Daily news summary
Office of President appeals order to apologise over Zeman’s Peroutka Nazi claim
The Office of the President has appealed against a court ruling under which it was ordered to apologise to the descendants of Czech journalist Ferdinand Peroutka, Czech Television reported on Tuesday. The court in February found in favour of Peroutka’s granddaughter, who had contested President Miloš Zeman’s assertion that the journalist had succumbed to the Nazi ideology before the war and written a piece entitled Hitler is a Gentlemen. A court spokesperson said the Office of the President had filed the appeal on Monday.
Chovanec: Christian refugees looking to return to Iraq
Sixteen Christian refugees from Iraq have asked to be returned to their home country, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec told Czech Television on Tuesday. Last week the group attempted to leave the Czech Republic for Germany. However, they were detained by immigration police on the Czech side of the border and later filed asylum requests in the Czech Republic. The 16 are among 90 Iraqi Christians brought to the Czech Republic by the association Generation 21. Twenty-five of them left for Germany at the start of last month and the German authorities are planning to return them to the Czech Republic.
Ex-Social Democrats lawyer fails to block party accounts over huge payout
A Prague court has rejected a motion from lawyer Zdeněk Altner to freeze all of the bank accounts of the Social Democrats, who have been ordered to pay him CZK 338 million. The judge told Czech Television she could not consider the motion as a previous one with the same demand had not run its course legally. Mr. Altner said he was also planning other actions against the political party, who he is concerned may remove funds from their accounts. Much of the huge sum they owe him comprises interest on a disputed fee connected to a case involving the Social Democrats’ Prague headquarters 16 years ago. The party are contesting the award.
Rescue services lacking around 400 doctors
The Czech Republic’s rescue services are lacking around 400 doctors, the chairman of the Association of Emergency Medical Services, Marek Slabý, said on Tuesday. Mr. Slabý said patients were not in danger at present but warned that that situation could arise if the trend continued. He said up to half of services were being provided by external doctors from hospitals or general practitioners, he said.
Policeman who rammed 51 cars had 13 guns at home
A policeman who last week rammed 51 other cars had 13 privately held guns at his home and has handed them into the police, a spokesperson for the force said on Tuesday. Karel Kadlec, a former police instructor, caused over CZK 2 million crowns of damage to parked cars in Prague last Tuesday. He was later found to be above the legal limit for alcohol. Mr. Kadlec has been suspended while the police’s internal affairs unit investigates the matter.
Czech Centres network launches travelling Charles IV exhibition
The Czech Centres network has launched a travelling exhibition marking the 700th anniversary of the birth of Bohemian king and holy roman emperor Charles IV. The panel exhibition, entitled The Emperor on Four Thrones, will include casts of statues of the ruler and his four wives from Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral. It will run at the Czech Centre in downtown Prague until the end of April before making more than a dozen more stops in the international network of cultural institutes, including in New York, Paris and Tokyo.
Poll: Two-thirds of Czechs believe too many foreigners working in CR
Two-thirds of Czechs believe that there are too many foreigners working in the Czech Republic, suggests a new opinion poll conducted by the STEM agency. Three in every five respondents expressed the view that foreigners are depriving Czechs of jobs. Though both views prevail, they are down on last year. A similar survey in 2015 indicated that 80 percent of Czechs thought there was an excessive number of foreigners employed in the country and over 70 percent believed incomers took Czechs’ jobs.
Man arrested over eating in shops without paying 39 times
Police in the Moravian city of Olomouc have arrested a man on charges of consuming food in supermarkets in the city without paying several dozen times. Each time he also drank at least one bottle of spirts, police said. The man, who is 43, was apprehended by store security on 39 occasions and confessed to the thefts. He could face up to two years in jail if found guilty.
PM says “Czechia” will not replace country's official name
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka reiterated at the government’s session on Monday that the new shortened, informal name proposed for the Czech Republic, Czechia, will in no way replace the official name. The prime minister also rejected criticism by the minister for regional affairs, saying that adopting of the shortened version would not affect the drawing of European funds, as she had suggested. The Minister for Regional Development Karla Šlechtová, not in favour of the shortened version, pointed out that around 1.1 billion crowns had been spent on marketing the country as the Czech Republic – Land of Stories as a tourist destination.
Extraliga hockey: Sparta capitalise on powerplay, grab 2-1 series lead against Liberec
Sparta Prague grabbed a 2-1 series lead against Liberec on Monday winning the third match of the best-of-seven Extraliga final by a score of 4-1. Sparta, drew first blood at home in front of 16,768 fans and added three more goals before Liberec got on the scoreboard, all in the second period. Sparta capitalised on their powerplay while Liberec paid the price, showing a lack of discipline. The clubs face each other again on Tuesday.
