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EU flag to fly at Prague Castle

The president-elect, Miloš Zeman, has told the Czech daily Právo that the flag of the European Union will fly at Prague Castle after he assumes office. Mr Zeman told the newspaper that he would invite European Commission President Jose Barroso to attend a special ceremony during which the EU flag would be raised. The step is a departure from that of Mr Zeman’s predecessor Václav Klaus, a well-known critic of the EU, who refused such a move.

In the interview, the president-elect also told Právo that he would transfer the agenda of presidential pardons to the Justice Ministry; ahead of the elections, Mr Zeman maintained that he would never declare an amnesty, a reaction – at least in part – to one declared in January by Mr Klaus. The New Years Day amnesty controversially halted, or threatens to halt, a number of major corruption and economic crime cases.

Mid-level flood alerts in effect on two rivers in southern Bohemia.

Mid-level flood alerts are in effect on two rivers in southern Bohemia, the Lužnice and Nežárka. The Lužnice River rose most markedly in the area of Bechyně and Klenovice, while the Nežárka rose most at the village of Hamr near Soběslav. Officials the Hydrometeorological Institute in České Budějovice said, all the same, that water levels were gradually receding in the region. Lower-level warnings are in place on a number of other rivers.

Thirty-year-old skier seriously injured at Klíny

A 30-year-old skier suffered serious injury on a ski hill near Most on Sunday afternoon after apparently losing control on a jump on a specialized trail. No witnesses saw the accident but the skier was found unconscious below. According to officials, the skier suffered serious trauma to his head, made worse by the fact he had not worn a helmet. Specialists called skiing without a helmet extremely hazardous, explaining that although trails could be covered with fresh powder, the snow beneath was hard-packed and a hard surface for falls.

Jazz guitarist Rudolf Dašek dies at 79

Darina Hájková, the daughter of highly-respected jazz guitarist Rudolf Dašek, has revealed that her father died on January 31 at the age of 79. Ms Hájková told the Czech news agency that a service in his memory will held on February 7 in Prague. As a musician, Mr Dašek often teamed up with well-known flutist Jiří Stivín; music critic Antonín Matzner told CTK that the duo of Stivín and Dašek was the best export item from 1970s Czechoslovakia, adding that Mr Dašek was considered the best jazz guitarist in Europe at the time.

Film award nominees announced

Nominations for the 20th inception of Český lev, the Czech Lion national film awards, were announced at Prague’s Lucerna cinema on Saturday night. The event, which will be shown live on public broadcaster Czech Television, preceded the actual awards ceremony, which takes place in exactly a month’s time. Members of the Czech Academy of Film and Television chose from among 30 feature films and 15 documentaries that premiered in 2012. Director Bohdan Slama’s film Čtyři slunce (Four Suns) received the most nominations – 12 – including best picture. The four films other nominated for best film are Odpad město smrt, Okresní přebor, Polski film and Ve stínu.

Tennis: Berdych sees Czechs through to next round of Davis Cup...

The Czech Republic has defeated Switzerland in their-best-of-five match-up to advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. Tennis player Tomas Berdych secured the decisive third point against the Swiss team by downing opponent Stanislaw Wawrinka on Sunday afternoon. The match saw four sets played; the final score was 6:3, 6:4, 3:6, 7:6. The final singles match of the day, pitting Veselý against Henri Laaksonen, will have no influence on the outcome.

... after earlier triumph in seven-hour thriller

In related news, a day earlier Tomáš Berdych and Lukáš Rosol won the longest match in Davis Cup history to give the Czech Republic 2-1 edge over Switzerland. The doubles match against opponents Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli took a record 7 hours and two minutes; the deciding fifth set alone took 215 minutes. The final score was 6:4, 5:7, 6:4, 6:7, 24:22. The previous longest Davis Cup match dates back to 1982 and lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes: John McEnroe defeated Sweden’s Mats Wilander.

Weather

Cloudy conditions with a chance of rain are expected at the beginning of the week; daytime temperatures on Monday should reach highs of around 5 degrees Celsius.