News

Czech Radio opened its doors to the public on Saturday. The radio headquarters on Prague's Vinohradská Street as well as the public broadcaster's 12 regional studios around the country are offering guided tours starting on the hour every hour, from 9am to 4pm. Czech Radio on Thursday celebrated its 100th birthday with a concert for the public on Riegrovy sady near its Prague headquarters and an exhibition at  Prague's National Technical Museum traces the station's history featuring around a thousand rare objects linked to Czech public radio broadcasting.

The majority of Czechs agree that austerity measures need to be taken to cut the deficit in public finances but are divided over the measures proposed by the government. According to the results of a survey conducted by the STEM/MARK agency, 7 percent of Czechs support the proposed measures without reservations, while another 25 percent agree with selected parts of the proposal. Forty-two percent of respondents say austerity measures are necessary, but they would save money in other areas than those proposed by the government. Twenty-four percent of Czechs reject the idea of introduccing austerity measures as such. Two thirds of respondents also expressed the view that the measures were badly communicated.

Speaking at the opening of the Bavarian-Czech Friendship Weeks in Selbo, Germany, Czech President Petr Pavel thanked Bernd Posselt, chairman of the Sudeten German Regional Association, for strengthening Czech-German relations, which he said were “better than ever” and opened up new possibilities for closer cooperation. President Pavel mentioned, among other things, the need to further improve transport links between the neighbor states and the need to cooperate in resolving migration-related problems. The Czech president arrived at the Bavarian-Czech Friendship Weeks on his motorbike, flanked by two bodyguards, which attracted considerable attention.

Police have filed charges against a German national in connection with Thursday's fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, police spokeswoman Veronika Hyšplerová told the ctk news agency. The man reportedly owned up to having bought and set off fireworks which started the blaze. He tested positive for alcohol, the police said. The local mayor has said he wants to ban the sale of fireworks in the area.

Nine firefighter units and a helicopter were called to the blaze, which broke out close to the Pravčická brána rock formation, one of the region’s most visited tourist attractions. Last year the Bohemian national park was ravaged by a fire that destroyed an area of over 1,000 hectares.