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A commemoration of the assassination of Gestapo chief and governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich took place at Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Sunday, which marks the 70-year anniversary of the event. The commemoration, which was under the auspices of Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra and deputy chairman of the Senate Přemysl Sobotka, aimed to raise awareness of the importance of the fact that plans to extinguish the Czech nation were thwarted by the assassination. Other commemorative events were held across the capital.

The targeted killing of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in the Operation Anthropoid took place in Prague on May 27, 1942. British-trained Czech commandos parachuted into the Nazi-held protectorate and severely injured Heydrich by tossing a bomb into his car. He died as a result from the injuries suffered in the attack. The Gestapo chief's assassination became a symbol of Czech independence and was later hailed as an important moment in the resistance movement. His death led to a wave of revenge acts, including the Lidice massacre.

Deputy chairman of the Czech Senate and presidential candidate of the Civic Democrats Přemysl Sobotka has won the primaries in Western Bohemia. He defeated his opponent, MEP Evžen Tošenovský, by 273 votes and was able to consolidate his current lead in the presidential primaries. Overall, he has gained some 66 percent in regions where primaries were held so far. The voter turnout of about 20 percent was the lowest yet.

The actress Zita Kabatová died in Prague on Sunday at the age of 99 years after a long period of illness. Zita Kabatová was one of the last living stars from the golden era of Czech film, the 1930s and 1940s. Her first on-screen appearance was in the film Světlo jeho očí in 1936. By the end of the decade, she had performed in ten movies. After the Second World War, the actress was a member of a village theater group and worked as the director of several Prague cinemas.

Franz Pany, the head of the Sudetengerman group Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft, has slammed Czech President Václav Klaus at the group’s annual gathering on Sunday. He said that the Czech head of state had a contrarian attitude toward Germany and Europe. Good sense, realism and an openness for mutual understanding needed to return to Prague castle, he added. On Saturday, the group had honored the Czech-born writer Max Mannheimer, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, with its Karl IV. prize.

Police are investigating a case of four men burgled a house in the early hours of Saturday morning. The group had disguised themselves as policemen to gain entrance into the house. The owner of the house injured one of them severely and the burglar died as a result of his injuries. He had threatened the wife and daughter of the house owner at gunpoint. His accomplices stole some 150 000 Czech crowns.

A bus that was carrying mostly children on board crashed into a building near the south Moravian town of Vyškov on Saturday night. Nine children were injured in the accident, none of them seriously. The driver, a 68-year-old man, was sober, police have said. Police are investigating the case.

Czech swimmer Petra Chocová on Sunday won the 50-meter race in the discipline chest stroke at the European Swimming Championship in Budapest on Sunday. The Czech athlete set the country’s new record time of 31.25 seconds, ahead of the Irish Sycerika McMahonov. Chocová previous gold medal win was at the 2004 championships.

A number of commemorative events are being held in the Czech capital on the occasion of the 70-year anniversary of the assassination of Gestapo chief and governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich. An exhibition that opened in Prague’s Libeň neighborhood on Saturday gives insight into the training of the resistance fighters who killed the Nazi leader, as well as everyday life during that era.

Sunday marks the 70-year-anniversary of Operation Anthropoid, the targeted killing of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich. The operation was carried out in Prague on May 27, 1942. British-trained Czech commandos parachuted into the Nazi-held protectorate and severely injured Heydrich by tossing a bomb into his car. He died as a result from the injuries suffered in the attack. The Gestapo chief's assassination became a symbol of Czech independence and was later hailed as an important moment in the resistance movement. His death led to a wave of revenge acts, including the Lidice massacre.

The scandal surrounding former Central Bohemian governor David Rath of the Social Democrats has cost the party voters, a fresh poll by the Milward Brown agency suggests. One in two voters who had previously planned on casting their ballot for the opposition party has changed their mind after Mr Rath was caught with 7 million crowns in cash on his person and charged with corruption. Regional elections are set to take place in the fall. The majority of respondents said they believed the former governor would be handed a prison sentence at court.

The Sudetengerman group Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft, which on Saturday kicked off its annual meeting in Nuremberg, has awarded the writer and painter Max Mannheimer, who was born in Czechoslovakia, with its Karl IV. prize. The 92-year-old Mannheimer, who was born in Nový Jičín, is a Jewish Holocaust survivor. He said in his acceptance speech that he felt no hatred towards either the Czech or the German nation for what he had suffered through.

The award is meant to honor contributions to the Czech-German dialogue and good relations between both countries as well as people who fight against extremism and intolerance.