News: Thursday, October 10th, 2024

Court rehabilitates Josef Toufar, priest tortured to death by communist secret police

The Regional Court in Hradec Králové on Thursday formally rehabilitated Josef Toufar, priest tortured to death by the communist secret police in 1950 for allegedly faking a “miracle”. The court ruled that Toufar’s arrest and prosecution were illegal, restoring his honour after decades. The move followed a petition filed by the regional prosecutor.

Toufar is one of the most prominent victims of the communist regime’s crackdown on the Church. He was arrested following the so-called "Číhošt' miracle," when witnesses claimed to have seen a cross on the altar in Toufar's church moving on its own volition during a mass in December 1949.

The initiator of Toufar's judicial rehabilitation was Jan Kratochvíl, founder of Brno's Museum of Czech and Slovak Exile of the 20th Century.

BIS head: Huawei devices pose threat comparable to Russian gas dependency

Devices produced by Chinese tech giant Huawei continue to pose a significant security risk, Michal Koudelka, head of the Security Information Service (BIS), said on Thursday.

Speaking at a parliamentary conference on the risks of economic and technological dependence on China, Mr. Koudelka compared the potential vulnerabilities linked to Huawei technology to Europe’s prior dependence on Russian gas, which became a critical issue following the war in Ukraine.

He also said the use of Huawei’s equipment in critical infrastructure could lead to dangerous dependencies, especially in the event of future conflicts or geopolitical tensions.

Czechia’s National Cyber and Security Information Agency issued a formal warning against using hardware and software from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in late 2018, citing security concerns.

Six more citizens return to Czechia from Lebanon amid rising conflict

Six more Czech citizens have returned home from Lebanon in recent days, as the security situation in the region continues to deteriorate. According to Mariana Wernerová from the Czech Foreign Ministry’s press department, five citizens were evacuated on a Ukrainian flight, while one returned on an Italian flight.

This follows a Slovak repatriation flight over the weekend, which brought nine more Czechs and three of their Lebanese family members to Bratislava.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has advised Czechs to leave the country as Lebanon faces escalating violence following intensified Israeli military operations targeting the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Former mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib, wants to lead Pirates

Zdeněk Hřib, deputy mayor of Prague and councillor for transport, will run for chair of the Pirates following the resignation of the former leader of the party, Ivan Bartoš, in September. Hřib said this in a press release for CTK Agency. He wants the Pirates to be a liberal centrist party.

Prague airport receives worldwide recognition

Prague Airport Air Commerce has won the prestigious Routes World Award 2024 in the category of airports with 10 to 20 million passengers per year. The award reflects the airport's achievements in the development of air connections, marketing support, and overall cooperation with airlines. In the final airline vote, Prague Airport outperformed international airports from Calgary, Hamburg, Edinburgh, and Budapest in its category. This is the third time Prague Airport has won the prestigious Routes World Award, having previously won in 2015 and 2017.

Car sales from China up by 44 percent

Over 5,000 new cars made in China were sold in Czechia in the first nine months of this year, a 44 percent increase compared to all of last year, the Car Importers Association announced on Thursday.

Despite this significant rise, Chinese-made cars still represent less than three percent of total car sales in the country, but their share in the electric vehicle market is much larger, over 30 percent.

The most popular Chinese-produced brand in Czechia is MG, with almost 3,000 vehicles sold this year. Tesla comes in second with 1,235 cars sold, followed by Honda with 658.

The European Commission has recently decided to impose countervailing duties of up to 35% on battery-powered vehicles manufactured in China, in addition to the existing 10% import tax, in order to eliminate the fact that the Chinese state is subsidising the local producers.

Weather forecast

Friday will be mostly overcast with occasional rain. Day temperatures are expected to range between 8 and 13 degrees Celsius.