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Some 2000 people had to be evacuated from their homes over explosions at a munitions depot at Vrbětice in eastern Moravia on Saturday. The inhabitants of the villages in close vicinity of the depot had to leave their homes for safety reason, after pyrotechnics found a damaged building with grenades inside at the site. The bomb disposal experts also had to remove an unexploded artillery grenade from the building's roof. The former military storage facility, run by a private firm, first exploded in October, killing two employees. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, said after the National Council meeting on Saturday that the governemnt will discuss the situation in Vrbětice on Monday.

The Czech biathlete Veronika Vítková got the silver in women's 7.5 kilometre sprint in Ostersund on Saturday. Vítková has not missed a single target and finished only 4.6 seconds behind the winning Tiril Eckhoff of Norway, who covered the track in a time of 21:35,5. Today's silver medal is Veronika Vítková's fifth World Cup medal so far.

Six people were injured in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Saturday in a senior housing facility in Kopřivnice in north Moravia. A spokesman for the local fire brigade said the incident was causes by careless handling of fire. Two people, one of them in critical condition, had to be taken to hospital. Preliminary damage estimate has been put at 700,000 crowns.

The Staroměstská station on the A line of Prague’s metro was reopened on Saturday after an inspection detected no defect on the station's escalators. Satroměstská, located in Prague’s Old Town district, was closed after three people suffered injuries last week when an escalator at the Můstek station suddenly went into reverse. In total, 12 escalators by the same manufacturer are to be checked in the coming weeks.

The Czech biathlete Ondřej Moravec won the silver in the men's 10 kilometre sprint in Ostersund, Sweden, on Saturday. Another Czech, Michal Šlesingr, came in the fourth place. Neither of the Czech biathletes have missed a single target. The gold went to Martin Fourcade of France who finished nearly 30 seconds ahead of Moravec. Šlesingr is currently second in the World Cup standings, followed by Moravec.

Electricity power supplies, which had been cut off last week due to extreme weather conditions, were fully restored all over the Czech Republic by Friday night. Freezing rain and fallen trees earlier this week led to widespread power outages, particularly in southern Bohemia and Moravia, leaving thousands of households without electricity.

A smog alert remains in effect for parts of Moravia, particularly the Moravia-Silesia, Olomouc and Zlín regions, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said. The alert was declared earlier this week over dust emission values that in some places twice exceed the permitted norms. The situation is not likely to improve in the next few days, meteorologists said. Children, chronically ill and elderly people have been advised to stay indoors. The Moravia-Silesia region is one of the most polluted in the country, with heavy industry, traffic and coal heating among the major factors.

A group of 17 senators for the Christian Democratic and Stan parties have asked President Zeman to stop dividing the nation and undermining the importance of human rights. In an open letter to the head of state, the senators criticized Mr Zeman’s views on Russia and China, and said he jeopardized the Czech Republic’s “vital ties” to its allies, the EU and the US. The senators also suggested the president should reconsider his communication methods, which have been rejected by the Czech public. The letter of the senators comes in the wake of a series of controversial moves by the Czech President including the questioning of the EU’s sanctions against Russia.

The Staroměstská station on the A line of Prague’s metro has been temporarily closed in order to inspect the station’s escalators, the city’s transport authority said. The closure comes after three people suffered injuries last week when an escalator at the Můstek station suddenly went into reverse. The Staroměstská station, located in Prague’s Old Town district, will remain closed for an estimated two weeks. In total, 12 escalators are to be checked in the coming weeks.

Czech top division leaders Plzeň have signed the Bosnian striker Aidin Mahmutovič, beating an offer from league rivals Sparta Prague. The 28-year-old forward spent the last six seasons in Teplice where he scored 58 goals. He signed a 3.5-year contract with Plzeň who reportedly spent 10 million crowns on the transfer.