• Chalupecký Prize finalists against winner being chosen
    08/05/2020

    The finalists of this year’s Jindřich Chalupecký Prize for visual artists under the age of 35 say they don’t want a winner to be chosen. The artists say they reject the principle of competition and hope that their decision will lead to all of them receiving the same degree of attention, with the public not being distracted by a need to compare.

    Instead of the traditional prize-giving ceremony for the prestigious award there will be a two-day symposium that is open to the public.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    08/05/2020

    It should be sunny in the Czech Republic on Thursday, with temperatures reaching to 25 degrees Celsius. The following days are also expected to be clear and with daytime highs of up to 29 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Unemployment rises slightly but big increase foreseen in autumn
    08/05/2020

    Unemployment in the Czech Republic climbed to 3.8 percent in July, up from 3.7 percent the previous month. The slight rise was attributed to the coronavirus situation as well as fresh graduates registering with labour offices. There were almost 280,000 jobless at the end of July, which was the highest figure since February 2018.

    Economists expect a far greater jump in unemployment in the autumn, when some Czech government programmes that are keeping people in work will be discontinued.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Parties agree on special methods of voting in quarantine
    08/05/2020

    The parties in Parliament have agreed with the Ministry of the Interior on three methods of voting under quarantine: drive-in voting, the creation of special polling stations, such as at nursing homes, and electoral commissions that would visit people’s homes. The minister of the interior, Jan Hamáček, described the decision as a good compromise.

    The lower house will vote in two weeks’ time on the changes, which will be in place for October’s Senate and regional elections. Mr. Hamáček said he expected the upper house would approve the measures soon afterwards.

    The interior minister said the parties had failed to agree on voting by proxy and that postal voting, which some members of the opposition have been calling for, does not have majority support.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prague sends team to help find survivors in Beirut
    08/05/2020

    The Czech Republic is sending a special team trained in freeing people from collapsed buildings to Beirut, following a devastating explosion in the city on Tuesday, the minister of the interior, Jan Hamáček, said on Twitter. Mr. Hamáček said that Lebanon had accepted the Czech offer of aid.

    Thirty-seven Czech specialists operating as part of the country’s fire service, including dog handlers, are due to fly out to the Lebanese capital on Wednesday afternoon. At least 100 people were killed and around 4,000 injured in Tuesday’s blast.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Kožená and Rattle to perform together for first time in Brno
    08/05/2020

    The world famous opera singer Magdalena Kožená is set to appear in her native Brno with her conductor husband Sir Simon Rattle for the first time. On August 13 the couple will perform a song recital at the city’s Tugendhat Villa that will be relayed to the courtyard of the Governor’s Palace and to selected cinemas. The event will be part of Brno’s Music Marathon festival.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Wednesday sees most detected Covid-19 cases since late June
    08/05/2020

    Some 290 new cases of Covid-19 were detected in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. This is the highest single-day figure since the end of June. Around 1,000 cases have been registered in the last five days, which is the same level of infection as was recorded in spring during a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. At present Frýdek-Místek in the east of the country has the highest incidence.

    The total number of known cases of the virus since the start of March stood at 17,286 on Wednesday morning. To date 383 people have died with Covid=19.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • West Ham’s Souček wins Golden Ball for Czech player of year
    08/04/2020

    West Ham United midfielder Tomáš Souček has been awarded the Golden Ball for Czech football player of the year for the first time. Souček, who is 25, recently signed permanently with the English Premier League club are helping West Ham avoid relegation.

    Last year’s winner of the prize, Sevilla goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík, came second in this year’s poll of sports journalists.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    08/04/2020

    It should be mainly sunny in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, with temperatures of up to 22 degrees Celsius. Daytime highs are expected to climb to 28 or 29 degrees Celsius at the weekend.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Charlatan included in selection of films for cancelled Telluride
    08/04/2020

    The Czech-made Charlatan has been included in a list of films that would have been screened at the Telluride festival in the US, if it were taking place this September. The movie’s director, Agnieszka Holland, said very few pictures were selected for the highly respected festival and that it was where the first part of the race for the Oscars began.

    Charlatan, starring Ivan Trojan, explores the story of Czech healer Jan Mikolášek and was premiered at this year’s Berlin film festival. It will go on release in the Czech Republic in a fortnight’s time.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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