News Minister unveils bill that would make national parks more accessible to hikers
A bill being prepared by the ministry of the environment is aimed at making Czech national parks more accessible to hikers, giving more powers to municipalities and simplifying regulations, Minister Richard Brabec said on Tuesday. He described the planned amendment to the law on the environment, the most extensive in two decades, as revolutionary. However, the proposed opening of zones of national parks that are now closed to the public could put represent a threat to wildlife, a representative of the Czech branch of Friends of the Earth said in response to Tuesday’s announcement.
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“Winton children” set up charity fund to finance memorial to their parents
A public fund has been set up to raise money for a memorial to the parents of the so-called Winton children, whose lives were saved when they were sent abroad from Czechoslovakia to escape almost certain death under the Nazis. The charity fund has been set up by a group of “Winton children” who are hoping to reach a target amount of 2.3 million crowns. The memorial, a bronze copy of a train door with glass casts of parents’ hands on one side and children’s hands on the other, is to be erected at Prague’s main railway station. A statue to Sir Nicholas Winton, who organised the transports of 669, mostly Jewish children, ahead of WWII, already stands at the station.
Man charged with murdering Czech businesmann in London
Detectives investigating the murder of a Czech businessman, which happened in east London last Friday, have charged a 29-year-old man. Raymond Sculley will appear in court on Monday. Two others arrested on Friday, a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, have been released on bail pending further inquiries. The 31-year old Zdeněk Makar was attacked on Friday following a row inside a fast food outlet. The gang chased and beat him to death with a metal chain, leaving him in a pool of blood. Friends of Mr Makar have raised money via the internet to help finance the repatriation of his body to the Czech Republic.
Slavia beats Sparta 2:0 in Prague football derby
In football, Slavia Prague defeated their traditional rivals Sparta 2:0 in a Czech league game at the Letná stadium on Sunday. Maris Mešanovic opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, and Jaromír Zmrhal added another goal in 79th. The victory in the 286th Prague derby moves Slavia to the fifth place in the table.
Prime Minister Sobotka supports production of L-410 aircrafts in Kunovice
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Sunday advocated keeping production of the L-410 airplanes manufactured by the Russian-owned company Aircraft Industries in Kunovice, South Moravia. The employees went on strike alert on Wednesday over fears that production will be reduced or shifted to Russia. The future of the company is scheduled to be discussed by all parties concerned in Prague on Monday. The situation in the company has been deteriorating, with sales of the LET aircraft in one of the main markets, Russia, dropping sharply. Many of the 900-strong workforce have been forced to take leave with reduced wages.
Former government airplane to be part of Kunovice Air Museum
After a three-day journey on road from Prague, a former government airplane Tupolev Tu-154 arrived in the Kunovice Air Museum in South Moravia on Sunday. The 45-meter long plane, which carried former presidents Václav Klaus and Václav Havel or the the gold-winning Czech hockey team from Nagano, was saved from demolition by a group of enthusiasts. After covering the distance on 383 kilometers on a semitrailer, its transport now aspires for an entry into the Czech book of records.
Friends of Czech businessman killed in London raise money to repatriate his body
Friends of a Czech businessman, who was killed in London on Friday by a gang of teenagers, have raised money via the internet to help finance the repatriation of his body to the Czech Republic. The campaign, set up on a crowdfunding website GoFundMe, has reached its target of 10,000 pounds (or 312,000 Czech crowns) in just 24 hours. The 31-year old Zdeněk Makar was attacked by a gang of teenagers on Friday following a row inside a fast food outlet. Three people have been arrested over the killing of a Czech businessman working in London.
Environment minister to earmark another three billion crowns to fight drought
Minister of environment Richard Brabec wants to earmark another three billion crowns next year to fight drought, he announced on a political debate programme on Czech Television on Sunday. According to Mr Brabec, the ministry has handed out EU subsidies totalling three billion crowns since 2014. The environment minister also wants to submit a national action plan on climate change adaptation with measures aimed at reducing the effects of climatic change in the Czech Republic.
Survey: three quarters of Czech drivers admit to deliberately speeding
Three quarters of Czech drivers admitted to deliberately exceeding the speed limit, according to MobilityMonitor survey, carried out by LeasePlan among 4000 drivers from 17 countries. That puts the Czech Republic one percentage point above the worldwide average. According to the survey, the highest number of drivers not respecting speed limits are in Scandinavia, while the most disciplined drivers come from the US and Greece. One third of Czechs said they only speed when there is no traffic on the roads and around one tenth of respondents says they never risk when taking children.
Thousands of people marked 1938 Czechoslovak mobilization by illuminating bunkers
Several thousand people marked the anniversary of the 1938 Czechoslovak mobilisation on Saturday night by illuminating hundreds of concrete bunkers in the border regions of the Czech Republic. The system of the concrete World War II-era bunkers have been unused by the military and many of them are being maintained by various institutions or fan groups and are accessible to tourists. For the first time, a similar event took place this May on the anniversary of the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945. This year, around 300 bunkers and fortresses participated in the event, including those in neighboring Slovakia.
Several dozen people attend meeting to support Donald Trump
Several dozen people attended a meeting organized by anti-Islam activist Martin Konvička on Malostranské náměstí on Saturday. The participants of the meeting marched to the US Embassy shouting slogans in support of the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Several police officers oversaw the gathering but no incidents were reported. A previous meeting organised by Konvička in Prague’s Old Town Square at the end of August caused controversy when he and a group of followers decided to stage their interpretation of an Islamic State “invasion” of the Czech Republic.
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