Daily news summary

Traditional ceremonies take place ahead of Czechoslovak Independence Day

A number of traditional ceremonies are being held in Prague in connection with the upcoming celebrations of Czechoslovak Independence Day on October 28th. Almost nine hundred new soldiers were sworn in on Hradčanské Square in Prague and, later today, President Zeman will receive foreign diplomats at Prague Castle.

The Czech Army has 25,000 professional soldiers and annually recruits around 2,000 more, to make up for those retiring or leaving the force. The aim is to have 30,000 professional soldiers by 2030. Compulsory military service was abolished in 2004.

Tragic accident makes headline news as teenager speaks out

An accident in which a mother and her two little girls, aged 4 and 6, died in a tragic road accident has made front page news after her teenage daughter posted a video on Facebook claiming that the mother had killed herself and her daughters intentionally after losing a custody battle for the children.

The teenager blamed the authorities for allegedly failing to listen to repeated warnings from herself and other family members that her mother was mentally unstable and could harm the children.

The police have refused to comment on the case during an ongoing investigation. However traffic experts point to the fact that the accident happened on a straight section of the road in clear weather and the mother of two unexpectedly drove into the opposite lane, crashing with an oncoming garbage truck.

One of her little girls died on the spot, the other on the way to hospital.

Czech Radio announces winners of Best Actor/Actress on the Airwaves poll

The winners of Czech Radio’s annual poll for Best Actor/Actress on the Airwaves are Taťjana Medvecká and Ivan Trojan.

Taťjana Medvecká picked up the listeners‘ award for the seventh time in succession as the most popular female actress on the airwaves. The listeners‘ poll has a 23-year-long tradition.

Thirty-three actors and actresses were in the running this year and close to 1,600 listeners took part in the poll.

Police shooting investigated

The General Inspectorate of the Security Forces (GIBS) is investigating a shooting in Prague's Horní Počernice district.

According to the news site Novinky.cz, which reported the incident, a police officer fired at a man fleeing from the site of a robbery.

The man, who was hit, is suspected of having stolen a mobile phone in an electronics store. The wounded man was taken to the emergency ward of Vinohrady hospital.

The General Inspectorate is investigating whether the shooting in the street, which presented a threat to the public, was justifiable with regard to the committed offense.

Two-seater aircraft crashes near Mikulovice

A small two-seater aircraft crashed on Sunday morning near the airport in Mikulovice in the Jeseník area. The plane apparently crashed from a height of about 15 metres as it was coming in to land.

Visibility was reportedly good, but there was a high wind blowing at the time of the accident.

The pilot suffered light injuries. Three fire units were called to the emergency. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Kvitová loses to Osaka at WTA Finals

World number 3 Naomi Osaka beat second seed Petra Kvitová 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-4 in the opening match of the WTA Finals in China on Sunday. The three-set marathon lasted for 2 hours and 39 minutes.

The 22-year-old Japanese maintained her unbeaten status over Kvitová having won their only previous clash in three sets in Melbourne.

Kvitová now faces Australia‘s Ashleigh Barty and Belinda Bencic from Switzerland.

Weather forecast

Monday should be partly cloudy with rain in places and day temperatures between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius.