• 01/05/2020

    The Prague State Opera reopens to the public on Sunday evening following a 1.3 billion crown reconstruction lasting nearly three years.

    Among those attending the gala performance are Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán and Germany’s culture commissioner Monika Grütters.

    They will see a new work entitled The State Opera in the Changes of Time (1888-2018) directed by filmmaker Alice Nellis.

    The event takes place exactly 132 years after the State Opera’s first performance, in what was then the New German Theatre.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/05/2020

    A new-born boy was placed into a babybox in Blansko, South Moravia on Saturday evening. The baby is the 200th infant in the Czech Republic to be abandoned in this manner.

    The babybox system was introduced in 2005 by founder Ludvík Hess. There are now 76 such facilities monitored by doctors across the country.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    Police are investigating the defacing of the only mosque in Brno upon which someone spray painted, “Do not spread Islam in the Czech Republic! Otherwise we will kill you”.

    The mosque, which opened in 1998, has been defaced numerous times, Muneeb Hassan Alrawi, head of Muslim communities in the Czech Republic, told the ČTK news agency.

    Alrawi said they are taking the death threat seriously.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    Sunday should be cloudy or overcast throughout the country, with light snow likely in the mountains. Average daytime highs should range from 0 to 4 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    Last year was the second hottest recorded at Prague’s Klementinum observatory since 1775, when systematic temperature measurement began there.

    The average temperature of 12.6 degrees Celsius for 2019 was 0.2 degrees cooler than the record year of 2018, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ).

    This past summer was the hottest in 58 years, with average temperatures of 19.5 degrees Celsius, some 2.5 degrees above the norm for June through August.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    British daily The Times of London has named Czech activist Mikuláš Minář, founder of the ‘A Million Moments for Democracy’ initiative, as among the most interesting personalities to watch in 2020.

    The ‘Million Moments’ initiative has since last April held a series of protests calling for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) to step down over alleged EU subsidy fraud and a conflict of interest confirmed in a Brussels audit.

    The Times’ “Rising stars: Twenty faces to look out for in 2020” list also includes Hong Kong protest organiser Jimmy Sham, Spain’s 14-year-old Princess Leonor, and Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France regional council, which includes Paris.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    The Czech Veterinary Office (SVS) has warned poultry farmers and meat importers of the possible spread of an ongoing bird flu epidemic in neighbouring Poland.

    The warning came after Polish authorities reported a fifth outbreak of the H5N8 strain of avian flu. Hundreds of thousands of birds could already be affected.

    The SVS has asked poultry farmers to limit their contact with livestock and report any signs of abnormal behaviour. Avian influenza has been detected in five farms in Poland in recent weeks.

    The last European bird flu epidemic was in Germany in 2017. At that time, 40 farms were affected and nearly 100,000 birds had to be culled.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    Wind gusts of 60 to 75 kilometres per hour are expected on Saturday to hit Central Bohemia, including Prague, as well as the regions of Vysočina, Pardubice and South Moravia.

    The strongest winds will come in the evening, predicts the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), which is suggesting people secure their windows and take extra caution when driving.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/04/2020

    Last year 247 people died in railway accidents in the Czech Republic, up 8 percent year-on-year. Most casualties were pedestrians, a Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) spokesman told the ČTK news agency.

    Following a spate of lethal train accidents involving motorists last summer, the SŽDC announced plans to install a new CCTV system at selected railway crossings and, by 2023, erect barriers at most of the country’s big roads.

    Author: Brian Kenety
  • 01/03/2020

    The killing of Iran's military leader Qasem Soleimani was “an extraordinary step in a complicated situation”, Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček told the CTK news agency on Friday. He said there was no question Iran would retaliate, which would not only worsen the situation in the Middle East but put at risk the progress made in the fight against international terrorism.

    "I perceive the US air strikes in Iraq as an extraordinary step in a complicated situation. The guilt of people should be decided by the courts. I am not an expert in military strategy but similarly as the attack on the US Embassy, the killing of Iran’s military leader will not go unanswered. This will complicate the situation in the region and put at risk the progress made in the fight against Islamic State and international terrorism," Petříček said.

    The Czech foreign minister said the top priority for Czech diplomacy now was to ensure the safety of posted Czech workers in Iraq, including diplomats, soldiers and police. The Czech Republic has an embassy and a consulate general in Iraq, as well as soldiers and military police serving in the country.

Pages