Daily news summary
Czech PEN club criticizes Babiš over his statements
The Czech centre on International PEN club criticized the statements of the billionaire and ANO party leader Andrej Babiš who said his situation was similar to that in the 1950s communist Czechoslovakia. The former finance minister spoke in reaction to the police request to lift his parliamentary immunity over the so-called Stork’s Nest affair, where a company belonging to Babiš‘ large agro-chemical group Agrofert applied for a 50 million crown European grant for work on a recreation and hotel complex. The funding was supposed to be directed towards small and medium sized companies. Representatives of the PEN club said in a statement that Mr Babiš`s statement was an insult to the victims of the Communist regime in the 1950s. They sais Mr. Babiš either disregarded historical facts or he was ignorant.
Study: growing number of Czechs buy property abroad
A growing number of Czechs are buying real estate abroad, the Czech News Agency reported on Sunday, citing a study by the real estate company Rellox. Czech clients are buying property mostly in Austria (47 percent), Croatia (20 percent), Italy and Spain. According to the study, they usually invest in studios, but they also buy houses and villas. Most clients, around 65 percent, use their foreign property as a holiday home and rent it out during their absence. Last year, Rellox recorded an 11-percent increase in foreign property investments compared to the previous year.
Day of Jewish Monuments held around Czech Republic
The Day of Jewish Monuments is held around the Czech Republic on Sunday. Over 50 heritage sites, including synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and other buildings, will be open to visitors for free or for a reduced fee. Among them is the Jubilee Synagogue in Prague or one of the country’s oldest Jewish cemeteries in Kolín. The event is organised by Jewish communities in Prague, Brno and Teplice along with the Federation of Jewish Communities and Matana, the administrative body for Jewish buildings and cemeteries. Some 200 synagogues and 370 Jewish cemeteries have been preserved to this day in the Czech Republic.
Czech mountaineer dies at Mont Blanc .
A Czech mountaineer fell to his death at Mont Blanc in France on Saturday. The accident happened while he and his two fellow climbers were descending the Goûter Couloir, a popular access route to Europe's highest mountain. The 42-year-old Czech plummeted several hundred metres down the corridor and was killed instantly. According to the french daily Le Dauphiné Libéré, he wasn't using a rope
Czech javelin throwers take silver and bronze at World Athletics Championships
Czech javelin throwers Jakub Vadlejch and Petr Frydrych threw personal bests of 89.73 and 88.32 respectively to take silver and bronze at the World Athletics Championships in London on Saturday. Vadlejch finished only 16 centimetres behind Germany's Johannes Vetter, who topped the podium.
Brutal Assault heavy metal festival attracts 20,000 visitors
A record 20,000 people visited the annual Brutal Assault heavy metal festival, which takes place at an old army fortress known as Josefov, some 130 kilometres east of Prague. The 21st edition of the festival, one of the biggest events of its kinds in Europe, got underway on Thursday and featured around 110 acts including Czech black metal band Master’s Hammer.
Weather
Monday is expected to be mostly sunny with daytime temepratures ranging between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius.
