Daily news summary

0:00
/
0:00

US convoy exits Czech Republic for home base

The last vehicles from the US convoy quit the Czech Republic just after noon on Wednesday. Three groups left barracks just outside Prague early in the morning heading for the border crossing at Rozvadov in the far west of the country. The final destination is the Bavarian base at Vilseck. The convoy continued to be enthusiastically greeted by bystanders waving US flags on the final leg of the journey through the Czech Republic. The convoy spent four days in the Czech Republic on its way back from NATO exercises in the Baltic States.

State budget surplus halves in first quarter

The state budget surplus more than halved to 19.9 billion crowns in January to March compared with the first quarter of 2014, the Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday. The lower figure was the result of both lower revenues and higher spending. Revenues from excise duties on tobacco products have slipped by more than 13 billion crowns and VAT earnings are also down. Revenues were boosted a year earlier by the 8.5 billion crown auction of broadband capacity. Spending has increased on capital programmes jointly funded by Czech and EU funds, the ministry said.

Proceedings dropped over Žd’ár nad Sázovou stabbing

The state attorney for South Moravia has halted criminal proceedings against the woman who stabbed a 16-year-old student to death. The attorney said that she was not mentally stable when the attack took place and had been treated earlier. The decision to halt proceedings is not final with the move still needing to be approved by the Supreme State Attorney. The attack took place in October last year when the woman arrived at a middle school at Žd’ár nad Sázovou stabbing three students as well as a police officer called to the scene. The woman had been released from care a few months earlier following a similar attack at a school.

State forestry company counts damage from high winds

Trees amounting to around 150,000 cubic metres of timber have been felled in recent high winds across the country, the state forestry company announced on Wednesday. Around a fifth of that total occurred in the Šumava National Park, where winds reached up to 112 kilometres an hour on Tuesday. Park management are warning visitors not to walk in the forest due to the danger of falling trees. Rail connections and power lines across the country have been cut due to the high winds. Winds are expected to abate across most of the country on Wednesday and Thursday but heavy rain and snow is expected in the following days. Up to 20 centimetres of snow could fall on high ground in the south-west of the country, according to the national weather office.

Constitutional Court weighs into airport sale row

The Constitutional Court has called for the Supreme Court to come up with supplementary arguments why a runway should be regarded as a re-worked land surface rather than a separate construction. The question is at the centre of a dispute over whether Příbram airport was rightly privatized by the Ministry of Defense and sold to the private company Air Station. Part of the runway lies on private land, with the owner opposing the transfer. If the runway is regarded as just a reworked surface, as the Supreme Court argued in an earlier ruling, then it cannot be sold separate to the land and the previous privatization is called into question.

Police widen investigation in connection with Prague hospital tenders, purchases

Police are investigating six people in connection with rigged tenders at Prague’s Na Homolce Hospital, according to statements by police and the state attorney’s office in Prague on Wednesday. The charges are linked to tenders for medical, legal, consultancy and accounting services held by the hospital with bribes allegedly sought for winning the orders. The former director of the hospital, Vladimír Dbalý and head of accounting at the hospital are among those charged, according to reports. Dbalý was already at the centre of other proceedings against seven people launched by police last year. Police in February recommended criminal charges be brought against them over the digitalization of archives and purchase of equipment.

Czech Television investigated over sponsorship deals: report

Bosses of public broadcaster Czech Television and police are investigating how private companies allegedly used opportunities to sponsor programmes to dodge taxes. The daily Mladá Fronta Dnes reported Wednesday that a handful of companies repeatedly inflated the sponsorship totals so that they could be written off against their taxes. The difference between the real amounts paid and higher amounts billed were returned to them. Sums involved amounts to tens of millions of crowns, according to a source quoted by the paper.

Gale-force winds and icy roads creating problems around the country

Gale-force winds, with snow and sleet showers in the higher altitudes, have been creating problems around the country for the third day now. A train derailed in the Bruntal region early on Wednesday after hitting a fallen tree and rail traffic is also disrupted in the Plzen region where workers are clearing a number of fallen trees from the rail tracks. Power lines are down in many parts of the country and a number of smaller roads have been closed to traffic. The police report a heightened number of accidents and have warned drivers not to set out for the mountain areas without winter tires.

US convoy leaves Czech territory

The US convoy which spent four days in the Czech Republic on its way back from a military exercise in the Baltic states left Prague’s Ruzyne barracks in the early hours of Wednesday and is returning to its home base in Bavaria. It is expected to reach the Czech-German border at around midday. Fears that it could meet with negative reactions in the Czech Republic proved unfounded. The convoy was greeted by thousands of people lining the country’s roads and highways and over 20,000 people came to the military’s Ruzyne barracks to meet with the soldiers and inspect their military technology. A thousand people attended a concert given in the troops honour on Tuesday night.

Czechs lose 0:1 in friendly against Slovakia

In football, the Czech Republic lost 0:1 in the friendly against Slovakia on Tuesday night. The sole goal came in the 49th minute when Ondrej Duda shot low from distance with the bounce leaving Tomáš Vaclík embarrassed in goal. Czech manager Pavel Vrba fielded an experimental teams with established players, such as Petr Čech, Tomáš Rosický and David Lafata, absent. A series of substitutions and a heavy pitch and blustery conditions also had an impact. The loss follows on from the disappointing draw against Latvia on Saturday.