Czech morning headlines: Prague Lions win American Football League

National Gallery (NG) in Prague circumvented the law on registry of contracts and ignored procurement procedure in the selection of suppliers of some services in 2018-2021, the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) writes in its report. Along with public procurement, the NKÚ has also revealed serious shortcomings in the NG financial management. The auditors have found smaller mistakes in the management of the Museum of Decorative Arts (UPM) in Prague.

According to the NKÚ findings, in the monitored period, the NG ignored the standard procurement procedure, for instance, in the selection of the supplier of legal services. Although the gallery has its own legal section, it hired three external firms to carry out its legal section's agenda.

Erica Pedretti, a Swiss author and artist of German ethnicity born in Moravia who had to leave Czechoslovakia after World War II, died this week at the age of 92. She visited Czechia several times, taking part in book festivals and readings. In 2003, the town Sternberk in the Olomouc region bestowed honorary citizenship on Pedretti, who personally received it one year later.

Pedretti won numerous awards for her literary work, including the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, one of the most prestigious in the German language area. In 2013, she won a Swiss literary prize for her life work.

Poděbrady Mayor Jaroslav Červinka, faced with criticism over his comments on Roma people, is leaving the Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement, but he did not rule out running as an independent candidate in the autumn local elections.

The STAN district branch previously called on Červinka to withdraw from the STAN's local list of candidates, on which he figured in the first position, seeking re-election as Poděbrady mayor, over his statements made in a traffic accident in 2001, which was caused by dogs owned by a Roma citizen. "I then uttered the memorable sentence that it would be better to shoot them. The policeman told me that they shouldn't shoot, that the dogs are not to blame. And I said I didn't mean the dogs," Červinka said. 

The winners of the American Football League are the Prague Lions, who defeated the defending champion Vysočina Gladiators in the final. Adam Žuželka, who was named the most valuable player of the Czech Bowl, led the Prague team to a 35:29 win with a great performance. The Lions triumphed for the sixth time in the home competition.

As the heatwave spreads from Western Europe to the Czech Republic, the country is expecting tropical temperatures this week. On Wednesday the temperature can reach up to 36 degrees Celsius. On Friday, it will cool down slightly and remain at up to 30 degrees, at the weekend temperatures could rise to 33 degrees again. 

Today, July 17, marks 30 years since the Slovak National Council passed a declaration on the sovereignty of the Slovak Republic. Days later, Václav Havel announced his resignation as President of Czechoslovakia on July 20, 1992. Havel, who opposed the separation, chose to resign rather than preside over the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

While public opinion polls at the time showed support from both Czechs and Slovaks in the preservation of Czechoslovakia, the two countries officially split on January 1, 1993. "Everybody knew that the preservation of Czechoslovakia would probably win [in a referendum]," historian  Adéla Gjuričová told journalists this weekend. "However, the federation's operation was failing. A referendum, if held, would have probably solved nothing. Without it, nevertheless, the split was not fully clean in terms of law."

An exhibition of glass artwork created by Czech artists is now on display in the Zbrašov Aragonite Caves. The caves' unique atmosphere provides an unusual opportunity to enjoy the artwork illuminated in the dark in diverse underground areas, Aragonite Caves manager Barbora Šimečková told journalists.

Artwork celebrating the tradition and quality of Czech crystal glass and created using methods such as blowing, cutting, gliding, and melting are now on display from Czech artists Filip Dobiás, David Gábera and Jakub Petr. The caves' unique environment - a year-round temperature of 14 degrees Celsius and near 100-percent humidity - allows for only certain materials to be displayed. The new exhibit runs through the end of October.

A bronze bust of priest Josef Toufar, who was tortured to death by communist police in 1950, was installed in his hometown of Arnolec on Saturday to mark the 120th anniversary of his birth. An unveiling event was attended by hundreds of people and included a mass, journalist Miloš Doležal told reporters.

"As a priest, he was very open, making no difference between believers and non-believers," Doležal said. "In his parish, he met all people and used to say that he found every person important and interesting. This was not usual in the Catholic Church in the 1930s, 40s and 50s at all."

