• Hundreds of police overseeing traffic on final weekend of holidays
    08/31/2019

    Hundreds of police officers are out in force on the Czech Republic’s motorways and roads for what is traditionally one of the most dangerous weekends of the year, the end of the holiday season. Towing vehicles have also been deployed on motorways in order to prevent tailbacks by quickly removing cars that become involved in collisions.

    Police say that a total of 41 people died over the nine weekends of the holiday period to date. On three occasions there were seven deaths, including on the traditionally risky first weekend of the season.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    08/31/2019

    Sunday should be quite sunny with the likelihood of storms in the Czech Republic, with temperatures reaching up to 31 degrees Celsius. Daytime highs are expected to fall to around 20 degrees Celsius at the beginning of the week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Documentation prepared on Smartwings flight with single working engine
    08/31/2019

    The Czech Republic’s Air Navigation Services have prepared for investigators all the documents required to analyse a Smartwings flight in which the pilots flew from Greece to Prague last week with only one functioning engine, Czech Television reported. The documentation includes a transcription of communication between dispatchers and the air crew, which will reveal whether the team admitted to the engine malfunction.

    The documents will be handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Accidents Investigation Institute. The materials are intended for investigators and will not be made public.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prague 6 mayor under police protection amid Konev statue controversy
    08/31/2019

    The mayor of Prague 6, Ondřej Kolář, is under police protection after receiving death threats in connection with a decision to cover up a controversial statue of Soviet army commander Ivan Konev in the district. The local authority had the monument, which has repeatedly been vandalised, surrounded by a tarpaulin mounted on scaffolding on Friday. Activists then pulled down the tarpaulin, before it was later put back.

    Two people were arrested after another attempt to remove the cover on Friday night while another man pulled it down on Saturday.

    The Russian Embassy said the statute actually needed to be protected from the Prague 6 council. The local authority has proposed moving it to a park close to the embassy.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prosecutor expected to announce decision on Babiš charges Monday
    08/31/2019

    The municipal state attorney’s office in Prague is expected to say on Monday whether criminal charges will be brought against the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, and members of his family. The police have recommended that charges be filed over suspicion of abuse of EU subsidies in connection with Stork’s Nest, a hotel and conference centre near Prague. The prosecutor had until the end of August to come to a decision on the matter. The case file is reported to contain 23,000 pages.

    Some members of the junior party in government, the Social Democrats, have called for ANO leader Babiš to stand down. However, party chairman Jan Hamáček says the Social Democrats will remain in the coalition even if the PM is charged.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Plíšková reaches fourth at US Open while Muchová bows out
    08/31/2019

    Karolína Plíšková has reached the fourth round of the US Open in New York. The Czech third seed overcame the Tunisian player Ons Jabeur 6-1 4-6 6-4 on Friday. It is the fourth year in a row that Plíšková has made it into the second week of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.

    Her compatriot Karolína Muchová was knocked out 3-6 2-6 in the third round by US star Serena Williams, a six-time winner at Flushing Meadows.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Gripens on mission to protect airspace over Baltic states
    08/30/2019

    Five Czech Gripen fighter jets departed on a NATO mission to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Friday. The Baltic states do not have supersonic jets of their own, and allied members take turns defending their airspace.

    Czech pilots will be deployed at Amari base in Estonia until the end of the year, and undertake the mission in cooperation with alliance members Belgium and Denmark.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    08/30/2019

    Saturday should be clear to partly cloudy with day temperatures between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • State to spend 580 million crowns on reconstruction of Hotel Thermal
    08/30/2019

    The state has earmarked 580 million crowns for the reconstruction of Hotel Thermal which traditionally serves the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová told reporters on Friday.

    The reconstruction of the state-owned hotel and adjacent swimming pool should be concluded by 2021.

    Minister Schillerová said the aim was to preserve the hotel’s original appearance as far as possible.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Fire at Lovosice chemical plant causes extensive damage
    08/30/2019

    Firefighters have managed to put out a fire raging on the grounds of the Losovice chemicals factory since Thursday afternoon, the ctk news agency reported early on Friday.

    Three fire-fighters were injured in the blaze. A team of experts will investigate the cause of the fire as soon as conditions allow. Preliminary damage has been estimated at 40 million crowns.

    The main factory hall, with around 300 employees was not damaged.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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