• Russian sanctions block bonds worth CZK 1 billion held by Czechs in pension funds
    07/10/2023

    The Russian International Investment Bank (IIB), from which the Czech Republic withdrew shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, has at least one billion CZK in unpaid bonds held by Czech investors, according to the findings of Czech daily Deník N. Czechia has been demanding payment of its shares from the Moscow-controlled bank since its withdrawal, and last year, IIB announced that it would issue bonds in the Czech currency for CZK 1.5 billion. However, now there is concern that the money will not be returned to investors, as IIB was put on the US sanctions list in April this year and most of its assets are frozen.

    According to Deník N, the problem concerns at least seven investment and pension companies, some of which belong to the largest Czech banks.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Supreme Court rules environmental audit should have been requested for Chvaletice power plant
    07/10/2023

    The Czech Supreme Court ruled at the end of June that the Pardubice regional government and the environment ministry had been at fault by not requesting an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a reconstruction project on part of the Chvaletice brown coal power plant that took place years ago, Czech daily Hospodářské noviny reported on Monday.

    The local authority and the ministry are said to have decided "behind closed doors" that the power plant did not need an environmental audit, thereby blocking the possibility of public appeals and objections. According to the court, such a decision should have been formally issued, made public and delivered by public order.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • 72 percent of Czechs fear state budget deficit will affect their personal finances
    07/10/2023

    72 percent of Czechs fear the impact of the state budget deficit on their own finances, according to a survey of over 1,000 Czechs conducted by the Median agency for Czech Radio. The groups most likely to worry about the effects of the deficit were young people between the ages of 18 and 29, people without higher education, people living in rural areas and those who voted for ANO party leader Andrej Babiš. 23 percent of people said they did not believe that the budget deficit would affect their financial situation, while the remaining five percent said they weren't sure either way.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Vondroušová advances to quarterfinals at Wimbledon
    07/10/2023

    Marketa Vondroušová defeated No 32 seed Marie Bouzková 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Vondroušová, ranked No 42, will now face the winner of the match between American Jessica Pegula, the No 4 seed, and Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Heatwave breaking temperature records around the country
    07/10/2023

    Sunday’s heatwave broke temperature records for July 9 at most of the monitoring stations around the country. The highest temperature for that day was registered in Doksany in the Litoměrice region, where it reached 36.4 degrees Celsius. Temperatures of over 30 degrees are expected to last for the entire week.

    People have been warned to stay out of the sun, use sunscreen and increase their intake of liquids.

    In view of the dry and extremely hot weather there is a ban on lighting fires outdoors and mounted police are patrolling the Bohemian Switzerland National Park which was ravaged by a devastating fire last year.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    07/09/2023

    Monday should be a scorching hot and dry day with temperatures between 33 and 36 degrees Celsius.

  • Czech prisons launch rehab program for inmates
    07/09/2023

    Czech prisons have launched a new rehab program for inmates aimed at lowering the number of repeat offenders. The program which has already proved successful in Australia, Canada and Germany focuses on assisting prisoners to develop and implement meaningful life plans that are incompatible with future offending and motivate them to start anew. Czechia is the second European country to introduce the program.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Analysts: June inflation likely to drop below 10 percent
    07/09/2023

    Price growth slowed in June and inflation will likely fall below 10 % for the first time since January 2022, according to analysts polled by the ctk news agency. The fall is attributed to the strong crown and lower demand. May’s inflation was 11.1 percent. The official inflation data for June will be available on Thursday.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Median poll: Majority of Czechs believe government not doing enough to fight fake news
    07/09/2023

    The majority of Czechs think that the government is not doing enough to combat conspiracy theories and disinformation, according to the outcome of a poll by the Median agency commissioned by Czech Radio.  According to the findings, 63 percent of Czechs think the government should be doing more in this respect, while 18 percent of respondents consider the government’s efforts sufficient. The remaining 19 percent of respondents said they had no opinion on the matter.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Petra Kvitova stays on track for third title at Wimbledon
    07/09/2023

    Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova stayed on track for a third title by beating Serbian qualifier Natalija Stevanovic 6-3, 7-5 to move into the Round of 16 on Saturday. The ninth seed, who warmed up for Wimbledon by winning the WTA tournament on grass in Berlin last month, swapped early breaks with Stevanovic but broke again to love in the sixth game, which proved decisive. She has now won eight matches in succession.

Pages