Latest news with #Czechia
The Hindu
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
ENG vs GER, U-21 Euro: England and Germany's road to the final
England will look to defend its Under-21 European Championship title when it takes on Germany in the final at the Tehelné pole Stadium in Slovakia on Saturday (June 29 is IST). Liverpool's Harvey Elliott grabbed a brace as England beat the Netherlands under-21 side 2-1 in the semifinal, while Germany breezed past France. ALSO READ | England vs Germany LIVE streaming info The two sides had met earlier in the tournament during the group stage with Germany managing to secure a 2-1 win. GERMANY'S ROAD TO FINAL GROUP STAGE Germany 3-0 Slovenia Germany 4-2 Czechia Germany 2-1 England QUARTERFINAL Germany 3-2 Italy SEMIFINAL Germany 3-0 France ENGLAND'S ROAD TO FINAL GROUP STAGE England 3-1 Czechia England 0-0 Slovenia England 1-2 Germany QUARTERFINAL England 3-1 Spain SEMIFINAL England 2-1 Netherlands
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle Thunderbirds Radim Mrtka Drafted Ninth Overall By The Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have selected Radim Mrtka ninth overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old right-shot defenceman was the first WHLer off the board and the second defender drafted. Listed at 6'6", 218 lbs, the 2024-25 season was Mrtka's first in the WHL. Mrtka had a successful rookie season in the WHL. He recorded 35 points in 43 regular-season games while adding three points in six post-season games. Mrtka, who is from Czechia, is considered a two-way defenceman who projects as a top-four defender at the NHL level. Radim Mrtka of the Seattle Thunderbirds (Photo Credit: Evan Morud/Everett Silvertips/WHL) Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Eight WHLers Projected To Be Selected In The First Round Of The 2025 NHL Entry Draft 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Brandon Gorzynski Tri-City Americans Trade Max Curran To The Edmonton Oil Kings 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Joshua Ravensbergen
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Czechs say China followed and planned intimidation of Taiwan vice-president
Chinese diplomats and secret service followed Taiwan's Vice-President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year, Czech military intelligence said on Friday. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in March 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the democratically-governed island, which China views as its own territory. Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following her car. Czech public radio news website said on Thursday that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash. Czech Military Intelligence spokesman said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules. "This consisted of physically following the vice-president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene," spokesman Jan Pejsek said in emailed comments. "We even recorded an attempt by the Chinese civil secret service to create conditions to perform a demonstrative kinetic action against a protected person, which however did not go beyond the phase of preparation." A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, commenting on the matter, denied any wrongdoing by Chinese diplomats and also said the Czech Republic had interfered in China's internal affairs by allowing Hsiao's visit to go ahead. The Czech Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador over the incident at the time but did not comment further on Friday. Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said the Chinese actions "seriously threatened the personal safety of Vice President Hsiao and her entourage." "The Mainland Affairs Council today protested and strongly condemned the Chinese communist's bad behaviour and demanded that the Chinese side should immediately explain and publicly apologize," it said. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: "Chinese diplomats have always abided by the laws and regulations of the countries in which they are stationed." "China urges the parties concerned not to be provoked and exploited by separatist forces for Taiwan independence, and to not make a fuss over nothing, engage in malicious speculation, and interfere with and undermine the relations between the two countries." Hsiao assumed office, along with President Lai Ching-te, on May 20 last year. Czech relations with China have cooled in recent years. The Czechs accused China in May of being behind a cyberattack on the foreign ministry. Czech politicians have visited Taiwan and former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited Prague last October.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Urgent vaccination warning for Aussie travellers heading to Europe
At least four European countries frequented by Australian tourists have reported outbreaks of the highly contagious Hepatitis A virus. A significant increase in the liver infection has been reported in Austria, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia from January to May - with a total of 2097 cases this year. Slovakia, which has had an outbreak since late 2022, reported 880 cases this year. Austria has recorded 87 cases including three deaths, and Czechia has seen 600 cases including six deaths, with young children being the most affected group. Hungary has experienced 530 cases, mainly among adults, and Germany - though not labelled an affected country - had three cases matching Hungary and Austria. A spokesperson for the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control has warned Australians to take care regarding the current outbreak in Europe. 'Australian travellers should be aware that hepatitis A is highly contagious,' they told The Daily Telegraph. 'You can get infected after ingesting the virus by: eating contaminated raw food... drinking contaminated water... handling soiled nappies, linen or towels of an infectious person; sharing personal items with an infectious close or intimate contact with an infectious person.' The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issued a risk assessment on Hepatitis A (HAV) on June 18. 'This outbreak reminds us that hepatitis A can cause serious illness and death, especially among people with limited access to healthcare and basic hygiene,' it said. 'Vaccination and good hygiene are the best ways to protect against hepatitis A infection.' The centre's head of unit for One Health Related Diseases said the group would need to 'strengthen outreach' through access to vaccination and basic sanitation. Hepatitis A, which is caused by a virus spread via contaminated faeces making its way into food and drink, is not common in Australia. The virus typically spreads through a lack of clean water and by not cleaning things correctly, Hepatitis Australia said. People can also get hepatitis A through close physical contact with someone who has it, including through oral or anal sex. Almost everyone who has the virus will recover, but a small number can get very sick or die from liver failure. The majority of people affected are those aged 50 years or older, or who have other health issues (like hepatitis B or C). Smartraveller's advice for Australians to avoid infectious diseases including Hepatitis A also suggested a range of sanitation measures. 'Wash your hands often and use hand sanitiser before you eat,' the advice said. 'Drink bottled water from a sealed bottle.' Smartraveller also suggested using water-sterilising tablets or filtration bottles to make tap water safe and washing fresh produce with bottled or sterilised water. Australians are advised to avoid drinks with ice cubes, uncooked or undercooked food, fresh salads and raw vegetables. They are also told to avoid contact with water or soil that may be contaminated with sewage and, in some places, swimming or wading in any fresh water. Signs of the infection include a high temperature, flu-like symptoms - such as fatigue, headache and muscle pains - feeling or being sick, abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, pale grey coloured faeces and itchy skin. In more severe cases, a patient's skin and eyes may appear yellow, a condition known as jaundice and a serious sign the liver is struggling to function correctly.
