• 07/24/2024

    The Czech semi-state energy group CEZ started talks with the South Korean company KHNP on the contract for the construction of two nuclear units at the Dukovany power station and the document is expected to be signed by the end of March 2025, CEZ spokesman Ladislav Kriz told the Czech News Agency on Wednesday.

    Earlier this month, the Czech government decided to award a contract to build two new nuclear units at the Dukovany power station to KHNP, giving it preference over France’s EDF, in what was the largest tender in the history of the Czech state.

    The cabinet had so far approved the building of two units at Dukovany but it will also discuss an option for up to two more units at the country’s second nuclear power plant, Temelín.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    The heads of state of Finland, Denmark, Slovenia, Latvia, Montenegro and Serbia will attend the Globsec security conference due to take place in Prague at the end of August and the beginning of September, the organisers announced on Wednesday.

    The Slovak-based NGO Globsec, which is organising the event, announced in March that it would be moved from Bratislava to Prague, where it will take place under the patronage of President Petr Pavel. About 2,000 guests from more than 60 countries are expected to attend the conference.

    According to Globsec founder and director Robert Vass, the move of the Globsec Forum from Slovakia to Prague is an opportunity for the country to become an important platform for international dialogue and to create a strong debate between different opinions in Europe.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    Prague Airport handled 7.18 million passengers in the first half of 2024, up by 23 percent on the previous year, according to fresh data released on Wednesday. Despite the year-on-year growth, Václav Havel Airport did not equal the figures from 2019, when it handled 7.8 million people in its first six months.

    Most flights from Prague were to London, with more than 633,000 people travelling there in total. Paris came second with around 360,500 passengers, followed by Amsterdam, Milan and Rome. In terms of countries, the United Kingdom was the most popular in the first six months, followed by Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    The number of people diagnosed with hepatitis E and C in Czechia in 2023 was twice as high as in the previous years, the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

    In 2021 and 2022, the State Institute of Health reported about 300 new cases of hepatitis E, while last year, it was 684. Hepatitis E used to be a common disease in countries with low hygiene standards, where it was spread through contaminated water or poor hand washing. In recent years, Europe has seen a surge in hepatitis E cases.

    The number of people diagnosed with hepatitis C last year was 1,300, the highest number in the country’s modern history. Doctors say the increase may be caused by more frequent testing of people recovering from drug addiction.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    Six Czech police officers will be part of a multinational team overseeing security in France during the Olympic Games in Paris, David Schön, a spokesman for the police presidency, told the Czech News Agency on Wednesday.

    Two explosives experts and four dog handlers travelled to the country last week. They will be deployed to detect explosives and weapons at various sports venues during the Games, not only in Paris but also in other French cities.

    The Olympics begin in Paris on Friday and run until August 11. The Paralympics follow from August 28 to September 8. Tens of thousands of police officers will be deployed to secure both events.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    Czechia has made significant progress in the past year in reforming its prosecutor's office as well as in completing a review of conflict of interest legislation, but it still has some shortcomings when it comes to investigating high-level corruption cases, according to the European Commission’s Rule of Law Report published this Wednesday.

    Despite progress in some areas, the executive organ of the European Union also recommends Czechia to address the implementing of reforms on transparency of information on media ownership and take measures to address the remuneration of judges and judicial and prosecutorial staff.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/24/2024

    Three Czech films will be shown as part of some of the smaller competitions at this year's 81st Venice International Film Festival taking place from 28 August to 7 September, Jiří Vaněk from the Czech Film Fund has announced.

    After Party, the debut film by director and screenwriter Vojtěch Strakatý, will be competing in the Orizzonti Extra category, which features works of different genres aimed at innovating and demonstrating creative originality. Fragile Home by Ondřej Moravec and Victoria Lopukhina, a mixed reality film about Ukraine, is competing in the Venice Immersive category, which is entirely devoted to immersive media and Extended Reality (XR). Finally, the Czech-Italian-Croatian-Austrian-Slovak co-produced documentary Wishing on a Star by Slovak director Peter Kerekes will be competing in the Orizzonti competition, which is for films representing the latest aesthetic and expressive trends.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 07/24/2024

    Czechia's oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia have not been affected by the problems that Hungary and Slovakia are experiencing, the state oil pipeline operator Mero has said. Czechia's oil supplies are stable and the country is still receiving oil both via the Druzhba pipeline and via the TAL pipeline from Italy.

    Slovakia and Hungary announced recently that they had not been receiving oil from the Russian company Lukoil. Ukraine unilaterally decided to ban the transit of oil from Lukoil through its territory in June and added the company to its sanctions list.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 07/23/2024

    Wednesday should see slightly cooler weather than over the last few days, with a temperature high of 24 degrees Celsius. Skies are expected to remain overcast with a chance of rain.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 07/23/2024

    The Liberty Ostrava Steelworks, Czechia’s largest producer of steel, plans to close its coke plant and is preparing to lay off workers, the company said in a press release, without specifying how many employees would be laid off. Liberty submitted a proposal to reduce the number of employees to the trade unions on Tuesday.

    The head of the KOVO trade union organisation, Petr Slanina, told the Czech News Agency that the redundancies could affect up to 2,600 people, with 2,300 employees leaving by the end of November and 300 by the end of January, according to information the trade union leaders received from the management.

    The company currently employs about 5,000 people, although the majority have not been working since last December, when most of Liberty's operations were forced to close down. The employees have not been paid for two months and are being compensated by the state.

    The steelworks has been in insolvency since June, after the company admitted it was unable to meet overdue liabilities exceeding CZK 5 billion.

    Author: Anna Fodor

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