expression and a systematic assault on state institutions on the part of the Fico government.” The opposition is planning protest actions.