Daily news summary
Czech tourist killed by shark in Egypt
A Czech tourist in Egypt was attacked and killed by a shark on Friday, the news site Echo 24 reported. The news was confirmed by Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Michaela Lagronova.
According to Echo 24 the victim was a 41 year-old-man holidaying in Marsa Alam with his wife and children. Egypt is a popular holiday destination with Czechs.
Government to debate measures against drought
As the drawn-out period of drought in the Czech Republic continues many mayors have issued a ban on using tap water to fill swimming pools and water gardens. Regional governors are counting the costs of the drought and preparing to ask for state compensation.
Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry is preparing a long-term strategy to fight drought. These include more water basins, landscape changes and support for water saving projects, such as contributing to the cost of reservoirs for rain water. The cost of the anti-drought measures should reach 42 billion crowns.
Fitch upgrades Czech Republic’s credit rating to AA-
The Fitch Ratings Agency has upgraded the Czech Republic‘s credit rating from A+ to AA-, with a positive outlook, according to the Reuters news agency. The improvement reflects the positive impact of stable economic growth on revenues, contained government spending and improved drawing of EU funds.
Police investigating death of two Vietnamese children
The police is investigating the circumstances of the drowning of two Vietnamese seven-year-old boys at Lake Lhota near Prague on Friday.
The mothers of the two boys have complained that when they reported the children missing the employees of the bathing resort had not taken them seriously and a search had only been launched several hours later.
The lifeguard was reportedly not at his post because of the heat.
The Czech-Vietnamese Society has called for the incident to be thoroughly investigated.
Eyewitness reports appear to confirm the parent’s claims.
Exhibitions at Czech embassies mark 50th anniversary of Soviet-led invasion
The Czech Foreign Ministry is marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia with exhibitions and special events at Czech embassies around the world.
The Foreign Ministry has also organized several international conferences on the subject.
Czech cultural centres abroad are showing an exhibition titled Prague Spring 1968.
People in the Czech Republic will be able to view the exhibition at the Czech Centre in Prague’s Rytířská street in October.
Jakub Kornfeil wins qualifier for Brno Grand Prix
Jakub Kornfeil secured a career first pole on the eve of his 155th race start on home soil in qualifying for the Czech Moto3 Grand Prix at Brno.
The other Czech, Filip Salač, who was racing on a wild card, finished last.
Kornfeil, who came second in Le Mans, said it had been an incredible experience to win on home ground cheered by thousands of fans.
Weather forecast
Sunday should bring partly cloudy skies, rain and storm showers and a slight drop in temperatures to between 27 and 31 degrees Celsius.
