• Aung San Suu Kyi scheduled to visit Prague in October
    09/20/2017

    Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit Prague next month, the news site Aktuálně.cz reported. She was invited by the Czech prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, and should hold talks with both him and President Miloš Zeman. She is also due to speak at a human rights conference organised by the Václav Havel Library.

    However, the Nobel Peace Prize winner cancelled a visit to the United Nations in New York recently following criticism of the treatment of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar and her Czech hosts fear the Prague trip may not in the end take place, Aktuálně.cz said.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Sister of Czech who died in London wants Strasbourg to overturn verdict
    09/20/2017

    Legal representatives of the sister of a Czech man who died in London have petitioned the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to overturn a UK court ruling which exonerated a man accused of his killing, the TV station Prima reported on Tuesday.

    If the court accepts the case the Czech Republic will support the victim’s sister, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Prima said it might be months before the court responds to the petition.

    Zdeněk Makar, who was 31, was beaten to death following an altercation outside a fast food outlet in London in September last year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman at UN: World still not taking decisive action against terrorism
    09/19/2017

    In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the Czech president, Miloš Zeman, told the gathered world leaders that the world community was still hesitant to fully engage in the war against terrorism.

    Mr. Zeman said the United Nations required a strong agency that would be capable of also employing military force to combat what he called “terrorist anti-civilisation”.

    The Czech head of state said some terrorists were active under cover of mass migration, a trend that he also said was causing a brain drain from undeveloped African states.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Three scientists get prizes and large sums toward research
    09/19/2017

    The president of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Eva Zažímalová, presented a prestigious award to three top scientists at a ceremony in Prague on Tuesday.

    The Praemium Academiae prize was accepted by Petr Baldrian, an environmentalist and soil fungi expert; Michal Fárník, a physicist who specialises in the atmosphere; and Jan Flusser, an informatics expert who works on processing images.

    All three of the scientists have also received some CZK 30 million toward their research activities in the next six years.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Seznam.cz files application to operate TV channel
    09/19/2017

    The internet company Seznam.cz has applied to the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting for a license to operate a TV station. The project is envisaged as a classic television channel available via terrestrial transmitters, satellite and cable.

    Last year Seznam.cz launched the news website Seznam-zpravy.cz, which carries video content. The new TV station should be funded by advertising.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • One dies in blast at Czech Army building
    09/19/2017

    One soldier died and another was injured following an explosion at a Czech Army building in Vyškov, around 30 kilometres from Brno, on Tuesday. The military academy complex has been sealed off but a spokesperson said there was no danger of further blasts.

    The incident, which took place before 9 am, is believed to have been an accident. The explosion took place in a basement area of the building, which houses both living facilities and offices.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • New Krobot film to get world premiere at Chicago IFF
    09/19/2017

    The Quartette, a new film by Czech director Miroslav Krobot, will receive its world premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival in the US this coming Saturday. Audiences in the Czech Republic will get their first chance to see the movie on October 30.

    The Quartette is a comedy drama revolving around a group of string players. It follows the director’s 2014 debut Nowhere in Moravia, which drew domestic audiences of 150,000.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    09/19/2017

    It should be rainy with temperatures of around 13 degrees Celsius in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Similar weather is forecast for the coming week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Girl loses appeal after school bars her from wearing hijab
    09/19/2017

    A Somali girl who was barred from wearing a hijab at a Prague secondary school has lost an appeal in which she was seeking an apology and CZK 60,000 in compensation from the institution. Prague’s Municipal Court on Tuesday confirmed a previous ruling under which the girl’s allegation of discrimination was dismissed.

    The plaintiff had argued that wearing the veil was an expression of her religious conviction. However, a Municipal Court judge said that the school, which prepares students for a career in medicine, had to remain a “neutral environment”.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Football: Plzeň win seventh match in a row
    09/19/2017

    Football club Viktoria Plzeň won their seventh match in a row on Monday, defeating Zlín by a score of 2:1. The win set a new club record and leaves them undefeated so far this season in the Czech top flight, six points ahead of defending champions Slavia.

    With the win, Plzeň also rebounded from their 3:0 loss against Bucharest club FCSB in the Europa League.
    Author: Jan Velinger

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