News

A record CZK 946 million was spent at art auctions in the Czech Republic last year, the internet site Artplus reported on Tuesday. That figure represented a 7 percent year on year increase, said the site, which monitors the local art market. Previously the art market had grown at a rate of a third or more a year. Over 150 works went for CZK 1 million or more in 2013.

Ondřej Moravec has taken bronze in the men’s 15km mass start biathlon event at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It his second medal after silver in the biathlon pursuit and, along with Jaroslav Soukup’s bronze in the sprint and Gabriela Soukalová’s silver in the women’s mass start, the country’s fourth podium finish in the sport. Prior to Sochi, the Czech Republic had never taken a medal in biathlon. The country now has a total tally of six medals.

Striker Martin Fenin has left Slavia Prague after both parties agreed to the dissolution of his contract. The 26-year-old was part of the Czech Under 20 team that came second in their age category’s World Cup in 2007. However, he has failed to make much of an impact at Eintracht Frankfurt, Energie Cottbus or Slavia, for whom he failed to score even once in a dozen games. Fenin has made 17 appearances for the Czech senior team, finding the net three times.

Members of the country’s Communist Party have distanced themselves from highly-controversial statements made by one of its own members, MP Marta Semelová, related to an infamous show trial in the Stalinist 1950s that saw democratic politician Milada Horáková found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. A guest on a Czech TV interview programme, Semelová went so far as to suggest that Mrs Horáková’s confession need not have been coerced by the former regime.

Senior members of the Communist Party, including deputy chairman Jiří Dolejš, have since reacted, saying they did not share their colleague’s opinion. Mr Dolejš made clear that the opposite was true: that during what was one of the darkest periods in Czechoslovak history, suspects could be made to confess to anything, daily Lidové noviny reports. A member of a local NGO is considering pressing charges against Marta Semelová over her statements; a number of centre-right politicians have expressed support, saying the matter should be settled in court.