Daily news summary
Czech Foreign Ministry alarmed by mass arrests at Moscow protest
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is alarmed by the repeated mass arrests of demonstrators in Moscow. Riot police in the Russian capital arrested some 600 people on Saturday in an attempt to suppress a protest rally that had been banned by authorities.
The ministry has called on Russian authorities to respect basic rights and freedoms and fulfil their obligations ensuing from Russia’s membership in OSCE. Saturday’s rally was the last in a series of protests, triggered by a refusal to let opposition candidates stand in Moscow parliamentary elections.
PM Babiš to visit Turkey in September
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is due to visit Turkey in September, along with a delegation of Czech businessmen. Mr Babiš and the head of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, Vladimír Dlouhý, will launch a business forum in Istanbul, the spokesman for the chamber told the Czech News Agency on Sunday.
The Prime Minister said earlier that he would like to discuss the unfinished thermal power plant Yunus Emre, in the north west of the country, which was built with the help of Czech companies. The Czech Chamber of Commerce will also organize bilateral meetings between Czech and Turkish businesses in the Turkish capital Ankara.
EC criticizes Czechia over lengthy EIA procedures
The European Commission has criticised the Czech Republic over its lengthy Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of construction projects and its agricultural management, the Czech News Agency reported on Sunday, citing an EC report debated by the Senate.
Environment Minister Richard Brabec said the government had reservations about some parts of the report, but in general, he described it as a largely objective description of the state of affairs. He also welcomed the report as an effort to introduce better environmental legislation into practice.
Victims of communist show-trials honoured in Jihlava
Dozens of people, including members of the Confederation of Political Prisoners, gathered in Jihlava on Sunday to honour the victims of the communist show-trials. The commemorative event took place outside the former prison, were eleven people were executed in the 1950s.
Seven of these men were executed in one of the most controversial one of the most controversial show-trials of the period, which followed the shooting of three communist officials in the village of Babice in South Moravia in July 1951 and which the Stalinist authorities used as an excuse for widespread reprisals.
Marquez wins Czech Grand Prix in Brno
Marc Márquez of Spain won the Czech Grand Prix at the MotoGP in Brno on Sunday. The rider with the Repsol Honda team covered the Brno Circuit, which was shortened to 20 laps due to rain, in 39 minutes and 24 seconds.
The 26 year-old Spaniard finished two and a half seconds ahead of last year’s winner Andrea Dovizioso of Italy and has increased his lead over him to 63 points. Australian Jack Miller finished third.
The Czech Republic’s Jakub Kornfeil came ninth in the Moto3 category.
Average temperatures expected in August
Average temperatures for the season are expected in the coming four-week period, according to the long-term weather forecast issued by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute issued this weekend.
The coming week will be the warmest, with temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius. Towards the end of the four-week period, temperatures should to drop to around 21 degrees Celsius. Precipitation should also be average for the time of year, with most rainfall expected in the coming week.
Weather
Monday is expected to be mostly sunny with occasional clouds and daytime high ranging between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius.
