The government plans to fast-track legislation aimed at preventing a number of properties in the Prague Castle complex falling under a law on church restitution, the newspaper Právo reported on Saturday. The law will go before the Senate as the Chamber of Deputies has been dissolved. Prague’s Roman Catholic archbishopric has claimed nine buildings and 10 parcels of land at the Castle. The minister of the interior, Martin Pecina, says the Catholic Church had made a deal with the state not to seek their return.
A Slovak newspaper says it has new evidence that the head of the ANO 2011 party, Andrej Babiš, collaborated with the StB secret police under communism. SME reported on Saturday that it had uncovered a previously unknown file suggesting that Mr. Babiš, who is from Slovakia, had informed to the StB in connection with a particular operation. Mr. Babiš, whose party are second in some opinion polls in the Czech Republic less than a week before general elections, has fervently denied the allegation.
The Social Democrats, who lead in opinion polls, will focus campaigning in the next week on winning over undecided voters, chairman Bohuslav Sobotka said on Saturday. Mr. Sobotka said after a pre-election conference at the party’s headquarters that its candidates would make more public appearances, as well as intensifying their use of social media. While the Social Democrats are widely expected to come first, the size of their win could play a key role in the formation of the next government.
Over 300 took part in demonstration against the Roma ethnic minority in the eastern city of Ostrava on Saturday afternoon. From the centre the protesters, some throwing bottles and firecrackers, marched on Přívoz, a district largely inhabited by Romanies, where their path was blocked by police in riot gear. Around a dozen arrests were made.
An edition of the Prague Writers’ Festival is being held this weekend in the US city of Pittsburgh. The event is taking place in connection with a meeting between Czech and US legislators to mark the 95th anniversary of the signing of the Pittsburgh Agreement, which paved the way for the foundation of Czechoslovakia. Among those appearing are veteran novelist E.L. Doctorow and historian Mary Heimann, author of Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed.
The coach of Czech soccer champions Viktoria Plzeň has held a private meeting with the head of the Czech Football Association, who are currently looking to fill position of manager of the national team, Mladá fronta Dnes reported on Saturday. The paper says coach Pavel Vrba met with FA chief Miroslav Pelta behind the backs of Plzeň’s owners. Vrba, who is widely admired, has a contract with the club until 2015. Previously the Slovak FA failed in a bid to pry him away and appoint him to manage their national side.
Czech striker Václav Kadlec has continued his positive start at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring in a 1:1 draw with Nuremberg on Saturday. That goal makes it four so far this season for the 21-year old, who joined the Bundesliga club from Sparta Prague in the summer.
The end of October and the first half of November should see higher than average temperatures in the Czech Republic for the time of year, according to a monthly weather forecast issued on Saturday by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute. Next week should be particularly warm, with daytime highs of up to 18 degrees expected.
It should be mainly fair in the next few days, with temperatures expected to reach up to 20 degrees Celsius.
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