Daily news summary
Czech ambassador dismissed over his wife's tweets
Czech ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Karel Borůvka, has been dismissed from his post because of his wife's activities on social networks. Mr Borůvka was due to serve in Bern until the end of his four-year term next summer, but he has been ordered to return home by the end of April. Alena Borůvková, the ambassador's wife, posted dozens of tweets on her Twitter account over the last few days in which she criticised fellow party members, journalists and other politicians. Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said on Saturday he insisted on the ambassador's dismissal, arguing that his wife was also part of the diplomatic corps. The ambassador said earlier that he considered the actions of the Foreign Ministry as unprecedented, adding that he had no responsibility for his wife`s activities.
Germans warn Czech authorities against Twelve Tribes Christian sect
German authorities have warned the Czech Republic against the Twelve Tribes Christian sect, which is suspected of child abuse, the German magazine Der Spiegel writes. Some members of the sect, which is known to believe in corporal punishment, moved to the Czech Republic at the end of last year. The Twelve Tribes sect have repeatedly got into conflict with German authorities, particularly for its refusal to send its children to school. Some of its members have moved to the Czech Republic already in 2013, when they bought a farm near Kladno in Central Bohemia.
Thousand of people bid last farewell to hit singer Věra Špinarová
Thousands of people on Saturday paid their last respects to the singer Věra Špinarová, who died last Sunday at the age of 65. The farewell ceremony, which took place in Slezská Ostrava in North Moravia, was open to the public till twelve a.m. In the afternoon, a memorial service will be held for close friends and family only. Špinarová, who broke into the big time in the late 60’s and 70’s, began her singing career at the age of 15 and her first success came with the group Flamingo.
Weather records set around Czech Republic on Friday
Temperature records were set in many parts of the Czech Republic on Friday. Forty-six out of 141 measuring stations that have been keeping records for more than 30 years saw their warmest ever temperature for the day, the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute informed on its website. The hottest place in the country was Staňkov near Domažlice in the south-west of the country, where it was 24.1 degrees Celsius. March 31 has so far been the hottest day measured this year.
Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei breaks women’s half-marathon world record
The winner of the 2016 Prague Half Marathon is Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia, who covered the 21 km distance in 59 minutes and 37 seconds. The first woman to reach the finishing line was Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, who crossed the finish line in 1:04:52, taking 14 seconds off the world record set earlier this year by Peres Jepchirchir. The best Czech contestant was Jiří Homoláč,who covered the track with the time of 1:03:23, his personal record. Some 11,500 participants from around the world took part in the 19th edition of the Prague Half Marathon.
Tennis: Strýcová and Mirza advance to women’s doubles final in Miami
Czech tennis player Barbora Strýcová teamed with India’s Sania Mirza have advanced to the women’s doubles final of Miami Open tournament. The Czech-Indian duo defeated Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-jan 6-7, 6-1, 10-4. They will face Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan in the final.
Weather
Sunday is expected to be partly cloudy with occasional rain and daytime temperatures ranging between 19 and 23 degrees Celsius.
