News

The police have charged a 24-year-old foreign student with attempted murder for stabbing another foreign student, on the grounds of a student dormitory in Ostrava. The accused confessed to the crime, saying he had acted out of jealousy. The injured student suffered stab wounds to the abdomen and is in  serious condition. The nationality of the foreign students was not disclosed.

Victims of sexual abuse by priests in Czechia have called for the establishment of an independent commission to map cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. In a petition sent to the Czech Press Agency they also demand the resignation of Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner, claiming that as Archbishop of Olomouc he had failed to act against these practices. According to the authors of the petition, addressed to the Czech Bishops' Conference and the Commission of European Bishops' Conferences, there are hundreds, possibly thousands of victims of abuse by priests in the Czech Republic and the Church remains silent on the matter. The authors of the appeal, have asked for an independent institution to study the archives of bishoprics, religious orders and monastic communities in order to map the real state of affairs.

Czech piano-maker Petrof plans to move part of its production abroad, with its cheaper instruments to be produced by a company in Indonesia, e15 reported on Monday. Production should begin in Indonesia in the second half of next year, the head of Petrof told the news outlet.

High energy costs and rising prices of material are the reasons for the move.

The company, based in the town of Hradec Králové, produced its first piano in 1864. It is one of Europe’s largest makers of acoustic pianos.

The Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, has responded to a comment by US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member that fails to make a sufficient financial contribution to the alliance. Mr. Lipavský said on Sunday that NATO was currently at its strongest ever, “both because of the strong transatlantic link and because of the domestic deterrence and defence tasks that European allies are performing.”

The Czech foreign policy chief said that, in the face of the biggest threat since WWII, Czechia was increasing defence spending and acquiring “new capabilities, many of which originate in the US.”

Mr. Lipavský also said he hoped Mr. Trump did not hear what the leaders of Czechia’s ANO party had to say on spending on F-35s. The grouping’s leader Andrej Babiš says the country does not need the US-made planes.