Czech weekend news in brief: November 28, 2021

Czech President Miloš Zeman, who is positive for Covid-19, will be separated by a transparent wall from Petr Fiala as he appoints him the new Prime Minister of the Czech Republic today, according to Zeman's spokesperson Jiří Ovčáček. Audio contact between the President and incoming PM will be secured and both parties will wear FFP3 respirators during the appointment of Fiala as prime minister.

The president, who tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, has agreed with the sanitary measures and is willing to undergo them, Ovčáček said on the Presidential Office's website. "The president will be separated with a special wall from the other persons in the room, and at the same time, visual and acoustic contact between the head of state and the appointed head of government will be secured. The room will be properly ventilated and completely disinfected, including all items," Ovčáček stated.

Moderate snowfall has led to traffic complications in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic this morning. Road workers encourage drivers to be extra careful throughout the region. Snowfall has also been reported throughout the Vysočina region, and some roads have a light layer of snow. It has also started to snow in the South Bohemian region.

Meteorologists said on Saturday that snow will pass through the Czech Republic today from Šumava through Vysočina to Krkonoše, during which up to ten centimeters of snow can be expected. A low-level warning is valid today through 8:00 p.m. Drivers are advised to be careful, especially in forest areas where there may be ice.

Reigning snowboard World Cup champion Eva Samková won the inaugural race at the Secret Garden in Zhangjiakou on Saturday. The race is a qualifying event ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the first event held at what will be the Olympic track in February. The Czech snowboarder pulled ahead of Britain's Charlotte Bankes in the final turn to secure her victory.

"I am tired, really tired. It's a long time. It was hard, I expected them to come to me. It was tight in that turn, but I knew what to do and I'm happy that I won," said Samková, who won a gold medal at the 2014 Olympics and bronze in 2018. "It was the first race and I know how I'm doing. I feel good, but it's still a test race for the Olympics and it will be something else at the games."

Shahram Zadeh, who was convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering in the Czech Republic, has been released on parole after spending 6.5 years in prison. In October, the Regional Court in Brno approved a plea bargain between Zadeh and the public prosecutor. Under the deal, Zadeh received a nine-year prison sentence and punitive damages of 17.5 million crowns.

In view of the long time he had already spent in custody, Zadeh could subsequently ask for release on parole. Zadeh was given a cumulative prison sentence. The court previously imposed eight years in prison on him for tampering with witnesses. Zadeh was convicted of tax evasion and participation in an organised criminal group. He originally faced up to 13 years in prison.

A Dutch football fan who injured a tourist by setting off a flare in the center of Prague on Wednesday faces up to two years in Czech prison if found guilty of breach of peace, according to Czech police spokesman Jan Rybanský. The wounded tourist received medical treatment at a hospital before being released to home care. The young Dutch suspect is a fan of Feyenoord Rotterdam, which arrived in Prague on Wednesday to play against Slavia on Thursday.

Czech police reinforced their patrols in the Prague streets and utilized riot, criminal, road, as well foreign police units, including mounted police and officers with dogs, in expectation of the Rotterdam's radical fans. Seven Rotterdam police, specialists in football violence, also arrived to help their Czech counterparts ahead of the UEFA European Conference League match, which ended 2-2 late on Thursday.