Daily news summary

Czech Republic welcomes EU call for investigation into Khashoggi death

The Czech Foreign Ministry has welcomed the joint EU statement on the killing of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček said on Twitter that the killing of the Saudi opposition journalist called for an emphatic and univocal response from the 28-member bloc. The Czech foreign minister is to meet with the Saudi ambassador to Prague on Wednesday to debate the issue with him.

The European Union has called for a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into the death of Jamal Khashoggi and ensuring full accountability of all those responsible for it.

Khashoggi's killing has drawn international criticism, prompting the kingdom to describe it as a "huge and grave mistake", while adding that crown prince Mohammed bin Salman had not been aware of the case.

Criminal charges after Prague hospital gives large contracts without tender process

Prague’s na Bulovce hospital gave out contracts worth over CZK 800 million without a proper tender process in 2016 and 2017, according to a Ministry of Health audit published on Monday. Controllers say the terms of the contracts for orthopedic implants and medicines were especially designed to ensure only one company, run by a man named Tomáš Horáček, could win them.

The Ministry of Health has filed criminal charges in connection with the matter.

Mr. Horáček was indicted on suspicion of manipulating hospital contracts earlier this year. A former director of the Na Bulovce hospital, Andrea Vrbovská, is also facing charges.

2018 Roma Pride parade to protest Zeman statements

A Roma Pride parade planned for Prague on next Sunday’s state holiday will take the form of a protest against statements made by President Miloš Zeman, organisers have announced. The head of state said recently that only 10 percent of Romanies worked. The claim was condemned by politicians and civic groups, while its falsehood was also highlighted.

Roma Pride organiser Jozef Miker said the parade would be used to stand up against Mr. Zeman’s “outrageous anti-gypsy lies” and against the spreading of hatred against Romanies. The parade will run from the square in front of Prague Castle to Old Town Square.

Party-financing watchdog slaps fines in wake of Senate elections

The office supervising the finances of political parties and movements has fined 13 political parties and movements, 14 coalitions and 8 independent candidates for lack of transparency in reporting on money spent on campaigning in the recent Senate elections.

The irregularities concern the information made available to the public regarding the amount of money and the manner in which it had been spent.

Altogether the fines amount to 280,000 crowns. The office has not revealed the names of the parties or candidates who were found lacking.

Three charged in connection with drowning of two Vietnamese children

The police have charged three people in connection with the drowning of two seven-year-old Vietnamese boys in Lhota Lake, north of Prague.The charges are negligence resulting in death. If convicted they could face between one and six years in prison.

The accident happened in August of this year. The mothers of the two boys later complained that when they reported the children missing the employees of the bathing resort did not take them seriously and a search for the children was only launched several hours later. The lifeguard was reportedly not at his post because of the heat.

Brown bear still pilfering food in Zlin region

Efforts continue to try to capture a brown bear that has been killing sheep and destroying beehives in the Zlin region in Moravia.

The animal which is reported to have killed more than two dozen sheep in the past few weeks makes regular forages into mountain farms and villages in search of food.

Rangers have set a trap for the animal but experts say it may take days or weeks to capture it. It should then be placed in one of the country’s zoos.

Weather forecast

Tuesday should be overcast with rain around the country and day temperatures between 9 and 13 degrees Celsius. Snow showers may appear in the mountain regions and meteorologists have issued a high wind warning for the entire country.