Daily news summary

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Czech Republic climbs in latest TI corruption perception survey

The Czech Republic has climbed from 53rd to 37th in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by watchdog Transparency International. Radim Bureš of the Czech branch of the organisation told Czech Radio that the country’s placing in the 2015 survey represented a dramatic improvement; he said this was down to increased efforts to deal with largescale corruption dating back to the government of Petr Nečas. Denmark placed best in the report, followed by Finland and Sweden.

Police press charges against ice hockey coach Vladimír Růžička

Prague police announced on Wednesday that they had begun criminal proceedings against the former national ice hockey coach, Vladimír Růžička. The Czech news agency, ČTK, reported he was charged on Wednesday with embezzlement. The suspicions date from his time as the trainer of Slavia Prague, where he is alleged to have demanded payments from parents to ensure that their children played. The scandal over the payments erupted in April last year shortly before the World Ice Hockey championships being hosted in Prague and Ostrava. Růžička stepped down from his position as coach for the national team in June. He is currently the trainer for top Czech league team Chomutov.

Banking association lowers growth expectations for 2016

The Czech Banking Association has revised slightly down its economic growth prediction for this year to 2.4 percent from November’s 2.5 percent. It has, however, upped its forecast for 2015 to 4.2 percent. The association sees growth in 2017 rising to 2.7 percent. Inflation, however, will only rise to something near the level of the central bank’s expectations in 2017 when it is expected to average around 2.2 percent.

Czech grown medicinal cannabis to be delivered in February

Czech medicinal cannabis producer Elkoplast Slušovice says it will deliver its first consignment of locally grown and produced product in the second half of February. Three similar consignments of 10 kilogrammes should follow by the end of this year. The Czech company signed a contract to supply cannabis to the state drugs authority last year. Use of medicinal cannabis is legal in the country since April 2013. Some local critics say medicinal cannabis is still difficult to find in pharmacies and the price is too high.

Genes only responsible for minor proportion of cancer cases : professor

A top Czech cancer specialist has said that only around 8-10 percent of cancers are probably caused by genetics. The overwhelming proportion of remaining cases are linked to external factors such as the environment and age, Professor Luboš Petruželka said at a conference on cancer in Prague. Around one in three Czechs eventually suffer from cancer. The professor said that doctors needed to be educated better about the signs of possible cancer. The toolbox of treatments has remained largely unchanged over the past decades, the professor pointed out, making the reduction of external causes one of the most promising routes to follow.

Competition office starts examination of Brno fair company

The Czech competition office has started to probe the takeover by Brno City Council of the company behind most of the city’s international trade fairs, Veletrhy Brno. The city council last year bought a 61 percent stake in the fairs company from a Dusseldorf company for 224 million euros. The German company has been running the Brno fairs site and events for 17 years. Brno is particularly noted for its annual engineering and farm technology fairs.

Polish truck driver in court over fatal train crash

A court in Nový Jičín has begun hearing the case of a Polish truck driver accused of causing a fatal train crash. Three people died and dozens were injured when a high-speed train collided with the trailer of the lorry at a closed level crossing in the Moravian town of Studénka in July last year. Driver Slawomir Wojciech Sondaj could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Jácyhmov to celebrate 500th anniversary of town foundation

The northwest Bohemian town of Jácyhmov is celebrating its 500th birthday this year. Events are being prepared throughout the year but should culminate on 19-21 August. The town was created as a result of rich local seams of silver and by 1534 ws the second biggest town in Bohemia with around 18,000 inhabitants. It was also the first town where uranium was exploited and the sole supplier during the early decades of the 20th century. The first radium spa was created there in 1906.

Prague theatre pays homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Prague’s Estates Theatre will pay homage to composed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on Wednesday night on the 260th anniversary of his birth. A concert at the theatre will offer a range of music from the composer’s short by rich life. Guest star will be soprano Simona Houda Šaturova with the National Theatre Orchestra conducted by Rolf Beck. Several of Mozart’s works were premiered in Prague, including the first performance of the opera Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre.

Czech duo win place in Australian Open final

Czech women’s tennis doubles duo Andrea Hlavácková and Lucie Hradecká have played their way through to the finals of the Australian Open. The pair beat the Chinese partnership of Xu and Zeng 3:6, 6:3, 6:1. The Czech pairing was seeded seventh in the first Grand Slam event of the year. The Czech doubles pairing have already won French and US Open finals.