Daily news summary

Czech delegation presents saint Anežka statue to Vatican

A more then 30-strong delegation from the Czech Republic flew to Roma Saturday to present a statue of Czech patron saint Anežka to the Vatican. The delegation included Minister of Culture Daniel Herman. The statue will be placed in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica. The donation was first mooted five years ago on the 800th anniversary of the saint’s presumed birth. She was canonised in November 1989. The 160 cm high modern statue is the work of students from the Hořice school of sculpture.

Anti-Islam militant says taking legal action over move to ban Prague meeting

Anti-Islamic activist Martin Konvička told Czech Radio on Saturday he is preparing criminal proceedings against deputy mayor of Prague, Petr Dolínek, for alleged abuse of public office. The move follows the Social Democrat politician’s call for Prague City Hall to ban a meeting called by Konvička outside the Saudi Arabia embassy on Sunday. The call was made after water mains in the area burst leading to disruption. The meeting coincides with the 15th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. Konvička has accused Saudi Arabia of being one of the main sponsors of terrorism worldwide. A previous meeting organised by Konvička in Prague’s Old Town Square at the end of August where he and some of his supporters dressed as Islamic State leaders caused controversy as well over whether it should have been banned or allowed to go ahead.

Tomáš Rosický fails to make difference in Sparta draw against Mladá Boleslav

In football, former national captain and Arsenal midfield star, Tomáš Rosický, played in front of his home fans for the first time at Sparta Prague on Saturday. Rosický was brought off the substitutes bench on the 72nd minute to loud applause from the around 14,000 fans. But Rosický, who last played for Sparta 16 years ago, was unable to make the difference in a disappointing home performance against Mladá Boleslav with the final score 2:2. Sparta now trail the surprise league leaders, Zlín by a point.

Fire warnings issued across Czech Republic amid drought and high temperatures

Fire warning s have been issued by the Czech weather office for large parts of the country as a result of high temperatures and drought. Temperatures were expected to reach around 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday and remain high on Sunday. A ban on starting fires in fields or near forests now applies in the Central Bohemia region. Fire warnings for an indefinite period also apply to the Prague, Hradec Králové, and Pardubice regions. Steam locomotives were as a result of the risk banned from taking part in some planned activities over the weekend in Central Bohemia. The hot dry period is set to continue in the next days with temperatures of up to 31 degrees Celsius possible.

Czech sociologist Ivo Možný dies

The death was announced Saturday of top Czech sociologist Ivo Možný at the age of 84. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Možný was credited with founding modern Czech sociology. He had been banned from teaching by authorities after the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces. In 2015 he was awarded the Neuron Prize for his contribution to Czech learning. He specialized mostly in family studies and social politics related to the family. He was rector of the sociology faculty at Brno’s Masaryk University and later professor there. For a few years in the 1960’s he was a reporter at Czech Radio in Prague.

Man accused of garage kidnapping detained in custody

A man accused of kidnapping a 16 year old boy and 13 year old girl and holding them in a specially designed garage for 10 days has been detained in custody. A court in the north-western region of Ústi took the decision on Saturday morning. The children has disappeared from their homes in Litoměřice, sparking a police hunt. The man, if found guilty, could face eight years in prison. The state prosecutor described how the man had previously served a prison sentence and has been charged with being a threat to children and disseminating pornography. The children were found on Wednesday.

Ivo Koblasa takes sixth position in Paralympics 3000 metre pursuit

Cyclist Ivo Koblasa has achieved the best result for a Czech so far in the Paralympics taking place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The 23-year-old took sixth place in the 3,000 metres individual pursuit with a time of 3.55.43. The time for Ivo, voted the best handicapped Czech cyclist for 2014,is reckoned to be a promising indication that the can be among the medals in upcoming events.