Czech morning news in brief: Top headlines for July 30, 2021

Czech tennis star Markéta Vondroušová has backed up her surprise win over Naomi Osaka and advanced to the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics following a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Elina Svitolina in semifinal action on Thursday. Vondroušová will face off against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic for the women's singles gold medal on Saturday at 3 p.m. Tokyo time (8:00 a.m. Prague time). “I was thinking that two or three matches would have been great, and then I beat Naomi so then I thought that I was playing well and that maybe I could even do better,” Vondroušová told reporters after Thursday's victory. “I’m now just happy to be in the final. It’s an amazing feeling. I can’t believe it. Maybe it’ll sink in later. This is amazing, even if it’s silver or gold, it’s amazing and I’m just very proud.” In women's doubles action, the top-seeded Czech team of Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková will face Switzerland's Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic on Sunday at 3 p.m. Tokyo time during the gold medal match.

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The Czech Republic has scored its second gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics! Canoeist Jiří Prskavec won the K1 Men's Slalom this morning with a time of 91.63. Czech neighbors came in second and third, with Slovakia's Jakub Grigar winning silver with a time of 94.85 and Germany's Hannes Aigner bronze at 97.11. The reigning K1 world champion, Prskavec previously won a bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The Czech Republic now has two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics following Jiří Lipták's gold in trap shooting yesterday.

News of recent animal births at Prague Zoo has made international headlines this week with video of some of the Zoo's young animals shared by news agency Reuters. Prague Zoo has welcomed more than 700 newborns over the past year, which have included elephants, orangutans, and rare breeds such as the Chacoan peccary, which was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in the wild 1971. This week, a baby camel made her first public appearance at Prague Zoo after her birth two weeks prior. "The female camel is in good condition and the mother takes good care of her," says ungulate curator Jan Mengr. "From [Tuesday], visitors can see the newborn with the whole group. They are most active in the morning while feeding, but they can be observed practically all day. "

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The Czech crown strengthened against the Euro on Thursday and has now reached 25.52 CZK/EUR, the strongest it has been over the last two weeks. The crown also strengthened against the dollar, to 21.46 CZK/USD, the highest it has been since the end of June. According to economists, the crown is reacting to world developments as well as statements made on Tuesday by Tomáš Nidetzký, Vice Governor of the Czech National Bank, about raising interest rates. The Prague Stock Exchange has also strengthened and remains the strongest it has been since July, 2011. The PX stock index rose by .32 percent to 1204.44 points on Thursday, largely driven up by gains from Czech banks and the energy company ČEZ.

A repaired castle park has opened to the public in Bruntál as of today, July 30. Extensive reconstruction of the park has included repair of the walls and fencing, a bastion with a staircase, and paths and paved areas. The park also has new greenery and includes a pond. A new walking path suitable for less mobile visitors or families with strollers has also been created. "Bruntál Chateau is owned by the Moravian-Silesian Region and was included in the list of national cultural monuments less than 20 years ago," says Lukáš Curylo, Deputy Governor for Culture and Monument Care. "I am very pleased that we are taking proper care of it." Visitors to the park can also see four new sculptures from a summer sculpture symposium. Part of the cost of repairs to the park was covered through a cross-border project, which included an art competition for sculptors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Czech National Museum will be able to continue archaeological research in Syria as Museum general director Michal Lukeš and Director-General for Antiquities at the Museum of Syria Muhammad Nazir Awad signed a prolongation of their agreement this week. Thanks to the contract, signed in Damascus, Czech experts will be able to continue their work in Tall al-Shama on the Nahr al-Arab River for another three years. Their findings date back to the Iron and Bronze Ages. "Over the past years, the National Museum made its mark as one of the top international archaeological institutions," said Lukeš. "Along with Sudan and Algeria, we are working in Syria as one of just three countries that have been granted a license for archaeological research. It is a great success and also an honor for Czech archaeologists."

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has scrapped plans to accompany Czech exporters to Vietnam and South Korea in August, cabinet spokesman Vladimír Vořechovský has told CTK. The decision was made because the current epidemic situation in Vietnam does not allow for multiple meetings and the free movement of businesspeople. Another factor is that some planes from the government fleet were borrowed by Czech athletes for the Olympic games in Tokyo. Vořechovský said Babiš has postponed the trip until this autumn. The Prime Minister was to visit Vietnam and South Korea during a government holiday at the beginning of August, with the aim to support Czech exporters to these markets. Babiš said he did not plan to take any holiday abroad this year, following criticism of his seaside vacation in Crete last summer.