• Kenyan runner wins Prague Half Marathon
    03/28/2015

    The winner of the 2015 Prague Half Marathon is Daniel Kinyua Wanjiru from Kenya who covered the 21 km distance in 59 minutes 51 seconds. The first woman to reach the finishing line was Worknesh Degefao who covered the track in 1:07:14. Over 12,000 participants from around the world took part. The Prague Half Marathon holds IAAF Gold Label Road Race status and is managed by the same organization that holds the Prague Marathon in May.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Shift to daylight saving time due at 2am on Sunday
    03/28/2015

    The annual shift to summertime or daylight saving time is due to take place at 2am on Sunday, when clocks will be moved forward by an hour. In the Czech Republic the shift to summertime, introduced for economic reasons, has been implemented, with a number of breaks, for 36 years. Until 1995 summertime in the Czech Republic lasted for six months of the year, after that the country brought it in line with EU norms and it now lasts for seven months- i.e. until the end of October.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • No details being disclosed regarding young women’s release from captivity
    03/28/2015

    The Czech authorities have not disclosed any details with respect to the negotiations leading up to the release of the two Czech women who were kidnapped in Pakistan in 2013 or said where they were kept in detention. Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said that the ministry did not want to reveal further details at this point. Interior Minister Milan Chovanec indicated that the Czech Republic had not paid a ransom to bring them back. The Czech Republic does not negotiate with terrorists or pay ransom money, he told Czech Television.

    President Miloš Zeman’s spokesperson said the president was extremely happy to hear that the two young women had been freed and expressed his gratitude to the IHH NGO for negotiating their release.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • One injured in freight train collision
    03/28/2015

    Two freight trains collided head-on near the town of Litomerice on Saturday morning. One of the engine drivers was badly injured in the accident. It is not yet clear how the trains came to be on the same track. An inspection team is at the site of the accident and the rail track will be closed at least until the end of the day. The preliminary damage estimate is around 100 million crowns.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Two Czech women kidnapped in Pakistan in 2013 have been released
    03/28/2015

    Two Czech women who were kidnapped in Pakistan two years ago have been released, Czech Television reported early on Saturday citing Turkish media sources. The IHH Turkish charity reportedly participated in negotiations to secure their release and the two young women returned home via Turkey late on Friday night. The news of their safe return has since been confirmed by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who thanked the IHH for helping to secure their release and asked the media to respect their and their families’ privacy in order to enable them to return to a normal life as soon as possible. The Turkish media published a photo of the young women on which they both appear to be unharmed.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czech Airlines says it has regulation of two crew members in the cockpit at all times
    03/27/2015

    In connection with the tragic Germanwings plane crash, the Czech national carrier Czech Airlines has said it has an internal regulation according to which there must be two crew members in the cockpit at all times during a flight. If one of the pilots needs a few minutes break they must wait to be replaced by one of the cabin assistants before leaving, a spokesman for Czech Airlines told the news site novinky.cz. The regulation has been in force for the last ten years. The airline Travel Service has confirmed a similar policy.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Defense minister: all in readiness for US convoy
    03/27/2015

    Defense Minister Martin Stropnický said all was in readiness for the 120 vehicle strong US military convoy, which is expected to pass through Czech territory at the end of this week. Speaking at a press briefing in Prague on Friday the minister said the smallest details had been taken care of to ensure a smooth transfer, and all was in readiness both at the military barracks where the soldiers will be staying the night as well as along the given route. Traffic police are prepared for the event and we have all the necessary licenses, the minister noted. The cost of the operation –estimated at 175,000 crowns will be covered by the US army.

    The convoy, returning from a NATO exercise called Operation Atlantic Resolve in the Baltic states, is travelling through six countries on its way to a military base in Germany. It will arrive in the Czech Republic on Sunday and spend four days on Czech territory.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Labour ministry wants early retirement for more miners
    03/27/2015

    The Labour Ministry is working on a proposed legislation which should enable up to 4,000 miners to go into early retirement – by up to five years earlier than the present pension law allows. The present criteria for early retirement allow miners who have worked below ground since 1993 and who undertook 3,300 work shifts by 2008 to ask for retirement 5 years earlier. Labour Minister Michaela Marksova said on Friday she wanted to all miners who have undertaken the said number of work shifts without specification by what date to have the same advantage. The measure is being undertaken to ease the social impact of the planned mine closures.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Lodging house owner fined for running old people’s home in atrocious conditions
    03/27/2015

    The owner of a lodging facility in Přerov, which illegally served as an old peoples home has received a half a million crown fine, the ctk news agency reports. The case came to light when Czech Senator Jitka Seitlová publicized the fact that there were several dozen helpless, old people living in the house in atrocious conditions. After the case made national headlines the people were quickly removed, with some ending up in emergency wards holding their documents with no idea of where they were or what had happened to them. By failing to register his lodging house as a social and health facility the owner by-passed strict health norms and avoided regular inspections to check up on the wellbeing of the home’s inhabitants.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Police find internationally banned anti-personnel land mines at Vrbětice depot
    03/27/2015

    The police have confirmed finding internationally banned anti-personnel land mines in storage at the Vrbětice munitions depot, which was seriously damages in a series of blasts last year, Czech Television reported. The anti-personnel landmines have been banned since 1997 by the Ottawa Convention. Five people have been charged with violating the law on arms licensing and holding illegal weapons. They are employees of Excalibur Army and Real Trade, two weapons trading companies which stored ammunition at the munitions depot in Vrbětice.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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