Morning Briefing │ Thursday, February 22nd, 2024

* RUSSIA:

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Wednesday summoned the Russian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Alexander Zmejewski, over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The ambassador was summoned to explain the circumstances of Navalny’s death and the authorities’ refusal to hand over the body to his family.

* WEATHER:

Thursday should be overcast and rainy with day temperatures between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius.

* NATURE:

he Czech Republic does not sufficiently protect rare forests in the Natura 2000 network of sites of European importance, the environmental organisation Greenpeace said today.

Greenpeace has long drawn particular attention to the authorities’ misconduct in approving forest management plans that allow logging in the Eastern Ore Mountains.

* CRIME:

The Czech Republic has extradited a suspect to the United States accused of plotting the Tehran-backed murder of a prominent critic of the Iranian government.

Polad Omarov was handed over to US authorities at Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport on Wednesday morning after his arrest in January last year. Omarov is charged with offenses including murder-for-hire and money laundering in connection with an alleged assassination attempt believed to be backed by Tehran.

* CINEMA:

Alcon Entertainment and Ridley Scott Productions’ limited series Blade Runner 2099 for Prime Video will shoot at the Czech Republic’s Barrandov Studios in Prague from June.

The series is being directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, who will executive produce the first two episodes. Tulleken recently directed the first two episodes of FX’s Shōgun.