The Czech interim government is next week set to discuss amendments to the penal code that would increase the protection of children against sexual abuse, the news agency ČTK reported on Saturday. The draft legislation introduces two new crimes – establishing unauthorized contacts with children, and participation in pornographic performances. The cabinet will also discuss legislation increasing the penalties for human trafficking as well as racism and xenophobia. Part of the draft legislation was approved by the government earlier this year but could not reach the lower house which dissolved itself in the meantime.
Air pollution in the northeast Czech Republic has far exceeded the permitted levels. On Saturday morning, the emissions in most of the Moravian-Silesian Region reached double the value of legal limits, according to a report by the news agency ČTK. The worst affected areas include Karviná and several nearby municipalities. Meteorologists don’t expect any change in the local conditions, and say air pollution levels will remain way above the limit over the next 24 hours.
A nationwide collection of food for the poor started in 111 shops and supermarkets across the country at 8 AM on Saturday. In the first such event to be held in the Czech Republic, shoppers are encouraged to buy foodstuffs and donate them to a food bank which will hand the food out to homeless shelters, retirement homes and families in financial crisis, the organizers said. The collection will conclude at 8 PM. Around 10 percent of the Czech population is under the poverty line but another 1.7 million people are threatened by poverty.
With 17.6 deceased organ donors per a million inhabitants, the Czech Republic is ranked 15th in the world, according to the Czech Transplantations Coordinating Centre. The list is topped by Spain with over 35 donors. Between January and October this year, 183 deceased and 64 living donors were registered in the Czech Republic; despite an increase in their numbers, the waiting time for donor transplant has grown, too. There have been nearly 360 kidney transplants, 106 liver transplants and 54 heart transplants this year. The Czech Republic has seven transplant centers two of which are located in Prague.
Poet, historian and translator Zbyněk Hejda died on Saturday morning at the age of 83, the news website lidovky.cz reported citing his publisher. Mr Hejda was considered one of the most significant contemporary Czech poets and his work has been described as a “pessimistic lyricism” with strong erotic undertones. Zbyněk Hejda, native of Hradec Králové, was a graduate of Charles University. He faced persecution by the communist regime after he signed the Charter 77 manifesto. His collected poems were published in 1996 under the title “Poems”.
Czech theatres participate for the first time in the European Theatre Night, an event held in 11 European countries on Saturday. Over 80 theatre troupes and ensembles in 24 Czech cities have joined in, offering tours of theatre buildings, debates with actors, art exhibitions, and others. In Prague, the Theatre Institute in Celetná will open an information centre on Saturday afternoon offering details about the event’s programme in the capital.
A car with a dead man behind the wheel was discovered in a water reservoir in Tedražice, western Bohemia, on Saturday morning. The police said they received a call at 7.15 AM, alerting them to the car turned on its roof and submerged in the reservoir. The body of a man was found on the back seat, the police said, adding it was not clear whether other people were travelling in the car. The incident is under investigation.
The Czech Republic is leading Serbia 2-1 in the finals of the Davis Cup in Belgrade after Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek defeated Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjič and Ilja Bozoljac 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 in Saturday’s doubles. In Sunday’s decisive singles, Tomáš Berdych will take on world number two Novak Djokovič who surprisingly did not appear in the doubles; Radek Štepánek will later play Dušan Lajovič. The Czech Davis Cup team is defending last year’s triumph in the competition.
The weekend will be mostly overcast with occasional fog. Daytimes highs should range between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius.
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