News

According to preliminary data, 34 people died on Czech roads in June, which is the lowest number of automobile-related deaths for this month in 22 years. Additionally, this would be the second lowest monthly death toll on Czech roads this year, after February. This would also make it the lowest half-year death toll since 1970, with 242 people having died. There were 276 serious injuries resulting from car accidents recorded in June. The number may rise slightly during the day on Sunday.

A 26-year-old Czech man has died after falling approximately 200-feet as he was skiing down the six-thousand-meter Tocllaraju mountain in Peru. According to the Prima television channel, the man was hiking in the Cordillera Blanca range with two other Czechs. The alpinist was alive after the fall, which happened approximately at 4,500 meters, but despite the efforts of the mountain rescue service, succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.

Former director of Czech Television, Jiří Balvín, accepted an offer from Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok to become the next culture minister. Mr. Rusnok, who was asked to form a caretaker technocrat government by President Zeman last week, has already three other ministerial positions filled – Martin Pecina accepted the post of interior minister, Marie Benešová is to be the new justice minister and Mirsolav Toman will lead the agriculture ministry. Mr. Rusnok said on Friday night said that he is happy with his progress of forming the interim cabinet, since in his first week on the job, he has been able to secure half of the positions. So far there is no indication that his cabinet would pass the vote of confidence in the lower house.

The new owner of the MAFRA publishing house, businessman Andrej Babiš, made an irritated call to the political editor at the Lidové noviny (LN) daily, which is published by MAFRA, after repeatedly stating in preceding days that he will not interfere with editorial work of MAFRA’s publications. According to LN, during the Friday phone call, Mr. Babiš criticized the newspaper for not mentioning the presentation of his political campaign ANO 2011, which took place the previous day. After inquiries from the editorial board, the billionaire, who purchased MAFRA this past week, arrived at the LN office and apologized for the phone call, reiterating his promise not to interfere with editorial decisions. Mr. Babiš is planning to take his ANO 2011 party into the next parliamentary elections, and this week’s purchase of the publishing group, which also puts out the major Mladá fronta Dnes daily, was perceived by some observers as an attempt to gain media influence.