News

Czechs mark Ss Cyril and Methodius anniversary

The Czech Republic marks the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Christian missionaries Cyril and Methodius in Great Moravia on Friday, a public holiday. Thousands of people attended a Catholic mass at Velehrad, the capitol of the erstwhile Moravian empire. The mass, celebrated by Czech and foreign Catholic dignitaries, was also attended by Czech President Miloš Zeman. In a message marking the occasion, Pope Francis asked Czechs to appreciate their Christian roots and build a society of tolerance and solidarity.

Around 750 city and town halls in Moravia hoisted the Moravian flag on Friday to mark the anniversary. On Thursday, the celebrations started with a charity concert in Velehrad by the Zlín philharmonic orchestra and a number of other performers.

Deputy environment minister set to head environment ministry in caretaker cabinet

Deputy environment minister Tomáš Podivínský is set to become the environment minister in the Czech caretaker government, designated Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok told reporters on Friday. Mr Podivínský, a former career diplomat, has been at the ministry since October 2012. All but one post in the new government, to be appointed next week, has been filled; Mr Rusnok is yet to find the new finance minister. The designated prime minister said he would announced his candidates for the post on Monday.

D1 motorway to close for traffic over reconstruction

Two sections of the country’s major D1 motorway between Prague and Brno is set to close for traffic for 14 hours on Friday night due to reconstruction works. Six bridges over the road will be demolished, part of major renovation the motorway will undergo over the next four years. The sections to close until Saturday morning are located near Brno and in Central Bohemia; traffic will be diverted onto local roads for the duration of the works.

Alice Nelis’s new film Revival premiers at Karlovy Vary festival

The world premiere of a new feature film called Revival by the Czech director Alice Nelis is scheduled at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Friday. The movie, billed as a tragicomedy, follows former members of a fictional hard rock band Smoke and their efforts to come back. The film, which features several leading Czech film actors including Boleslav Polívka, Miroslav Krobot and Karel Heřmánek, will enter cinemas on July 11.

More children to go on scouts and guides’ summer camp this year

Some 25,000 children are set to go on summer camps organized by the Czech Scouts and Guides this summer, the group said on Friday. The number of their camps has grown to over 1,000, despite the economic crunch felt by many families. The camps last some 15 days on average, and cost between 800 and 1,000 crowns per child and week. Last year, around 170,000 children went to summer camps organized by schools and various groups.

Hockey: Eliáš signs three-year contract with NHL’s New Jersey Devils

Czech hockey forward Patrik Eliáš has signed a three-year contract with the New Jersey Devils in the NHL, the club where he spent the last 17 seasons. Eliáš said in a statement he was excited to be back with New Jersey, and felt special to be a member of one organization his entire career. He is set to earn 16.5 million US dollars over the next three years; his previous, seven-year contract with the Devils expired earlier this year. The 37-year-old Czech has appeared in 1090 games for the New Jersey Devils, winning the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2003.

Weather

The weekend should be mostly overcast with rain showers and occasional storms. Daytime highs should range between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius.