Daily news summary
Czech-born Jewish writer and painter Max Mannheim dies at 96
The Czech-born Jewish writer and painter Max Mannheimer has died in Germany at the age of 96. Mr Mannheimer, who was born in Nový Jičín, survived the Holocaust and dedicated his life in post-war Germany to fighting anti-Semitism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Mr Mannheimer on Saturday for his efforts to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, calling him "a great reconciler."
Three people arrested over death of Czech businessman in London
Three people have been arrested over the killing of a Czech businessman working in London, the British newspaper the Guardian reported on Saturday. The 31-year old Zdeněk Makar was attacked by a gang of BMX teenagers on Friday following a row inside a fast food outlet. The gang chased and beat the 31-year-old to death with a metal chain. According to the Guardian, two men, aged 19 and 29, and a 16-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder and taken for questioning.
Several dozen people attend meeting to support Donald Trump
Several dozen people attended a meeting organized by anti-Islam activist Martin Konvička on Malostranské náměstí on Saturday. The participants of the meeting marched to the US Embassy shouting slogans in support of the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Several police officers oversaw the gathering but no incidents were reported. A previous meeting organised by Konvička in Prague’s Old Town Square at the end of August caused controversy when he and a group of followers decided to stage their interpretation of an Islamic State “invasion” of the Czech Republic.
Massive anti-flood training took place in Prague
A massive anti-flood exercise took place in Prague on Saturday. Some 350 fire-fighters, rescue workers and other city employees have raised over one kilometer of barriers by the Vltava River at the Holešovice district. The overall anti-flood measures are nearly 20 kilometers long and have cost the city around three billion crowns. The massive exercise, the biggest since 2011, cost over one million crowns.
New book by Post Bellum brings testimonies of victims of totalitarian regime
Stories of the victims of the totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia are set to be released on Monday by the NGO Post Bellum, which has been publishing the testimonies of witnesses to modern Czech history for nearly 15 years. Entitled Stories of Heroes of the 20th century, the book brings more then 30 testimonies which have not been yet available in the audio archive on the NGO`s website. Some of them have already been released as part of the regular Czech Radio show Stories of the 20th Century. The book will be suitable for children from the age of 13.
Dry and warm weather expected for rest of September
Temperatures are likely to stay above average for the rest of September, according to a regular monthly weather forecast issued by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute on Saturday. On some days the temperature will reach up 24 degrees Celsius. During the first three weeks of October, daily temperatures are expected to drop to around 16 degrees Celsius. Rainfall levels over the next four weeks should be below the average for the time of year.
Tennis: Strýcová and Mirza win women’s doubles final in Tokyo, Berdych fails to reach final in St. Petersburg
Czech tennis player Barbora Strýcová teamed with India’s Sania Mirza have won the women’s doubles final at Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Playing their third tournament together, the Czech-Indian duo secured their second title with a straight sets win over China’s Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang 6:1, 6:1. Meanwhile, Czech tennis player Tomáš Berdych has failed to reach the final of the St. Petersburg Open. The third-seeded Czech was beaten in the men’s singles on Saturday by Alexander Zverev
