Daily news summary

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Czech Republic and Austria to re-enforce border patrols in view of growing number of illegal migrants

Security and migration issues dominated the agenda of a meeting between Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec and his Austrian counterpart Johanna Leitner in Mikulov on Monday. In view of the growing number of illegal migrants in Europe the two sides agreed to strengthen security along their common border by re-enforcing joint border patrols and improving communication between local governments. The number of illegal migrants in the Czech Republic is now counted in the thousands, while neighbouring Austria is dealing with tens of thousands of illegal migrants.Since the majority of illegal migrants are crossing the Hungarian-Serb border, the Czech Republic has likewise offered Hungary police officers, technology and finances to help stem the flow.

Foreign police detain 91 illegal migrants in the space of two days

The foreign police is reported to have detained 91 illegal migrants over the past weekend, the highest number registered in the course of a weekend since the migrant crisis started. In the first six months of this year the police detained just over 3,000 illegal migrants, a fifty percent increase on the same period last year. The vast majority are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

The Czech government recently approved a plan to take in 1,500 foreign migrants in the course of the next two years. Approximately 1100 of them would be from countries currently bearing the brunt of the migration wave and around 400 would be from refugee camps in the Middle East.

Tripartite meeting over 2016 draft budget

Representatives of the government, trade unions and employers met on Monday over the government proposed draft budget for 2016. Trade union representatives spoke out in favour of higher investments which would stimulate economic growth arguing that the proposed 70 billion crown deficit could have been higher, but employers expressed approval of the proposed deficit saying that at a time of economic growth there was no reason to increase the gap in spending further. Finance Minister Andrej Babis argues that the proposed 2016 budget is not restrictive and will stimulate the economy while helping to bring the deficit under control. The minister would like to achieve a 60 billion crown deficit in 2017 and a 50 billion crown deficit in 2018.

Miners demand lifting of coal mining limits in north Bohemia

Around 100 miners from north Bohemia, mainly from the CSA mine run by the company Severni Energeticka, staged a protest outside the Czech government building on Monday calling for the lifting of coal mining limits in the region. Mining limits in north Bohemia were introduced in 1991 as a guarantee for municipalities situated on coal deposits that they would not be pulled down to enable further mining. The question is now being revised by the government in view of its long-term energy strategy. There are four alternatives on the table including a partial lifting of the limits. Industry Minister Jan Mladek said earlier he would be in favour of lifting the limits at the north Bohemian mine Bilan and postponing a decision on the CSA mine until 2020. Miners unions oppose this, saying people in the municipalities have a right to know what their future holds and that hundreds of miners would lose their jobs before a decision was made.

Internationally renowned concert pianist Ivan Moravec dies at 84

The internationally acclaimed Czech concert pianist Ivan Moravec has died at the age of 84. Moravec who studied at the Prague Academy of Music and later with Italian masters captivated audiences in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Prague and Milan. In October 2000 President Vaclav Havel awarded the pianist the Medal of Merit for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. In January 2002 he was honored with a Cannes Classical Award for Lifetime Achievement, an award given by several international music magazines, and appears on a CD of the piano greats of the 20th century.

Salmonella epidemic puts sixty people in hospital

Sixty people remain hospitalized in connection with the salmonella epidemic in Western Bohemia that broke out over the weekend. 130 people were treated for severe stomach pains, diarrhoea and fever. Hygiene officers traced the infection to a Plzen food company that delivered 140 portions of spaghetti a la carbonara to several companies in the region. The authorities managed to obtain one of the portions and warn that a limited number could still be in storage since their use-by date has not expired. The firm’s employees have all undergone tests, the results should be available on Wednesday.

Czech Transport Ministry wants to improve conditions for bikers

The Czech Transport Ministry wants to improve conditions for bikers by increasing the number of bike lanes and giving bikers superior rights on some streets. According to a proposed amendment to the road law bikers would have right of way on these streets and cars would have to respect a maximum speed limit of 20 km per hour. This would concern for instance the cobbled winding streets in the city center and in the Old Town where traffic is already slow. The bill is to be debated in Parliament in September.

Nine companies announce mass lay-offs

Nine companies have announced mass lay-offs in the coming months which will put over 500 people out of work, the Czech Labour Office reported on Monday. The lay-offs will affect mainly workers in steel production and engineering. The reasons cited are organizational changes and restriction of production due to loss of assignments.

Murderer brought to justice thanks to blanket DNA screening

The regional court in Ustí nad Labem has sent a man to 22 years in jail for the rape and murder of a young woman. As a repeat offender he was also ordered to undergo therapy and should remain under observation. The man was detained and convicted thanks to the biggest blanket DNA screening ever undertaken in the Czech Republic. It involved 1,500 men aged between 25 and 35.

Students from around world gather for 59th Summer School of Slavonic Studies

Some 140 students of the Czech language from around the world have gathered in Prague for the Summer School of Slavonic Studies. The course, which is being held for the 59th time, is organised by the Institute of Czech Studies at the Arts Faculty of Charles University. Alongside language classes, it includes cultural events and day trips. This year the summer school sees visitors from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe but not, for example, from Australia, the school’s director Jiří Hasil said. The youngest student this year is 17 years old, the oldest, 82.

Three die on Karlovy Vary auto route

Three people died in a traffic accident on the main route between Prague and Karlovy Vary on Sunday when their vehicle crashed into two tourist busses and then caught fire. All three passengers in the car died at the scene. Seventeen people abroad one of the busses suffered mild injuries; none of the passengers is likely to have been required to stay in hospital, although three hospitals declined to release additional details. The cause of the accident is not yet known.