News

Police moves against squatters in Prague

The police have moved against squatters who on Saturday occupied a derelict building in Pohořelec, near Prague Castle. A unit of the riot police with dogs removed the occupants while 27 people have been detained, the news agency ČTK reported. Several dozen people gathered outside the building and protested against the police action. Squatters occupied several unmaintained buildings in the capital on Saturday to highlight the issues of dilapidating historical heritage and the unavailability of low-cost housing. They said they would vacate all of them before the end of the day but remained in one that is located in a popular tourist area in the vicinity of Prague Castle. A spokesman for the squatters said they wanted to reach agreement with the owner of the structure; however, the proprietors asked the police for assistance.

President Zeman: New MPs could change property restitution deal

MPs elected in the upcoming early general election could change the controversial church property restitution deal, President Miloš Zeman has said. In his appearance in a Prima TV talk show on Sunday, the president suggested amendments to the respective legislation would be faster and more effective way of dealing with the issue, particularly with financial compensations earmarked for the churches, than holding a referendum, a move proposed by the Communists.

Under the deal, as approved by the lower house last year, Czech churches and religious groups are to get back property, confiscated by the communist regime, worth 75 billion crowns. They are also set to receive financial compensation of more than 60 billion crowns over the period of 30 years.

President announces nominee for Constitutional Court

President Zeman on Sunday said he was planning to nominate Radovan Suchánek for the post of a Constitutional Court judge. Mr Suchánek is a professor of constitutional law at Prague’s Charles University, and works as a legal advisor to the Social Democrat party. Mr Zeman said he would nominate the candidate provided the court’s chairman, Pavel Rychteský, raises no objections. The nomination must be approved by the Senate which last month rejected another candidate, Jan Sváček. The Czech Constitutional Court is currently functioning with 14 instead of 15 judges stipulated by the Constitution. The mandates of another two judges will expire later this year.

Charges in methanol scandal to be raised in autumn: prosecution

Charges against 31 people involved in last year’s methanol scandal will be raised in the autumn, a prosecutor in Zlín told the Czech news agency ČTK on Sunday. The accused face charges of manufacturing and distributing methanol-laced bootleg liquor which killed over 40 people, mainly in the north-east of the country; seven of the accused face charges of intentionally endangering public safety, a crime which carries up to 20 years in prison. Three people are awaiting the trial in custody.

Les Apaches wins main prize at Fresh Film Fest

The French film Les Apaches by Thierry de Peretti was awarded the main prize at the 10th annual international festival of first features and student films Fresh Film Fest, held in Prague. The jury said the film, which depicts the lives of five teenagers on Corsica, managed to reveal what remains hidden under the surface. 145 films were shown during the festival which started on Wednesday.

Record 16,000 attend open-air performance of Bartered Bride

A record attendance of 16,000 spectators saw an open-air performance of Bedřich Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride in Prague on Sunday. The opera was staged in an amphitheatre located in a valley on the outskirts of the capital; the event’s tradition goes back to 1913, and was revived eight years ago.

Prague’s Jazz Dock club reopens after floods

Prague’s popular Jazz Dock club reopens two months after it was damaged by flooding. On Sunday, the club features a concert by New York-based Czech singer Marta Töpferová and the contrabass player Tomáš Liška who will play music from their latest album, Milokraj, the organizers said. The club was severely damaged in early June when the swollen Vltava flooded the premises where water levels reached 130 cm, destroying the floors, electrical wiring, acoustic walls, and other parts of the club. The costs of the reconstruction amounted to 4.5 million crowns

Cameraman František Uldrich dies aged 77

Czech cinematographer František Uldrich died in Prague on Saturday, at the age of 77, his family has said. Mr Uldrich shot nearly 50 films in his career that began in the 1960s; he often collaborated with the acclaimed director František Vláčil with whom he made nine movies including Valley of the Bees, Adelheid, and Smoke on the Potato Fields. František Uldrich also shot several popular Czech fairytales and comedies.

135 people die in road accidents in July and August

In total, 137 people died in road accidents in July and August, which was seven victims fewer than last year and the lowest number of road deaths since 1990. In August, 63 people were killed on Czech roads, which was 11 people fewer than in the same month last year. The police have asked drivers to exercise extra caution over the last weekend of the summer holidays when traffic is expected to be dense as holidaymakers are returning home.

Rowing: Synek claims world title in single scull

Czech rower Ondřej Synek won the gold medal in the single scull event at the World Rowing Championships in South Korea on Sunday. Synak went into the lead right from the start and finished first ahead of Cuba’s Ángel Fournier and Marcel Hacker from German. Sunday’s victory is Synek’s second world title. In women’s single sculls, Czech Miroslava Knapková took bronze.

Weather

The start of the week will be a little colder, with overcast skies, occasion rain and daytime highs ranging between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.