• Supporters march to Castle on eve of anniversary of Havel’s death
    12/18/2017

    Supporters of Václav Havel took part in a march in remembrance of the late Czech president on Sunday evening, a day before the sixth anniversary of his death. Around 200 people took part in the event which involved a walk up to Prague Castle and was intended to highlight the dissident-turned-politician’s legacy.

    Participants carried a large love heart, a symbol with which Havel, who died on 18 December 2011, was associated.

    Václav Havel led the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and served as Czechoslovak and then Czech president for 13 years.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Press: Over one-quarter of subsidies to food industry goes to Babiš’s firm
    12/18/2017

    The Czech state has allocated CZK 400 million in subsidies to companies in the food industry this year, the newspaper Hospodářské noviny reported on Monday. Over a quarter of that funding went to Agrofert, which is owned by former finance minister and recently appointed prime minister Andrej Babiš of ANO. Agrofert, which is the biggest player on the Czech agriculture and foodstuffs markets, is the single company that has gained the most in state subsidies in 2017.

    Earlier this year Mr. Babiš placed his shares in Agrofert and the company SynBiol into a trust fund because of the law on conflict of interest. In 2014, the year the ANO chief entered government, 20 percent of the relevant subsidies went to Agrofert.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Arrested officers facing unauthorised phone tapping charges
    12/18/2017

    Two police officers arrested last week by the General Inspectorate of the Security Services are suspected of unauthorised phone tapping, Czech Radio reported on Monday, referring to the charges against them. Eight other people were also detained last week on suspicion of attempting to influence criminal proceedings.

    The two officers are accused of receiving information on phone numbers from a manager at mobile operator Vodafone without obtaining permission from a judge. The pair deny any wrongdoing and a spokesperson for Vodafone said the company was unaware of any such leak.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    12/18/2017

    There should be some bright spells and snow in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 1 degree Celsius. The following days should see daytime highs climb to around 5 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czechs take second place in Channel One Cup
    12/18/2017

    In ice hockey, the Czech team beat Sweden in their last match of the Channel One Cup staged in Moscow on Sunday.

    The Czechs won 4:1 and secured second place in the tournament. It was won by hosts, Russia. They won all three games in the tournament for the first time since 2013. Wins against Finland and Canada preceded the victory against Sweden.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Former top Social Democrat Jeroným Tejc to be minister: report
    12/18/2017

    Former Social Democrat member of the lower house Jeroným Tejc stands to be one of the deputy ministers of ANO justice minister Robert Pelikan, according to the news server Lidovky.cz.

    Tejc announced at the end of November he was quitting the Social Democrats, complaining that none of the party leadership was taking responsibility for the debacle in October’s parliamentary elections. The Social Democrats lost around two-third of their voters.

    Tejc was at one time was head of the parliamentary grouping of the party but quit in 2013 after moves to overthrow the then party leader, Bohuslav Sobotka
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Czech communists stick by nominee to head committee overseeing police supervisory body
    12/17/2017

    The Czech communists have said they will not renounce their bid to have lower house lawmaker Zdeněk Ondráček head the committee which oversees the national police supervisory unit, GIBS.

    The position of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia was repeated by the chairman of its lower house parliamentary group, Pavel Kovářik on Sunday on public broadcaster Czech Television.

    Ondráček failed to be elected to the post last Friday although he was the sole candidate put forward. Some lawmakers have objected to the fact that as a member of the police he took part in the brutal repression of demonstrations against the communist regime at the end of the 1980s, including the protests that led to its overthrow in November 1989.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Čech moves up to 199 Premier League clean sheets
    12/17/2017

    In football, former Czech international keeper Petr Čech moved onto a tally of 199 clean sheets in the Premier League after Arsenal’s 1:0 win against Newcastle United. The win moves Arsenal into the top four in the league. Čech was little tested during the match apart from a late rally by the Magpies.

    He is likely to face a much tougher test in the league when Arsenal host a high scoring Liverpool team on December 22.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Around a quarter of Czech restaurants seen open for Christmas
    12/17/2017

    Around a quarter of Czech restaurants should be open over Christmas day, according to a survey by Internet restaurant and gastronomic guide, Restu.cz.

    Those likely to be open will probably be at the top end of the market and in larger towns and cities. In Prague, the proportion of restaurants open could rise up to 35 percent. They traditionally offer special menus, often reserved in advance, for the occasion.

    Around 53 percent of hotels are expected to be open, according to the site Hotel.cz.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Weather
    12/17/2017

    The weather on Monday is expected to be cloudy with sunny intervals and the chance of snow showers in the west of the country. Top temperatures will range between minus one and two degrees Celsius.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

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