Daily news summary
International fire-fighters training exercise in Šumava
Over 600 fire fighters, police officers and volunteers from the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria are taking part in a three-day training exercise aimed at fighting forest fires in the southern border area of the Šumava mountain range. The aim is to test their coordination in the event of a cross-border massive forest fire that would affect all three states. The Šumava nature reserve is specific is that there is a lot of wood on the ground in the no-intervention zones which would make a fire spread very fast, there is the question of accessing water optimally for the different areas and moreover firefighters from the three states communicate on different frequencies.
Health authorities warn cases of STDs growing
The State Health Institute has warned that the number of Czechs infected with STDs such as gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV is on the rise. According to health experts this is due to the fact that few people with promiscuous behavior bother to take precautions. For instance the number of people infected with gonorrhea last year was double that in 2011. The risk of STD infection is highest among gay men, the risk among heterosexuals is lower, but is also growing.
Uma Thurman to attend screening of Kill Bill at open cinema in Karlovy Vary
On Sunday visitors to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival can view among others a screening of the French drama Corporate starring Lambert Wilson which offers a hard-hitting, ever-current testimony about relations between the individual and the system and the world premiere of The White World According to Daliborek, a Czech film competing in the Documentary Films section that brings a stylized portrait of an authentic Czech neo-Nazi who hates his life but doesn’t know how to change it. Uma Thurman, holder of the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination, will attend a public screening of Kill Bill, a cult film made by Quentin Tarantino, at an outdoor cinema.
Ride of the Kings in Hluk
The Ride of the Kings – a unique and colourful tradition practiced in only four south-east Moravian villages took place in the village of Hluk on Sunday. The ride refers to the flight of Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus from Czech King George of Podébrady in the 15th century and involves a festive ride through the village with a boy portraying the monarch dresses in a traditional women’s folk costume to ‘mask’ his identity. The event which involves months of preparations end with a big celebration, dancing, drinking and merrymaking. The Ride of the Kings is on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
Czechs marking centenary of Battle of Zborov
A Czech delegation is in Ukraine to pay homage to the Czechoslovak legionaries who fought in the Battle of Zborov in WWI a century ago. The battle, where Czechoslovak legionaries joined the Kerensky Offensive, was a minor episode in the Great War, however it was a crucial moment for the future of the Czechoslovak legionaries, the Czechoslovak resistance and the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918. The commemorative ceremony at Zborov is attended by representatives of the Czech Defense Ministry, the Union of Czechoslovak Legionaries and war veterans.
Czech judoka Krpalek wins gold in China
Czech judoka Lukas Krpalek, the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 100 plus kilogram weight division, has won gold at the Grand Prix judo competition in China. It is his second gold in this category to which he only advanced at the start of this year. Krpalek originally considered withdrawing from the competition due to severe back pain.
Weather forecast
Monday should be partly cloudy to overcast with rain in places and day temperatures between 19 to 23 degrees Celsius.
