-
08/20/2019
Eight firefighting units were called to put out a fire at a villa built by fugitive Czech criminal Radovan Krejčíř.
The sprawling villa in Černošice, just outside of Prague, into which he built an aquarium and kept a shark, has been unoccupied since he fled the country in 2005.
The fire consumed most of the villa’s roof despite the efforts of some 50 firefighters called to the scene in the wee hours of Tuesday. Damages to the villa, once valued at 500 million crowns, exceed 5 million crowns.
Krejčíř is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for attempted murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking in South Africa.
A court ruled last year that he could be extradited to the Czech Republic, where he was convicted in absentia of plotting to murder a customs officer.
-
08/20/2019
Social Democrat (ČSSD) deputy chairman Michal Šmarda has withdrawn his name from consideration as Minister of Culture, he told Czech TV on Monday night. He said it made no sense to try to join the cabinet without the backing of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO).
President Miloš Zeman had refused to name Šmarda to the post, leaving it vacant for months, although under the Constitution legal experts argue he is obliged to accept the nominees put forward by the prime minister.
The Social Democrats had threatened to quit the government if Šmarda were not appointed, citing the coalition agreement with ANO that the Ministry of Culture was under their purview, and the president’s violation of the Constitution.
Zeman and Babiš are due to discuss the situation at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the president’s Lány residence.
Šmarda said he would recommend to his party that it leave the government. He also said he now intends to run in the Senate elections next year, contesting in the Žďár region.
-
08/19/2019
The head of the National Cyber and Information Security Service (NÚKIB) has denied that his agency shared its findings on a recent cyberattack against the Foreign Ministry with the Senate Committee for Defence and Security.
Last week that committee said a “foreign state power” had hacked into the ministry’s computer network, citing information from the NÚKIB, and called for more resources to be allocated to cyber security.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) at the weekend had criticized the agency for informing the Senate of the situation but no members of the government. At a National Security Council meeting on Monday, NÚKIB director Dušan Navrátil denied that was the case.
-
08/19/2019
Police arrested 28 fans of the Banik Ostrava football club following a riot after the team lost an away match against Sparta Praha by a score of 0:2 on Sunday afternoon.
The visiting fans attacked local supporters, firefighters and police officers. At least one victim has been hospitalised.
Of those arrested 19 could be charged for disturbing the peace while seven may face charges for instigating a riot.
-
08/19/2019
Czech professional rock climber Adam Ondra failed to advance to the finals at the World Cup in Japan on Monday, and thus did not qualify for the Olympic Games.
Climbing is one of four new sports set to make Olympic debuts at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The new triathlon format will see athletes awarded medals based on scores across three formats: Speed, Lead and Bouldering.
Ondra, who has seven world medals in Bouldering and three world championship titles, was among the pre-tournament favourites. He finished 18th in the combined qualifying round after being penalised for using a bolt meant for clipping the rope to as a foothold.
-
08/19/2019
Scientists from the Technical University of Liberec have developed a military uniform that changes camouflage depending on the environment, the ČTK agency reports.
The camouflage fatigues are made from a material that contains thermochromic pigments and change colour depending on the environment.
If the temperature exceeds 37 degrees Celsius, the material changes from a mix of green and brown – the classic ‘forest’ colouring – to a mix of brown and beige – the classic ‘desert’ colouring.
The scientists spent two years developing the material so that it could withstand long-term exposure to sunlight and still return to the ‘forest’ colouring.
-
08/19/2019
Rain is in the forecast Tuesday for the Bohemian and central regions of the Czech Republic, with partly cloudy skies expected in Moravia. Average highs should range from 18 degrees Celsius where rain is anticipated to 27 degrees Celsius in the east.
-
08/19/2019
The Czech Ministry of Culture needs to be more uniform and transparent in how it dispenses grants and funds activities in the sector, the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) says in its latest report.
The report analysed the distribution of over 500-600 million crowns allocated by the ministry in the years 2016 to 2018. It found there was no effective digital system in place to both centralise and track the flow of money.
The NKÚ also noted that nine different sections within the ministry allocated subsidies, each having their own regulations.
The result is a fragmented, overly complex system whereby, for example, an entity seeking support for a dance and theatre festival must submit two markedly different applications.
-
08/19/2019
Czech piano maker Petrof has had its most profitable year since the global financial crisis, earning more than 12.5 million crowns in 2018.
Petrof said 90 percent of its sales come from abroad, with its pianos sold in 65 countries worldwide, including China, which has become its largest market. Domestic sales grew 55% compared to the previous year.
The Hradec Králové-based company has been making pianos since 1864. Petrof said it hired another 50 employees in 2018 to meet demand.
-
08/19/2019
Seven Czech gaming studios plan to present their products at the upcoming Gamescom international trade fair in Cologne, Germany.
The exhibitors at the Czech national booth include established studios such as Bohemia Interactive, Charged Monkey, BadFly Interactive and Czech Games Edition as well as the start-ups Charles Games, Gold Knights and Outside the Fox.
The national booth is being organized by the Czech Game Developers Association and the state CzechInvest agency with the support of Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Gamescom runs from 20-22 August. It is the second time a Czech national booth is participating.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 2156
- 2157
- 2158
- 2159
- 2160
- 2161
- 2162
- 2163
- 2164
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »