Daily news summary

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Czech Catholic leader Duka condemns attack on French church

The head of the Czech Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Dominik Duka, has condemned Tuesday’s brutal attack on a church in France in which armed men killed a priest and injured three other people. Cardinal Duka said that with the attack on the Saint-Etienne du Rouvray church near Rouen we had witnessed a “dangerous precedent”. He said churches were not a place for demonstrations, activism or other violent imposition of someone’s will but rather a place of meeting with the Lord. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

LN: Czech Republic to take in 80 Syrian refugees

The Czech Republic will take in 80 Syrian migrants in Turkish refugee camps per the European Union’s agreement with Turkey, Czech daily Lidové noviny reports. The newspaper cited Czech Interior Ministry spokeswoman Hana Malá as confirming the move. The exact date of their arrival was not specified but they are expected in the Czech Republic sometime in October. Two weeks ago the Czech Republic received files on Syrian refugees interested in applying for asylum from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; vetting is being conducted by the security services. Ten refugees from camps in Greece will also be accepted under the EU scheme.

Czech Republic to spend CZK 10 billion replacing Russian helicopters

The Czech Republic is planning to buy 12 military helicopters at a cost of around CZK 10 billion crowns, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on a visit to a helicopter base in Náměšť nad Oslavou on Tuesday. The new aircraft will replace existing Russian ones and only firms from NATO and EU states are likely to be allowed enter the tender process. The state will also put over CZK 500 million into renovating the base in Náměšť nad Oslavou, a process that should be completed in 2018, according to Mr. Sobotka.

Nurse not guilty of murdering patients, court confirms

The Prague Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal taken by the state attorney’s office after a nurse accused of murdering six patients was found innocent by a lower court. Věra Marešová had been accused of injecting patients with overdoses of potassium at a hospital in the north Bohemian town of Rumburk between 2010 and 2014. She had denied the charge from the beginning.

Minister wants to allow Czechs to build houses without planning permission

Czechs will be able to build houses without having to acquire planning permission according to a plan put forward by the minister of regional development, Karla Šlechtová, iHned.cz reported. Under her proposal, people would just have to register a declaration of intent to build with their local authority. At present that is possible only for structures of 150 square metres or less. Minister Šlechtová’s plan is contained in a draft amendment to the building law, which the government is expected to consider in around a month’s time. If approved, it would come into effect next year.

Six thousand Czechs expected at Krakow World Youth Day

An estimated 6,000 young Roman Catholic pilgrims from the Czech Republic have set off for the Polish city of Krakow for World Youth Day, the Czech News Agency reported. One of the largest events of its kind, the festival runs from Tuesday until Sunday, when Pope Francis will address an expected 1.5 million people at an outdoor mass. While most have taken trains and coaches, over 100 pilgrims have travelled the 700 kilometres from Prague to Krakow by bicycle.

Czech tourist dies after being struck by lightning in Tatras

A Czech tourist died on Tuesday after being struck by lightning in the Western Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, the local mountain service said. The man, who was aged 36 and came from the Moravian town of Kroměříž, was hit while on the ridge between the Predný Salatín and Brestová mountains and could not be revived after sustaining a serious head injury.

Salmonella confirmed in summer camp water samples

The testing of water samples from a well at a children’s summer camp in the Jihlava area have confirmed the presence of salmonella, officials have confirmed. Roughly a week ago, 28 children suffered health complications at the camp as a result of the bacteria: 17 of them had to be transferred to hospital as well as two adults. The summer camp has been closed for the time being and is due to reopen in mid-August at the earliest.

Film set against backdrop of 1968 invasion set for September release

The film Code Name Holec (Krycí jméno Holec) set against the backdrop of the August 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia will be released in Czech cinemas in September, a spokesperson for the distributors said on Tuesday. The movie is based on a short story by Jan Němec and also takes place in Vienna. A number of scenes were shot around the Czech Radio building in Vinohrady, where some of the most intense fighting took place in 1968.

Plzeň and Sparta prepare for home Champions League qualifiers

Czech football title-holders Viktoria Plzeň are preparing to face Quarabag of Azerbaijan in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie on Tuesday night. If they overcome Quarabag over two legs, Plzeň will be one round away from returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2013. Sparta Prague, who last reached Europe’s elite club competition in 2005, welcome Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday at the same stage of qualification.