Cancer is now the leading cause of death for Czechs under the age of 65 and the second most frequent cause of death for all age groups, according to the National Cancer Plan 2030, an initiative from the Czech Ministry of Health. About 60,000 malignant tumors are diagnosed in the country annually, and around 28,000 people in the Czech Republic die from cancer every year.

The Czech Republic's National Cancer Plan 2030 outlines a series of measures aimed at boosting cancer prevention and treatment. The budget for the plan runs 18 billion crowns, most of which the country will be able to draw from EU funds. VZP, the country's largest health insurer, spends 17 billion crowns on cancer treatment annually.

A tourist from the Czech Republic has died at ​​Austria's highest mountain, Grossglockner, reports Austria Press Agency this morning. The tourist fell approximately 300 meters from a cliff after apparently diverging from the main pathway in the dark while descending the mountain.

The daughter of the 53-year-old man reported him missing to Austrian police on Saturday. She stated that her father left the village of Fusch for a hike in the mountains, but she had not heard from him since Wednesday. His body was found on Saturday in the Käfertal valley, just a few kilometers from the village of Fusch.

Czech archaeologists discovered the tomb of an ancient Egyptian commander at the Abusir segment of the Giza pyramid complex this spring, the Czech Egyptology Institute at Charles University writes on Facebook. The tomb most likely dates back to the early 5th century B.C., and relates to the previous collection of embalming equipment found by Czech researchers in the area.

That collection comprised of about 370 pieces of pottery with jars, substances, and materials that were used to mummify the tomb's owner. This spring, researchers uncovered the tomb of that owner, a dignitary named Vahibre. According to the inscription on his sarcophagus, he commanded soldiers who came from the Aegean islands and Asia who were recruited into the Egyptian army.

Two Czech athletes have qualified for the semifinals in the 1,500-meter race at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon this weekend. Kristiina Mäki, who holds the all-time Czech record in the event, will be joined by Diana Mezuliáníková in the semifinal race, which will take place at 7:05 p.m. Saturday Prague time.

At last year's Olympics in Tokyo, Mäki finished 7th in the semifinal race and 13th in the final. Two other Czech athletes were eliminated from the World Championships heading into the weekend, as long-distance runner Radek Juška and pole vaulter Amálie Švábíková failed to qualify for their respective events.

Health officials have reported two additional cases of monkeypox in the Czech Republic, bringing the total number of cases up to 13, according to the latest data provided by Prague's Regional Health Station yesterday. Of the 14 cases in the country, 13 are confirmed to be from Prague.

The two latest cases of monkeypox have also been confirmed in Prague. They were found in a 41-year-old who had recently traveled to Berlin, Valencia and Madrid, and reported to doctors with chills, a fever, and rashes, and a 43-year-old who had reported similar symptoms. Both people are currently in home isolation.

Representatives from Taiwan's parliament, led by chair You Si-kun, will visit the Czech Republic next week and meet with local politicians from the Czech Chamber of Deputies as well as the Senate, the two houses of Czech parliament. The visit follows a trip by Czech Senate chairman Miloš Vystrčil two years ago, which Czech President Miloš Zeman and then-PM Andrej Babiš both spoke out against.

You Si-kun will meet Vystrčil at Prague's Airport on Monday, and will then pay respects to late Czech president Václav Havel at Vinohrady Cemetery. On Tuesday, the Taiwanese delegation is scheduled to see the medieval town of Telč in Southern Moravia, as well as representatives of the town and the Vysočina Region.

Two former Czechoslovak Prime Ministers has been acquitted of wartime collaboration with Germany, lawyer Lubomír Müller told journalists on Friday. Rudolf Beran and Jan Syrový were convicted of Nazi collaboration in 1947, but a Prague prosecutor has officially halted their criminal prosecution.

Earlier this spring, a court had reopened their case to reexamine the postwar trial in which they were convicted. "The prosecutor newly assessed the affair and ruled that the two persons in question were not guilty of any punishable conduct, and there is no reason to pass the affair to a different body," Müller said regarding the decision of prosecutor Jan Kopečný.