• Rare cockatoo born in Prague zoo
    12/04/2013

    A baby Palm Cockatoo was born for the first time at the Prague Zoo this fall. No other Czech zoo has been able to breed this rare bird, and the last time a Palm Cockatoo gave birth in Europe was three years ago. The Prague zoo began caring for this type of cockatoo in 2008, when a number of these birds were confiscated from smugglers on Czech territory. This bird is native to New Guinea and some parts of northern Australia and is currently on the list of threatened species.
    Author: Masha Volynsky

  • Warnings of strong winds issued for end of week
    12/04/2013

    Meteorologists have issued warnings of strong winds and snowdrifts for the north and east of the Czech Republic. Strong wind warnings will be in effect for the whole country starting on Thursday at 5 pm. The strongest winds, reaching up to 90 kilometers per hour and possibly 125 kilometers in the mountains, are expected on Friday and Saturday. It is also expected that during the same time period around 5 centimeters of snow will fall in the lowlands and up to 40 centimeters of new snow in the mountains.
    Author: Masha Volynsky

  • Sobotka: Zeman would need serious reason to refuse to appoint ministers
    12/03/2013

    The likely next Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka says President Miloš Zeman would have to have a serious reason for refusing to appoint ministers in the nascent cabinet. Speaking on Tuesday, the Social Democrats’ chairman told reporters that the head of state could not reject nominees on the basis of political argumentation. There has been media speculation that Mr. Zeman could refuse to appoint Lubomír Zaorálek or Jiří Dientsbier of the Social Democrats, who are regarded as his opponents.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Three parties continue coalition talks
    12/03/2013

    The Social Democrats, ANO and the Christian Democrats are continuing talks on the formation of a coalition government. The three parties’ leaders are due to discuss the composition of the cabinet and chairmanships of lower house committees, while negotiating teams will attempt to agree on a programme for government. The Social Democrats’ Bohuslav Sobotka says he wants to have a coalition agreement on the table by the middle of December. His party finished first in elections in October with 20.45 percent of the vote, ahead of ANO with 18.85 percent.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Gazdík and Okamura to contest final deputy speaker’s post in Chamber on Wednesday
    12/03/2013

    Petr Gazdík of TOP 09 and Tomio Okamura of Dawn will face each other for the fourth and final deputy speaker’s position in the Chamber of Deputies in a vote on Wednesday. Other candidates for the post have dropped out, the chairman of the lower house’s electoral commission told journalists on Tuesday. Mr. Okamura failed to win the position when he ran for it last week. Mr. Gazdík replaces TOP 09’s Miroslav Kalousek, who also proved unsuccessful in the earlier vote.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech police force has two presidents after reinstatement of Lessy
    12/03/2013

    Petr Lessy has been reinstated as president of the Czech police force – despite the fact that the post is still occupied by the man who replaced him, Martin Červíček. Mr. Lessy was returned to the position by the minister of the interior, Martin Pecina, after a Prague court ruled that criminal charges of abuse of office and slander taken against him were unfounded. Mr. Lessy will remain on holiday until the situation is resolved. Mr. Pecina said he hoped Mr. Červíček would act on earlier intimations that he would stand down of Mr. Lessy returned.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech students do better in international comparison but are still average
    12/03/2013

    The Czech Republic has done better in an international comparison of attainment among school students than three years previously. In the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment, which is organised by the OECD, Czech pupils fared better in mathematics, reading and science than they did in 2009. However, the Czech Republic still only showed average results among the 65 countries surveyed. Indeed Czech 15-year-olds were only above average in scientific literacy.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Survey: Third of Czech believe EU has brought more bad than good
    12/03/2013

    One-third of Czechs believe that joining the European Union brought more disadvantages than advantages, suggests an international opinion poll conducted by the PASOS agency. One in five Czechs hold the opposing view, the survey indicates. People in the Czech Republic have a less positive view of EU membership than those in Poland, Latvia and Bulgaria, the other states where the research was carried out. The four were among 10 countries, predominantly from the former Eastern Bloc, that joined the EU in 2004.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Hussites and Evangelicals agree to joint preparation of Hus anniversary events in 2015
    12/03/2013

    The Czechoslovak Hussite Church and the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren on Tuesday signed an agreement to jointly prepare events marking the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus in two years’ time. One of the main events in 2015 will be held on Prague’s Old Town Square, which is home to a statue of the church reformer burned at the stake in 1415. Conferences, exhibitions and other events will also take place.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Vrba confirmed as new national soccer manager
    12/03/2013

    The Czech Football Association has confirmed Pavel Vrba as manager of the national team. Vrba, who has helmed club Viktoria Plzeň to considerable success, will take over on January 1 under a four-year contract with a two-year option. The 49-year-old’s first game in charge of the Czech Republic will be a friendly against Norway in early March. Vrba’s predecessor Michal Bílek failed to lead the country to next year’s World Cup and was criticised for a dull playing style.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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