Daily news summary
President deeply disappointed with the work of the Czech embassy in Kyiv
President Miloš Zeman has said he is deeply disappointed with the work of
the Czech embassy in Kyiv. The president told journalists on Saturday that
he had voiced his reservations during a meeting with the Czech foreign
minister, Lubomír Zaorálek. Mr. Zeman said he did not believe that the
Czech embassy in Kyiv had dealt as it should have with the Volynhia Czechs
and had therefore decided to hand over the list of 232 people who had sent
him a plea for repatriation to the interior minister and would ask him to
act on it.
Interior Ministry to look into situation of ethnic Czechs in Ukraine
The Czech Interior Ministry will look into the situation of ethnic Czechs
living in Ukraine and consider the necessity of organizing a broad
repatriation, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek told Czech Television
following a meeting with President Milos Zeman on Friday. The head of state
requested the meeting after receiving a plea for repatriation from 70
ethnic Czech families in Ukraine. The foreign minister recently travelled
to the Zhytomyr region inhabited by Volynhia Czechs on a fact-finding
mission and at the time ruled out a mass exodus saying the families were in
no apparent danger and pointing to the fact that the way had been made easy
for ethnic Czechs in Ukraine to move back to their old homeland since they
would be granted temporary residence merely on the grounds of their Czech
roots without having to prove they had resided in the Czech Republic for
five years. The president’s chief foreign affairs advisor Hynek Kmonicek
said a delegation from the Interior Ministry should assess the situation in
Ukraine on the ground and decide on the scope of a possible repatriation
and its criteria. Its proposal will then be discussed by the cabinet.
Hundreds join Roma Pride march in Prague
Hundreds of people joined the Roma Pride 2014 march leading from Prague’s
Old Town Square through the historic city centre on Saturday afternoon. The
event is a celebration of Romany culture and identity and aims to draw
attention to the discrimination of Romanies in the Czech Republic, be it in
the sphere of housing, education or on the job market. Similar Romany Pride
marches are taking place in 15 European countries.
Mezi Ploty festival underway at Pragues Bohnice psychiatric hospital
Dozens of music and theatre ensembles are performing at this year’s Mezi
Ploty, or Within Fences, cultural festival at Prague’s Bohnice
psychiatric hospital. The annual festival which opens the doors of the city
s main psychiatric hospital to the public aims raise awareness and
understanding of mental illnesses, alcoholism and drug addiction and break
the taboo surrounding these health problems. The festival is attended by
the hospital’s leading psychiatrists who are giving lectures and taking
questions from the public.
Prague gets new Troja Bridge
The Troja Bridge, which is part of the recently completed Blanka tunnel
complex, opened to pedestrians on Saturday. Plans for the bridge changed
radically in the course of its construction and its initial cost estimate
of 450 million crowns reached the billion crown mark. Prague Mayor Tomáš
Hudeček said at the bridges opening that while its construction had been
plagued by problems architectonically the bridge was a work of art and a
worthy gift to the city of Prague. The bridge will open to cars and public
transport on Monday.
Fire drives 320 people from Pyramid Hotel
Fire fighters and police evacuated 300 guests and 20 staff members from
Pyramid Hotel in Prague 6 after a fire broke out on the fifth floor on
Saturday morning. No one was reported hurt. The fire is said to have broken
out in a linen storage room. The guests have now been allowed to return and
the cause of the fire is being investigated.
Petra Kvitová advances to finals in Peking after beating Sam Stosur
The Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitová secured a place in the final of the
China Open, after beating Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-3 5-7 6-2 at the
women’s singles semi-final matches on Saturday. If she can win a
second WTA tournament in a row the third-seed would move back to second
place on the world ladder after a three year break. The 24-year-old appears
to be in top form at the Peking tournament.