• 11/17/2022

    After laying a wreath by the memorial to the events of November 17, 1989, on Thursday evening Slovakia’s President Zuzana Čaputová said that this year’s anniversary celebrations of the onset of the Velvet Revolution have a special meaning given that both Czechia and Slovakia are facing a rise in frustration, dissatisfaction and hatred.

    She said that the legacy of November 17 for her this year is that decency is not weakness. It was decency, according to the Slovak president, that was able to change the regime even though it may be “quieter and less noticeable”.

    President Čaputová visited the memorial on Národní třída after meeting with Czech President Miloš Zeman and visiting the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University and the Václav Havel Library.

  • 11/17/2022

    Friday is expected to see temperatures range around 4 degrees Celsius with heavily overcast skies and rainfall. Snow is likely to fall in the northern parts of the country.

  • 11/17/2022

    Archaeologists have discovered a Bronze Age burial ground from the period of the so-called Únětice culture near the construction site of the D35 highway in the Hradec Kralove Region, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday. According to archaeologist Ladislav Rytíř the excavated area, which measures 10.5 kilometers, remains relatively unexplored. Finds also include bones of a cow dating to, most likely, the period between the 18th and 20th centuries. The cow's head was buried inside what would have been the animal's belly, The legs were also cut off, Ludmila Němcová from the East Bohemia Museum in Pardubice told Czech Television.

  • 11/17/2022

    Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, together with the main representative of the Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya have condemned the support of Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Mr Fiala stated on Twitter after meeting with Mrs Tsikhanouskaya.

    The Czech prime minister also expressed support for the setting up of Belarusian opposition office in Czechia. The establishment of such and office was already mentioned by Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in August.

    Discussions between the Czech prime minister and Mrs Tsikhanouskaya also touched on the topic of visas for Belarusian students. The issuing of visas for Russians and Belarusians was halted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and so far only few exceptions have been made.

    Mrs Tsikhanouskaya also met with the heads of both chambers of Czechia’s Parliament.

  • 11/17/2022

    Czechia is marking the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of the Velvet Revolution as well as the 83rd anniversary of the closing of Czech universities by the Nazis this Thursday. People have been coming to the November 17, 1989, memorial on Národní třída since the early morning hours to light candles. The prime minister and members of the government, as well as the speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, paid their respects on the site. The leader of ANO, the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, Andrej Babiš, laid down a wreath this morning. The surrounding area is closed for cars and public transport. Meanwhile, several speeches made at the nearby Hlávkova kolej paid tribute to the student and university lecturer victims who died amid the Nazi closure of Czech universities in 1939.

    Several demonstrations are also being planned. Among them is the protest march organized by the anti-government  "Czech Republic first" movement that is heading towards the headquarters of Czech Television, or a gathering focused on the topic of the upcoming presidential election organized by Million Moments for Democracy.

    A conference titled “Russia’s hybrid war against the democratic world”, held in the Lichtenstein Palace in Prague, was attended by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Belarussian democratic opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Mrs Tsikhanouskaya called for tougher sanctions against Russia and more support for Ukraine at the conference.

    A more detailed list of what is happening can be found here: https://english.radio.cz/whats-happening-czechia-november-17-8767085

  • 11/17/2022

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský handed out service recognition medals this Thursday. The act symbolically took place on the occasion of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day, which marks the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution.

    The medal has been awarded since 2019 and is an expression of gratitude to domestic and foreign laureats for their contributions in the fields of Czech diplomacy, foreign affairs and the development of foreign relations.It is handed out both to individuals and institutions.

    The ceremony took place at Černín Palace in Prague.

  • 11/16/2022

    Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya visited Prague on Wednesday to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Accompanied by the Speaker of the Lower House, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, she visited the grave of former president Václav Havel, a leading figure of the 1989 revolution, which ended the years of Communist oppression.

    Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda is also visiting the Czech capital on the eve of the Velvet Revolution. On Wednesday, he was received by his counterpart Miloš Zeman and on Thursday, he is due to meet with Prime Minister Petr Fiala and attend the opening of an exhibition called Under Foreign Skies: Lithuanians in Soviet Labour Camps and in Exile 1940-1958.

  • 11/16/2022

    Thursday will be mostly overcast with morning fog and day temperatures ranging between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/16/2022

    State-regulated electricity prices will fall by 16.7 percent next year, the Energy Regulatory Office announced at a press conference on Wednesday. However, electricity will still be more expensive because of high electricity prices on the energy market. Gas prices, on the other hand, will rise by 1.7 percent.

    The state's compensations to cover the technical losses of the Energy Regulatory Office have contributed to the fall in regulated prices. Next year, the state will provide the authority with a total of CZK 38.1 billion. Energy prices have risen by tens of percent this year.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 11/16/2022

    The government’s Human Rights Commissioner Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková has invited representatives of university students who went on a climate strike this week to a joint meeting.

    In her statement, the commissioner said that the demands of the University for Climate student movement are central to finding solutions to climate challenges.

    Students across Czechia have been occupying universities since Monday, calling on the government to take immediate action in addressing the climate crisis and growing social inequalities.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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