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
How Czechs quit Russian oil without getting a black eye
NELAHOZEVES, June 28 — Holding a black belt in karate, Jaroslav Pantucek, the man in charge of Czech oil pipelines, is not afraid of tough battles. Like the ones he had to fight to wean the central European country off Russian oil in March, after more than 60 years of reliance and under EU pressure following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. 'I have completed my mission,' Pantucek, the chief executive and board chairman of the state-run Mero firm, told AFP in an interview. Until March, the EU and Nato member of 10.9 million people relied largely on the Druzhba pipeline taking Russian oil to Europe via Ukraine. When the EU moved to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Druzhba was exempted because the Czechs had few other options — though they had been working on alternatives for decades. Across the EU, Russian oil imports have shrunk from 27 per cent at the beginning of 2022 to three per cent now, European Commission data showed. 'Blackmail potential' Former Czechoslovakia — comprising today's Czech Republic and Slovakia — got connected to Druzhba in the 1960s when it was part of the Soviet bloc. But faltering supplies following the fall of the communist government in 1989 and the split of the country four years later led Prague to rethink the source. 'The first government after the (1989) revolution was already aware of the blackmail potential of Russian oil,' said Pantucek, who is 65. He joined Mero in 1997, a year after the launch of the IKL pipeline, an alternative route bringing in oil via Germany. 'I came to the job interview with a very decent black eye' from karate, chuckled Pantucek. He was already the chief executive when Druzhba suddenly curbed supplies to the Czech Republic in 2008. 'Moscow insists it was a coincidence,' Pantucek said, but he drew a link between the move and US plans to build a radar south of Prague, a thorn in Moscow's side that never materialised. The drop in supplies led Mero to consider joining a consortium running the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) connecting the Italian port of Trieste with the IKL pipeline. 'We bought a 5-per cent stake after three years of tough talks in December 2012. It was a great success,' said Pantucek. But Prague wanted more and started planning a capacity boost that would make it even less dependent on Druzhba. Pantucek was dismissed from Mero in 2015, but he returned shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, resuming work on the TAL expansion at once. 'I felt there was no time to waste, that the moment when oil stops flowing may be near,' he said. 'Historic moment' The Czechs needed the 60-year-old TAL pipeline to run at maximum capacity for the first time ever to ensure they got the annual eight million tonnes they need. They had to persuade partners in the consortium to change the capacity-sharing rules, unchanged for decades, and adjust the regime for tankers bringing oil to Trieste. 'That was a massive mental clash,' Pantucek said. Mero offered cutting-edge pumps that reduced power consumption and maintenance costs, and got a go-ahead to draft a contract — a process that took seven months as the consortium members kept tweaking it. Czech refineries meanwhile had to adapt to non-Russian oil mixtures with lower sulphur content, currently comprising oil from Azerbaijan, the North Sea, Saudi Arabia or Iraq. The expansion swallowed 42 million euros-worth of Mero's money. 'We were pushing to have everything ready by the end of 2024,' Pantucek added. 'Druzhba never worked 24/7, in fact it was off pretty often. But I had a gut feeling that it may stop completely. And somebody up there helped us I guess.' On March 3 this year, Pantucek had a call from TAL confirming operation readiness after thorough tests. 'On March 4, I came to work and my colleagues told me Druzhba was off. And I said, look, this is a historic moment.' Pantucek is leaving his future at Mero open as he has reached retirement age and the political situation may change after October's general election. 'I can take it easy now,' he said. 'I've done my job.' — AFP
