Czech news in brief for July 16: Thursday's top afternoon headlines

Good afternoon, some more culture-focused news this afternoon as world icon Diana Ross is scheduled to come to Czechia for the first-time ever at the end of the month while, on a completely different musical scale, the hard rock and metal Masters of Rock festival kicks off today in Vizovice. Meanwhile, what is poised to become the tallest building in the Czech Republic got the greenlight from Prague authorities. Here are today's main headlines.

Following up on this morning's news about the arrest of a Czech national in China, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that the man was there on a private visit, and had no ties to any Czech state institution. He also confirmed that Chinese authorities suspected him of presenting a threat to national security.

Few details. Little is known about the case for now, apart from the fact that Czech consular authorities in Beijing are providing the Czech citizen with assistance. Foreign Minister Macinka also assured that the arrest was not related to the detention, earlier this year, of a Chinese citizen in Prague on charges of espionage for a foreign power.

Czech police have evicted Jaroslav Foldyna, an MP for the far-right SPD party, from his house in Děčín, where he lives with his wife, on suspicion of domestic abuse. The far-right lawmaker confirmed the eviction and assured he was innocent, refusing to comment further on the matter. He has not yet been officially charged with any crime, but also had several firearms confiscated by the police as a preventive measure and has been forbidden from contacting his wife in the meantime.

Who's Jaroslav Foldyna? A former top politician of the centre-left Czech Social Democratic Party, Foldyna joined the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party in 2020 and currently sits in the Chamber of Deputies as part of the government-aligned SPD caucus.

American singer icon Diana Ross will hold her first-ever concert in the Czech Republic on July 29 in Pilsen as part of her In Motion Tour, organizers announced today. The 82-year-old soul and blues icon and former lead singer of The Supremes will be supported by Czech group 4 Tenors during the 90-minute concert held in the city's Lochotín Amphitheater.

Huge influence. Over decades of fame and creation, Diana Ross has had a significant influence on the Czech musical scene. Her songs have inspired and were covered by the likes of Marie Rottrová, Monika Absolonová, Jitka Zelenková, Karel Gott or Karel Černoch. Her top hit I Will Survive became famous here under the title Já půjdu dál.

The 22nd edition of the hard-rock and metal fest Masters of Rock starts today in the town of Vizovice, east of Zlín, with up to 20,000 fans expected to attend one of Czechia's top music festivals, running until Sunday.

What's the lineup? The festival kicks off strong with headliners Helloween performing on the very first evening, with fans also looking forward to Marilyn Manson, Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy, Russian deathcore band Slaughter to Prevail, Finland's very own The Rasmus and much, much more.

A new 126-metre-high skyscraper by David Černý and Tomáš Císař has received its building permit and official go-ahead from the Prague 13 authorities, iRozhlas.cz reports. The "shipwreck-themed" structure will be built in Prague's Nové Butovice district and should become the highest building in Czechia once completed.

Living in a wreck. The so-called Top Tower should include 44 floors, including seven of them underground, and 250 apartments, according to preliminary plans from the Trigema development company in charge of the huge project.