Czech news in brief for January 27: Saturday's top headlines

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has issued a warning for freezing fog or light frost forming in West Bohemia overnight and into Sunday morning due to gradually diminishing winds. The Plzeň and Karlovy Vary regions are particularly susceptible from midnight to 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, areas in east Bohemia and the western half of Moravia will experience continued strong winds, with gusts reaching 55 to 70 kilometers per hour from South Moravia to the Jeseníky Mountains. Wind conditions are expected to gradually ease on Saturday afternoon and into the evening.

A 23-year-old man detained by Prague police for assaulting people in Kunratice Forest and attacking a woman with an axe in Hostavice has confessed to the murder of a man found near Kyjský Pond during police interrogation. The suspect has yet to be formally charged.

Police spokesperson Eva Kropáčová stated that the suspect admitted to the Kunratice Forest assaults, the axe attack on the woman, and the murder at Kyjský Pond during questioning. The incidents left a 70-year-old man hospitalized and a woman injured. Investigations continue into the suspect's connections with the murder.

Miroslav Ševčík, ousted dean of the Faculty of Economics at the Prague University of Economics and Business, has initiated legal action against the institution, challenging his dismissal. Ševčík alleges the procedure to be illegal and politically motivated. The rector accused him of inappropriate public behavior, citing potential harm to the faculty's reputation.

Ševčík, who had criticized Prime Minister Petr Fiala and European Commissioner Věra Jourová, views the decision as politically driven. The lawsuit contends various misconduct claims, including discrimination and bullying, and seeks to uphold constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The university rector expressed no surprise, acknowledging Ševčík's repeated intent to challenge his removal.

An ongoing avalanche warning in the Krkonoše Mountains fell to the lowest level on Saturday morning, indicating improved safety for hikers. With 130 to 160 centimeters of snow on the ridges, the Krkonoše Mountain Service reported reduced risk this weekend. Recent snowfall added nine centimeters in the area.

The warning also includes exercising caution due to strong winds and icy terrain. The last avalanche-related fatality in the Krkonoše Mountains occurred in 2021, underlining the significance of monitoring and safety measures in this mountainous region.

Seventeen-year-old Czech tennis player Jan Kumstát fell just short in the junior singles final at the Australian Open, losing to Japan's Rei Sakamoto 6:3, 6:7, 5:7. Despite an impressive performance, Kumstát's 25 aces and 41 winning shots weren't enough to secure victory.

Expressing satisfaction for the opportunity to compete in Australia, Kumstát missed the chance to become the first Czech to win the Australian Open junior title since Jiří Vesely in 2011. The last Czech junior grand slam winner is Jonáš Forejtek, who won the US Open in 2019.

Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Czech Republic. This day commemorates the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz–Birkenau on Jan. 27, 1945. Events will take place throughout the weekend, including a ceremonial meeting in the Senate and a candlelight procession in Terezín, with speeches expected from director of the Terezín Memorial Jan Roubínek and vice-president of the European Commission Věra Jourová.

A memorial service will also be held at Mladá Boleslav Castle, which was used as an internment camp for Jews during the Holocaust. The organizers stress the importance of remembering and learning from the victims' stories in order to recognize and combat evil.

According to the State Veterinary Administration, veterinarians have confirmed the first cases of bird flu in wild birds this year in southern Bohemia. The infection was found in four dead birds, including a goose and a heron at the Velký Tisý pond in Jindřichův Hradec (South Bohemia) and a mallard duck in České Budějovice. Authorities have identified the virus as H5N1 bird flu that can be transmitted to humans. 

This brings the total number of confirmed outbreaks in the Czech Republic to 13. All outbreaks so far have been on non-commercial small farms, with the first case appearing in January after an eight-month absence.

The Czech firefighters who have been assisting with floods in France in recent weeks have completed their mission and returned to the Czech Republic, say authorities. The 18-member group, which focused on pumping water out of canals, used high-performance pumps of Czech origin. 

The Czechs were commended by the French firefighters for their reliability and effectiveness. The group, composed of Moravian-Silesian firefighters and rescue unit members, arrived in Hlučín (Moravia-Silesia) Thursday. They had been operating in France since Jan. 14 and have left now that the situation has been deemed stable by French authorities.

President Petr Pavel has announced that the elections for the European Parliament will take place on June 7 and June 8 this year. This date was determined by an agreement at the European level and Czech legal rules. The decision is subject to Prime Minister Petr Fiala's co-signature and will be officially announced when published in the collection of laws. 

The election campaign will begin on the day of the announcement and parties will have five days to report to the supervisory authority and open an election account. The elections will take place two weeks later than in 2019 and will involve 720 seats, 15 more than the previous period, in response to demographic changes in the EU.

The police are prosecuting one person for displaying a flag with the pro-Russia “Z” symbol at a communist event in Nymburk last year. The incident is being investigated as a crime of denying, questioning, approving, or justifying genocide. If found guilty, the offender could face up to three years in prison. The flag was removed from the stand after a complaint was made.

The police launched a criminal prosecution against one person in January of this year. A fake document, supposedly from the police telling the public that the case of the flag was being shelved, was posted on Facebook but later deleted.