Daily news summary

US authorities say man responsible for death of Czech ambassador killed in attack

The man held responsible for the killing of the Czech ambassador in Pakistan has been killed according to US authorities. Czech ambassador Ivo Žd’árka died after a fire followed an explosion in the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2008. The hotel was temporarily being used as a embassy. The man who masterminded the bomb attack was Qari Yasin. US authorities said that Yasin was killed on March 19 in Afghanistan. Pakistani and Islamic sources, according to the new agency Reuters, said that Yasin was killed following a drone attack. Yasin, a highly placed member of Al-Qaida, was responsible for a series of terror attacks.

Former Czech foreign minister attacks Austrian minister for populism

Former Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg has attacked the current foreign minister of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, for populism. Schwarzenberg singled out Kurz’s comments attacking any EU talks with Turkey. The Czech politician said that it was clear at the moment that Turkish entry into the EU is not on the agenda. Schwarzenberg’s comments were given in an interview with the Austrian paper Die Presse Am Sonntag.

T3 nostalgia tram line launched in Prague

The original T3 trams from the early 1960’s have been gradually removed from most of Prague’s streets. The Prague transport authority has announced the move. Modernised T3’s will however remain. The older T3 will, however, circulate the capital’s streets on so-called nostalgia lines. One such, the route 23 through Charles Square and past Prague Castle, was launched on Saturday. The original T3’s were credited with saving the city’s tram network when transport bosses were pondering whether to replace all trams with buses.

Czech acting prizes for 2016 handed out

Czech acting prizes were handed out during the annual Thalie awards on Saturday night. Actress Alena Vránová was given a lifetime award for her contribution to theatre. The 2016 awards were given to Hana Tomáš Briešt’anka for the role in Petrol Lamps at Brno’s National Theatre and Milan Kňažko in Shylock at the Na Jezerce Theatre in Prague. Ballet soloist Yui Kyotani from the Olomouc Theatre won the prize in her category.

Czech tennis players to face each other for last 16 Miami place

Czech tennis players Karolína Plíšková and Barbora Strýcová are both in the fourth round of the Miami open tournament and will now face each other. Plíšková is seeded second in the singles. The two Czechs each have one victory apiece against each other in WTA events. Last year Strýcová won on grass in Birmingham. A year earlier Plíšková was the winner on a hard court in Dubai.

Czech football coach make changes for world cup qualifier against San Marino

In football, national coach Karol Jarolím made two changes to the first team that faced Lithuania in a mid-week friendly for the game against San Marino on Sunday night. He called up Michael Krmenčík to the attack and Jakub Jankto to the left midfield position. The Czech Republic play San Marino in a world cup group qualification game. The Czechs need to win all their remaining group games to secure second place and the change of qualifying for Russia. Germany already has a solid lead in the group and should take first place.

Weather

The weather on Monday will be sunny with some cloudy intervals. Top daytime temperatures will reach 14 degrees Celsius.