• Weather forecast
    06/24/2021

    It should be overcast in the Czech Republic on Friday, with an average high temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. The weekend will also be cloudy, though slightly warmer.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czechs to face Netherlands for place in Euros quarter-finals
    06/24/2021

    The Czech Republic are set to face the Netherlands for a place in the quarter-finals of the European Football Championship. The Czechs’ opponents were confirmed by results on Wednesday. Jaroslav Šilhavý’s squad reached the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed finishers.

    The game against the Netherlands will take place on Sunday early evening in Budapest. The Czech News Agency reported there was great demand for tickets among Czech fans, with the Hungarian capital the only Euros venue allowing full capacity.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Human Rights officials seek priority probe into Romani man’s death after police action
    06/24/2021

    Commissioner for Human Rights Helena Válková has called for a priority and objective investigation into the circumstances the death of a Romani man detained by police in Teplice on Saturday.

    The 46-year-old man died in an ambulance after police intervened in a scuffle and subdued him. A forensic autopsy found the cause of death was likely a drug overdose, police said.

    But many are questioning the official version of events, equating his death to that of George Floyd in the US. In a video shared widely on social media, Czech police officers appear to kneel for minutes on the neck of the Romani man.

    The Council of Europe said in a statement on Wednesday that the police action was “alarming and raises numerous questions about the circumstances of this tragic incident.”

    The Czech branch of the human rights organization Amnesty International has also called for a thorough investigation. It characterised the police intervention as excessive and illegal.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Overnight thunderstorms cut power, blocked railway traffic, flood risk subsides
    06/24/2021

    Overnight thunderstorms raised water levels of smaller streams to so-called second stage flood levels in a dozen places in Bohemia and South Moravia. More heavy rain is expected on Friday, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said.

    Power utilities ČEZ and E.ON registered some 100,000 places left temporarily without electricity in the early hours of Thursday. Most service was expected to be restored before noon.

    Fallen trees, power outages and muddy water overflows also reduced railway traffic at more than 20 locations, mainly along regional routes in southern and central Bohemia, the Railway Administration said.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czech WWII veteran Tomáš Lom dies at age 96
    06/23/2021

    Czech veteran Tomáš Lom, who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the World War II, has died at the age of 96.

    Born Tomáš Löwenstein into a Jewish family in Prague, he enlisted in London the moment he turned 18 and ended up serving as a wireless operator in the Bahamas in the latter period of the conflict.

    Minister of Defence Lubomír Metnar expressed his condolences, while deputies honoured Lom’s memory with a minute of silence at today’s session.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czech central bank raises key interest rates
    06/23/2021

    As expected, the Czech National Bank has raised key interest rates, by 0.25 percentage points to 0.5 percent. Analysts say the main reason is fears of rising inflation related to the ongoing economic recovery, and the market expects two more rate increases this year.

    Four of the central bank’s board voted in favour of the decision, one of whom wanted to raise the key interest rate by as much as 0.5 percentage points. Two members voted to leave interest rates unchanged, central bank governor Jiří Rusnok told a press conference.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Senate likely to reject requiring foreigners to be insured by VZP
    06/23/2021

    The Senate’s Constitutional and Legal Committee nearly unanimously rejected legislation requiring foreigners with a long-term residence to be commercially insured only by the Czech state-owned firm VZP.

    The upper house of Parliament is due to vote on the amendment in July, along with clarifying which groups of people will be considered as family members in connection with the new issuance of documents for EU citizens.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Czech and German drug control, customs officers bust int’l ecstasy ring
    06/23/2021

    The Czech national drug control centre, in cooperation with domestic and German customs officers, has uncovered an international group that distributed ecstasy tablets through both countries to Vietnam.

    Two women have been charged in the Czech Republic, where they could face up to 18 years in prison. Three other people are being prosecuted in Germany.
    Author: Brian Kenety

  • Weather
    06/23/2021

    Thursday should be partly cloudy to overcast throughout much of the day with some isolated thunderstorms and possibly hail. Average daytime highs of around 26 degrees Celsius are forecast. Heavy rain could lead to flooding on Friday.

  • Developer: typical new Prague flat costs nearly 15 years’ average salary
    06/23/2021

    It now takes the equivalent of 14.9 years’ average salary to buy a new 70-metre flat in Prague, according to first quarter sales data published by property developers the Central Group.

    That is five years more than in 2014, evidence that salaries are not rising along with housing costs in the Czech capital. According to Central Group, in Bratislava it takes 12.5 years’ salary to buy a comparable flat, in Munich, 12.3 years’, in Berlin, 8.7 years, and in Vienna, 8.3 years.
    Author: Brian Kenety

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