News: Friday, March 22nd, 2024

Governor of Moravia-Silesia resigns after being convicted of bribery

The governor of the Moravia-Silesia Region Jan Krkoška, who was found guilty of bribery by a Prague court on Thursday has resigned from office. He has also quit as regional councillor and will leave the ranks of the ANO party at the request of its leader Andrej Babiš. The case, which relates to large-scale bribery of doctors by pharmaceutical companies, is 12 years old and involves close to 200 people. Krkoška, who pleaded guilty, committed the act in his former position as a representative of a pharmaceutical company. He was ordered by the court to pay a fine of 200,000 crowns.

He is to be replaced as governor of Moravia-Silesia by Josef Bělica from the ANO party.

Miloš Zeman transfered to normal ward after surgery

Former president Miloš Zeman (79) who is recovering at Prague’s Motol Hospital after undergoing surgery to deal with a blood clot in his leg last week will be transferred from intensive care to a normal ward on Friday, the hospital reported. Doctors say Mr. Zeman is recovering as well as can be expected and had begun rehabilitating, although his condition remains serious due to the risk of further blood clots. His condition is linked to diabetes. A hospital spokesperson said it is not clear for how long Zeman will need to be hospitalized.

Football coach Rada gets record eight-month punishment for racism

Football club Dukla Praha coach Petr Rada has received a record eight-month punishment by the disciplinary commission for a racist insult he made during a football second league match, Czech Football League Association said in a press release on Friday. Rada, who used to coach the Czech national football team, cannot attend Dukla's matches until the end of the autumn season. In addition, he has to pay a fine of CZK 80,000. The unprecedented punishment comes in response to Rada’s racist remarks during the second league match against Zbrojovka Brno, in which he called Zbrojovka’s coach Tomáš Polach a "desperate gypsy".

Ukrainian national acquitted in connection with death of Romany

The Regional Court in Brno has acquitted a Ukrainian national of charges of manslaughter over the  death of a Romany man who died last year after a fight near the Brno dam. The court ruled that the Ukrainian national had acted in self-defense. The judge said the evidence pointed to the fact that a group of people, including the young Romany, were rowdy and troubling passengers on a tram which led the Ukrainian man to come to their defense and ask the group to calm down. When he got off the tram the group followed and attacked him. The incident has led to tensions between Ukrainians and the local Roma community.

Hundreds of libraries and schools take part in annual Night with Andersen

A month-long series of events in support of reading will culminate on Friday with the traditional Night with Andersen held in libraries across and schools across the country.

The aim of the event, which is now in its 20th year, is to promote reading among the youngest generation with thousands of children spending the night at their local library or school where they read, chat and listen to a public reading of fairy tales.

This year, some 517 libraries and 616 schools across the country will take part in the initiative, commemorating the famous Danish children’s writer.

Prague building centre for children with mental health problems

Prague's leadership has announced that it has started building a centre that would provide comprehensive care for children suffering from anxiety and mental problems. Almost a third of pupils in Prague are struggling with mental health problems and need professional help, but many are not getting it due to a lack of doctors and facilities. A study by the Centre for Primary Prevention showed that approximately 29 percent of primary school children and secondary school students have symptoms of high or medium anxiety. Severe or moderate depression is beginning to manifest itself in 11 percent of students, the study said. The new Prague centre offering comprehensive care should be operational within two years.

Ester Ledecka wins final super-G slalom of the World Cup season in Saalbach

Ester Ledecká won the final super-G slalom of the World Cup in Saalbach just a day before her 29th birthday, her first triumph since her collarbone injury two years ago. The Olympic champion in the discipline at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games beat Italy's Federica Brignone by 28 hundredths of a second, with Norway's Kajsa Vickhoff Lie placing third.

Weather report

Saturday should be overcast and rainy around the country with day temperatures between 14 and 19 degrees Celsius.