Czech morning news in brief: top stories for March 12, 2021

A 50-year-old man shot himself in front of the Ministry of Health offices in Prague Thursday night according to Eva Kropáčová, a spokeswoman for the Prague police. Kropáčová did not comment on the motive for suicide. According to footage published on the Blesk.cz server, the man was found lying at the entrance to the ministry building on Palackého náměstí. A spokesperson for the ambulance service told ČTK, "We found a 50-year-old man with a gunshot wound on the spot...we could no longer help him in any way." On-site criminal investigators determined the man had committed suicide by shooting. The police found a firearm on the scene that will be further examined.

The Czech Embassy in Israel officially opened its office in Jerusalem in the presence of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Public Security Minister Amir Ohana. As the office was officially established on March 1, it is to be in full operation from late April to early May, the Czech Foreign Ministry said. The office will employ one diplomat and one administrative worker. Its operation will be paid from the Foreign Ministry budget. The Czech Republic already has an honorary consul in Jerusalem. The Foreign Ministry said earlier this did not mean the establishment of a new diplomatic office, but services for Czech citizens.

Former Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch has become the new Chairman of the Board of the Regional Health Authority, Krajská zdravotní, which manages five hospitals in the Ústí nad Labem Region, ČTK reports. The company employs about 7,200 people and is one of the largest medical facilities in the country. Vojtěch has been a member of the Regional Health Board since November 2020. It was previously speculated that he was in line for the Czech ambassadorship to Finland. Vojtěch said it's still possible but is not yet fully confirmed and that he will currently focus fully on his work for KZ.

A new version of "Three Wishes for Cinderella" the Czechoslovak-East German fairy-tale film from 1973, which is popular not only in the Czech Republic but also in Germany and Norway, is being shot in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer, which hosted the 1994 Winter Olympic, the DPA German news agency has reported. Norwegian pop music singer Astrid S, who will appear in the lead role in the remake, considers the character of Cinderella a courageous and "cool" role model for girls. "She experiences bullying being oppressed by her stepmother, but she gradually gains self-confidence and resists. She is riding a horse fast and hunting, though she is a girl," said the singer, whose real name is Astrid Smeplass. The main location will be the Maihaugen open-air museum in Lillehammer with more than 200 historical buildings, DPA adds. The Norwegian public TV traditionally broadcasts the original fairy-tale film on Christmas Eve. The premiere of its remake is scheduled in Norway for November.

The Prague City Hall will buy a plot of land in Troja, which is necessary for the construction of a planned Water Sports Park. The city will pay CZK 541,000 for the plot, according to a document approved by councilors. The park should include a new slalom track for water sports which will be created first and then the city will modify the surrounding areas. The park will serve professional athletes as well as the public. The purchase has yet to be approved by representatives. The new water slalom course will be about 270 meters long. The capacity of the complex will be 1,500 spectators. It will be designed primarily for training athletes in water slalom, rafting, or white water rodeo. It will be equipped to host world championships or world cup races here. The bay at the bottom of the canal will be used for recreational boating and fishing. In the future, the city wants to modify the current slalom tracks for recreational rafting on the Vltava.