• Czech Foreign minister against providing weapons to Ukraine
    02/05/2015

    Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek does not agree with providing weapons to Ukraine, saying that under the present circumstances it would be “playing with fire”. Mr Zaorálek made the statement in reaction to an appeal from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to NATO member states on Wednesday to send weapons to his country to help fight the pro-Russian rebels. The Czech foreign minister told journalists on Thursday that the situation in Ukraine was more risky than it was during the Cold War.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Court: Kajinek not to be transferred to lower security prison
    02/05/2015

    A court in Šumperk on Thursday turned down a request from Jiří Kájínek, the country’s most notorious criminal, who is serving a life sentence for double murder, to be transferred to a lower security prison. Mr. Kájínek, who pleaded innocent and claims he was framed by the police, has twice failed in appeals to the Constitutional Court to have his case reopened. He is serving his sentence at the maximum security prison in Mírov, north Moravia, which he managed to escape from in 2000.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Meteorologists warn of strong winds in north and east of CR
    02/05/2015

    Meteorologists have issued warnings of strong winds and snowdrifts, primarily in the north and east of the Czech Republic. Strong winds that can reach up to 110 kilometres per hour in the mountains, are expected on Thursday evening and throughout Friday, especially in Moravia.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Skier killed by avalanche in Krkonoše Mountains
    02/05/2015

    One skier died on Thursday after being pulled out of an avalanche in the Krkonoše Mountains in the north of the Czech Republic. Another injured skier was airlifted from the site by the local mountain rescue service. The avalanche trapped three people, but one of them, who was only partially buried, managed to free himself and phone for help. The mountain rescue service has warned against an increased risk of avalanches following heavy snowfall in the last few days. There is currently a 105 cm blanket of snow in the Giant Mountains.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Court refuses to compensate Baťa descendants
    02/05/2015

    A court in Prague on Thursday refused to compensate descendants of Jan Antonín Baťa, former owner of the Baťa shoe empire. Five relatives of the Czech shoe magnate have been seeking compensation amounting to 56 million crowns for the value of the property that was confiscated to Baťa in 1947 under the post-war Beneš decrees for alleged collaboration with the Nazis. In 2007, however, a court cleared Bata’s name, ruling that no crime had been committed. According to the verdict, which can be appealed, Bata’s descendants attempted to circumvent the law on the grounds that the restitution laws pertain to property confiscated after February 25th 1948 and cannot apply to a case that occurred a year earlier.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Measures to combat ghettos not succeeding
    02/05/2015

    The Czech Republic is losing the fight against ghettos and concentrations of poverty in the country according to a report submitted to the government on Wednesday. The report said that a series of steps agreed four years had not had the desired effect countering social exclusion, according to the ČTK news agency. It has been estimated that there are around 400 ghettos in the country containing around 80,000 people. Roma are overrepresented in such ghettos.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Czechs boosted by KHL reinforcements for ice hockey duel with Russia
    02/05/2015

    The Czech national ice hockey team has been strengthened for Thursday’s first of two matches in short succession against Russia. The team was reinforced on Wedneday with the arrival of KHL players Alexandr Sálek and back Jan Kolár. The first duel against Russia in the Euro Hockey Tour takes place on Thursday night in Karlovy Vary. The Czech team is currently at the bottom of the group table. Thw group also includes Sweden and Finland.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Folk song populariser Pavel Jurkovič dies
    02/04/2015

    Czech composer and populariser of folk music Pavel Jurkovič has died at the age of 81. Jurkovič was mainly known for his series on Czech Television ‘Zpívánky‘ which introduced children to folk music. Music was a tradition in Jurkovič‘s family and at the age of 12 he was sent to a renowned singing school in Prague. He was a recognised authority on medieval, baroque, and renaissance music and a prolific author on the subject.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Czech officials to discuss terms for return of ethnic Czechs
    02/04/2015

    Czech officials will head out to Odessa in Ukraine at the start of next week to sound out ethnic Czechs about the possibility of their returning home. Around 200 are believed to be interested in moving to the Czech Republic. Preparations being made for them include lodging provided by the Ministry of Interior and payments to adults and children. Language and requalification courses could also be offered, Around 2,000 ethnic Czechs are believed to have returned since the early 19990s.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • President’s office denies banning order on handicapped restaurant personnel
    02/04/2015

    President Miloš Zeman’s spokesman has categorically denied a report in the Právo newspaper that a restaurant had received instructions from Prague Castle that the president was not to be served at by any of its handicapped staff members. He said the report had been deliberately construed to damage the public image of the head of state. Jiří Ovčáček added that the president’s office had consulted with one of the handicapped persons working at the brewery restaurant about how the meal would proceed. Právo said staff were given some hours off but had to come back later to clean up.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

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