News
Police have arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of murdering a Czech priest
Police have arrested a man suspected of the murder of a Czech priest. The murder took place on Saturday in the Usti nad Labem region, during an apparent robbery attempt. The victim was 78-year-old Ladislav Kubicek. The suspect, 26-year-old Rudolf Samko, allegedly hit the victim in the head several times before setting the building he was in on fire. Mr Samko was found on Tuesday, a few metres away from a Czech-Austrian border crossing in southern Moravia.
Man suspected of casino blast arrested in Israel
Czech police said on Tuesday that a man suspected of trying to kill a casino owner in Prague last month by detonating a hand grenade under his car on a busy street has been arrested in Israel. The failed attack left eighteen people, mainly foreign tourists, injured. The suspect is said to be a 27-year-old man from a former Soviet state, who is now an Israeli citizen. He was identified after his DNA was found on clothes left in a basement near the crime scene along with a wig, a gun and another hand grenade. Police believe he left the Czech Republic on the same day of the attack. The Czech authorities have asked for him to be extradited to the Czech Republic.
OECD: Czech Republic spends little on education
The Czech Republic puts less money into its education system than most other members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. This according to the OECD's latest statistics in Education at a Glance - a comparative study of education systems of member countries - published on Tuesday. While the Czech Republic spent a mere 4.2 percent of its GDP, other OECD members have spent 6.2 percent on average. Education at a Glance is a publication that is updated every year and enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries' performances.
Czech schools hold minute of silence to commemorate victims of Beslan school siege
Several schools throughout the Czech Republic observed a minute's silence on Tuesday in memory of the victims of the Beslan school siege last week, which saw at least 330 killed and over 700 injured. Last Wednesday, European Parliament President Josep Borrell called onto thousands of schools around Europe, to hold a minute of silence on September 14.
Two children struck by car in stable condition
Two ten-year old children, a boy and a girl, are in stable condition after being struck by a car on their way to school in Frenstat pod Radhostem, east Moravia on Monday. The driver of the car, a 78-year-old pensioner, has not been interrogated about the accident as he is still under shock. Police believe he failed to notice the children crossing the street. It was only until the little girl was catapulted onto his car bonnet that he stepped on the brakes. He was charged with negligence leading to grievous bodily harm on Tuesday and could face up to five years in prison.
Czech stars perform for more than 600 at Karlstejn
Monday night saw one of Bohemia's most famous castles, Karlstejn, host a concert by Czech pop stars including Petra Janu, Hana Zagorova, and the legendary Karel Gott, who sang a duet at the end of the evening with recent Pop Idol contestant Martina Balogova. Evoked during the evening was music by composer Karel Svoboda, who wrote the theme music to A Night at Karlstejn, a popular Czech film using motifs from an historic comedy by Jaroslav Vrchlicky. The concert saw more than 600 in attendance, including Prime Minister Stanislav Gross, along with Sarka Grossova, his wife.
Weather
Wednesday is expected to have cloudy skies with day-time temperatures dropping to a maximum of 21 degrees Celsius.
