News

One of the last remaining Czechs who served with Britain’s RAF during World War II, Pavel Vranský, has died at the age of 97. Mr. Vranský was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by the president last year.

The war hero, who came from a Jewish family in Ostrava, joined the RAF in 1942 and served with the 311 Squadron, which was a Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron. Prior to that he had fought in Syria and at Tobruk.

President Miloš Zeman says that the Social Democrats’ nominee for minister of foreign affairs, Miroslav Poche, has not been proposed to him as a cabinet member by the prime designate, Andrej Babiš of ANO. The president said in an interview on Sunday that there had been a blank space by foreign affairs in a list of ministerial candidates he received from Mr. Babiš.

Mr. Zeman is opposed to Mr. Poche heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accusing him of being soft on migrants.

However, Mr. Babiš said that the information provided to the president had been informal. The ANO leader told reporters he does intend to include Mr. Poche when he officially informs the president about his cabinet nominees on Monday.

The leader of the Social Democrats, Jan Hamáček, said that if Mr. Babiš failed to nominate Mr. Poche it would represent a breach of the outline coalition agreement between his party and ANO and would make further negotiations pointless.

Mr. Zeman said he would very probably appoint the new government on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mr. Babiš has said that the prospective two-party minority coalition – which would be supported on key votes by the Communists – could undergo a vote of confidence in the lower house on July 11.

It should be largely overcast and wet in the Czech Republic on Monday, with temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius. More rain is expected through the week but daytime highs will climb steadily.

Opinion has been divided by the new strip of the Czech national ice hockey team, which sees the traditional state symbol replaced by a large illustration of a lion wearing a crown.

The vast majority of respondents in a poll by the iDnes.cz news site said they did not like the national team’s new look, while the Czech player of the season David Pastrňák said he didn’t understand it and goaltender Ondřej Pavelec described it as a disgrace.

In contrast Martin Nečas, who was part of the Czech squad at this year’s world championships, said the jerseys were far nicer than the old ones. Now retired ice hockey great Patrik Eliáš said the lion was a national symbol and it was a great idea to use it as the symbol of the Czech team.