News

Strengthening the country’s security following the mass shooting at Prague’s Charles University in December will cost CZK 3.6 billion, the website Ekonomicky denik reported on Sunday, citing government material.

About two dozen measures directly related to the incident at the Faculty of Arts, in which a shooter killed 14 people, should be implemented during the next three years. They include the purchase of weapons and equipment for police officers or gunfire protection for firefighters, virtual reality training and emergency notification apps.

The government plans to adopt another five dozen measures worth billions of crowns by 2031.

Czech singer-songwriter Oldřich Janota, a key figure of the country’s alternative folk scene, has died at the age of 74. The news was announced by his family on social media on Saturday. The Plzeň-born artist was known for incorporating minimalist and experimental techniques into folk music, as well as working with pre-recorded tapes.

Janota wrote his first songs in the late 1960s. He performed with the folk-rock band Pentagram, before establishing his own group called Mozart K in 1979. In 2009, a 17-track album Ztracený ve světě: A Tribute to Oldřich Janota was released to mark his 60th birthday.

One of Istanbul's most sought-after landmarks, the underground Basilica Cistern, will feature an exhibition of mostly crystal artworks by Czech sculptors Vlastimil Beránek and Jaroslav Prošek.

The showcase, which gets underway on July 31, is co-organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Istanbul, and will run until November 30.

The ancient cistern was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I. It has a capacity of 80 thousand tons of water and covers an area of approximately 10,000 square metres. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space.

UK singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran will perform two concerts in Hradec Králové within his Mathematics World Tour on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for the first show sold out within hours so a second one was added for the following evening.

The two performances, taking place at the city’s 360 Festival Park, could draw up to 120,000 people. The police have warned drivers to expect traffic restrictions in the vicinity of the concert and strict security measures will be in place for concert-goers. Sheeran had last performed in Czechia in 2019.