News

Canadian PM confirms visa free entry for Czechs soon

The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed on Friday that visa requirements will be lifted for Czech citizens in the next few weeks. On a visit to Brussels, Mr. Harper said that one of his country’s goals is visa-free travel between Canada and the European Union. Canada re-introduced visas for Czechs four years ago, after it received a large number of asylum applications from mostly Romani Czechs during the two years that visa-free entry was in place.

Anti-monopoly office confirms fines for OpenCard errors

The Office for the Protection of Competition has confirmed the fines issued to Prague municipal institutions for problems with the electronic tickets system project. The anti-monopoly office determined that the Prague City Hall has to pay 600,000 crowns and the city’s Public Transport Company half a million crowns for signing unfavorable contracts with the company responsible for creating and maintaining the OpenCard ticketing system. Five people are currently being tried for allegedly manipulating the OpenCard tender, and ten others have been accused in a related case.

Ostrava’s complaint over air quality rejected

The Prague municipal court has turned down a complaint filed by the city of Ostrava against the government, as well as the Environment and Transportation Ministries for insufficiently and ineffectively improving and protecting air quality in the north Moravian metropolis. The court did recognize on Friday that emission limits were repeatedly broken in the region, but ruled that the city’s complaint did not sufficiently show that the government and the ministries were the ones at fault. A new study that came out this week has shown that although the amount of emissions around the Czech Republic has been consistently decreasing in the past decade, the air quality around the country is not improving.

Dahlgren lawyers file complaint over proceedings, delaying possible extradition

Lawyers for Kevin Dahlgren, who is suspected of killing four relatives in the Czech Republic, have filed a complaint in connection with the extradition proceedings against him, delaying a decision on whether the US authorities will send him to the Czech Republic for trial. Last month an American court ruled that all of the conditions for extradition had been met. If a decision is made to extradite Mr. Dahlgren despite the complaint taken by his representatives, the US State Department will have the final say in the matter. Mr. Dahlgren is accused of killing four members of his extended family at their home in Brno in May before fleeing to Vienna, from where he flew to Washington; he was arrested upon arrival by the FBI.

Czech and Austrian presidents meet to discuss infrastructure and investments

The Czech President Miloš Zeman and his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer agreed at a meeting on Friday that the current transportation infrastructure linking the two neighboring countries is insufficient. The presidents met in the South Bohemian town of Český Krumlov and spoke about the inadequate roads between Vienna and Prague as well as about security at the Temelín power plant. The Czech president also expressed his gratitude for the interest of Austrian investors in the Czech Republic.

Brno scientists make a major breakthrough in stem cell research

Scientists at Masaryk University in Brno have discovered an enzyme, which determines the future function of stem cells during the early stages of embryonic development. The PTP1B protein is responsible for whether a single cell will become part of the basic structure of an organ or the nervous system. The discovery may be helpfully in developing treatments for certain neurodegenerative illnesses, such as, for example, Parkinson’s disease. The research results have been published in the prestigious Cell Stem Cell scientific journal. The Masaryk University team was led by the British scientist Sun Ju-man.

Former communist prison warden Vondruška exonerated for the second time

The district court in Liberec exonerated a former Communist MP Josef Vondruška, who was accused of torturing a political prisoner Jiří Wolf in the 1980’s. Under the communist regime, Mr. Vondruška was a warden in a prison in Minkovice near Liberec. The district court has already exonerated before, but the regional court in Hradec Králové the verdict. In the Friday verdict, the Liberec judge Pavel Pachnera said that there is not enough evidence of Mr. Vondruška’s direct involvement in attacks on Mr. Wolf while he was imprisoned. The State Attorney on the case appealed the verdict immediately.

Zeman protesters gather in Český Krumlov

Around 100 people gathered at the castle in Český Krumlov on Friday carrying banners expressing disapproval of President Miloš Zeman, who was scheduled to meet there with the Austrian president Heinz Fischer. Protesters held up signs criticizing President Zeman’s Russia-friendly attitude and saying that the president is an embarrassment to the Czech Republic. Anti-nuclear power protesters also joined the gathering, since Austria has criticized the Czech Republic numerous times over its use of nuclear energy.

More than 160 publishers exhibit at the annual book fair in Havličkův Brod

The 23rd annual Autumn Book Fair began in Havlíčkův Brod on Friday. More than 160 publishing houses are presenting titles at the fair. This year’s theme is Books and numbers. More 100 authors will be holding readings and book signings, including screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák, writer Ludvík Vaculík and others. One of the main international guests of the fair is the Chinese poet Jang Lien, who is living in exile.

Central Prague Art Nouveau hotel aims to revive former glory

The once famous Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Evropa on Prague’s Wenceslas Square is set for extensive renovation, its owners have announced. Though the hotel remains open it has been in a poor state and in need of investment for decades. The project, which includes the building of a new structure in the courtyard behind the hotel, should be completed within three years. In the interwar period the then Grand Hotel Šroubek was one of the most luxurious hotels in Central Europe; it was nationalised and renamed in 1951.

Weather

It will be partly cloudy in the upcoming days, with intermittent rain showers. Temperatures should be between 11 and 15 degrees Celsius.