• Children return to school after two-month break
    09/04/2017

    Schoolchildren across the country returned to the classroom at nursery schools, elementary and high schools on Monday drawing an end to two months’ summer holidays. This year, an estimated 108,000 children entered the first grade, a drop for the first time in years by around 9,200. By contrast, for the first time in 10 years the number of first-year high schoolers is up, at 102,400 – a difference of 1,500 from September 2016.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Slovak prime minister backs Sobotka’s “observer status” plan
    09/04/2017

    Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, has backed an idea put forward last week by his Czech counterpart Bohuslav Sobotka that non-eurozone members could gain observer status at meetings of EU finance ministers. Prime Minister Fico backed the idea at a joint-meeting of the Czech and Slovak governments at Lednice Chateau in the Czech Republic on Monday. Mr Fico said Slovakia was happy to have adopted the common European currency and called the process “inclusive”. The Czech Republic does not yet have the euro nor has a date been set for joining the eurozone.

    Other issues on the agenda on Monday included cooperation in the area of energy infrastructure, migration, the situation in Ukraine, and the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Velvet Divorce – which saw the Czech Republic and Slovakia split on January 1, 1993.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Commemorative events honour Bishop Gorazd
    09/04/2017

    A series of events have taken place in Prague to commemorate Bishop Gorazd on Monday, who was executed by the Nazis 75 years ago for helping the assassins of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich, providing them a refuge in the Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in central Prague.

    For his actions, Bishop Gorazd was later glorified as a martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The commemorative events took place at the Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, at the Kobylisy shooting range, where the bishop was shot by the Nazis and at Pankrác prison.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Petra Kvitová reaches quarterfinal at US Open
    09/04/2017

    In Tennis, No. 13 seed Petra Kvitová advanced from the round of 16 at the US Open on Sunday, after defeating reigning Wimbledon champion and No. 3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, 7-6, 6-3. Kvitová, who reached her second US Open quarterfinal of her career, will next face Venus Williams.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • New school year starts on Monday
    09/03/2017

    Czech school children and secondary school students return to classrooms on Monday. This year, there will be around 108,000 first graders, which is significantly fewer than in the previous years.

    As of this September, children who turn five by the end of August must be registered in kindergartens.

    The beginning of the new school year will be marked by pressure from the teachers’ unions who are seeking pay rise of 15 percent for educators and 10 percent for non-teaching staff.

    The representatives of the unions said earlier they were ready to call a strike alert if the coalition government council didn’ t agree to meet their demands for higher pay on Monday.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Cardinal Duka criticizes Lidl over removal of crosses on packaging
    09/03/2017

    Cardinal Dominik Duka has criticized the German supermarket Lidl for erasing crosses on top of an iconic Greek church from its food packaging.

    In a letter to the Greek ambassador to the Czech Republic, Duka said it was an unprecedented and uncivilized act. He also warned that the removal of real crosses from churches could follow.

    The supermarket giant digitally removed several crosses on the Greek Orthodox building in Santorini from products in its own-label Greek food range which is sold all around Europe.

    Lidl representatives said they avoided the use of religious symbols because they didn't want to exclude any religious beliefs.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather
    09/03/2017

    Monday will be partly cloudy with daytime highs ranging between 17 and 21 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech and Slovak governments to meet at Lednice Castle
    09/03/2017

    A joint meeting of Czech and Slovak governments is set to take place at Lednice castle in south Moravia on Monday. Among the main topics on the agenda will be the joint celebration of the founding of Czechoslovakia, cooperation in the area of energy infrastructure, situation in Ukraine and migration.

    Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is also scheduled to hold separate talks with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico to discuss regional cooperation among V4 countries as well as other issues. The meeting at Lednice Castle is the fifth joint session of the Czech and Slovak governments.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Medicinal cannabis from Czech supplier to be available in 2018
    09/03/2017

    Medicinal cannabis from a Czech supplier could be available in pharmacies in the first half of 2018, the State Institute for Drug Control told the Czech News Agency on Sunday. A gram of cannabis will be sold for about 165 crowns. At the moment, patients can only buy cannabis imported from the Netherlands, which costs around 300 crowns per gram. The drug will be provided by Czech company Elkoplast Slušovice, which has won a public tender for a license to grow and provide medicinal marihuana to pharmacies.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • September to see average temperatures and little rain
    09/03/2017

    Temperatures in the Czech Republic should be average for the time of year in the next four weeks, according to a regularly monthly weather forecast issued by the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute. Rainfall levels over the next four weeks should be slightly below the average for the time of year. Daytime temperatures throughout September are expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius, dropping to around 17 degrees Celsius in the last week.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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