Daily news summary
Ledecká wins second gold at Olympics
Ester Ledecká has become the first woman to claim gold medals in two sports at a Winter Olympics with a win in the snowboarding parallel giant slalom on Saturday.
The 22-year-old confirmed her supremacy in snowboarding with ease, setting the fastest time in qualifying and outracing Germany's Selina Joerg by .46 seconds in the final for her second gold.
Ledecka earned a shock victory in the skiing super G last Saturday and her performance is the highlight of the Olympics for the Czech Republic.
She is only the fifth person to win gold in two different events at the Winter Olympics and is the first athlete to win golds in two unrelated disciplines.
Czechs marking 70 years since communist take-over
Czechs are marking 70 years since the communist take-over which brought the country under totalitarian rule for more than four decades.
The anniversary is being marked by film screenings, photo exhibitions and public debates.Gatherings and commemorative acts are taking place in many parts of the country at memorials dedicated to the victims of communism.
In Prague people have been laying flowers and lighting candles at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism at Ujezd and a gathering is expected to take place on old Town Square.
Historians have been stressing the need to keep alive the memory of this dark chapter of the country’s history.
Fire at Mochov plant finally contained
A fire that raged at a cooling plant in Mochov, east of Prague, for two days was brought under control on Saturday evening, the ctk news agency reported. Fire fighters remain at the site to make sure the fire does not rekindle from hot embers. It is not clear when investigators will be able to enter the site.The damage is expected to exceed 100 million crowns.
Justice minister confirms president lobbied for Nikulin
Justice Minister Robert Pelikan has confirmed that President Zeman had lobbied for alleged hacker Yevgeny Nikulin to be handed over to the authorities in Russia rather than to the US, where he faces charges of hacking the computers of major internet companies including LinkedIn.
Minister Pelikan said the president has brought up the matter at two meetings with him and the president’s Chancellor Vratislav Mynář had visited him this week to discuss the issue. Pelikan said he considered the pressure unacceptable.
Nikulin is wanted in Moscow on charges of stealing less than CZK 50,000 from a bank account.He was arrested in Prague in 2016 on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant requested by the American government.
Berlinale Film Festival honours Oscar-winning Czech director Jiří Menzel
The Berlinale Film Festival has honoured Oscar-winning Czech director Jiří Menzel with a Golden Camera Award for his contribution to film and the Czech New Wave.
The film ‘The Interpreter,’ in which he acts, saw its worldwide premiere at the festival on Friday night. Menzel who turned 80 on Friday was not present for health reasons.
His Closely Watched Trains won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1967, and the acclaimed fil director has since produced around 30 films, among them, Larks on a String and Capricious Summer.
Menzel is a leading representative of the Czech New Wave cinema, alongside Miloš Forman and Věra Chytilová.
Czech hockey team beaten by Canada in contest for bronze
The Czech hockey team lost its bid for the bronze at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, suffering a 6:4 defeat at the hands of Canada.
Canada gained a 3:1 lead in the first period and although the Czechs attempted to rally towards the end of the game, shooting three goals in relatively quick succession, they failed to turn the game around. The Czechs have thus taken fourth place.
Weather forecast
Sunday should bring clear skies and freezing cold weather with day temperatures between -4 and – 8 degrees Celsius and night time lows dropping to – 18 in places.
