• Flood warnings remain in west Bohemia
    05/28/2014

    Heavy rain and flooding results in almost 400 call-outs for firemen across the country on Tuesday. The most calls for help came from the Prague, the Moravia-Silesia, Central Bohemia and the Ústí regions with frequent demands to pump out flooded cellars. Sixteen people were evacuated at the eastern town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou as the river level rose. River levels were at level three danger level around the Western town of Rokycany on Wednesday.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Tomáš Plekanec helps Montreal Canadiens clawback
    05/28/2014

    In ice hockey, Czech forward Tomáš Plekanec has helped keep alive the Stanley Cup hopes of the Montreal Canadiens. Plekanec scored in the 7:4 victory over the New York Rangers bringing the series to 2:3 in the best of seven semi-final confrontation. The sixth match in the series takes place in New York on Thursday.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Court sets 15 million crown bail for methanol spirits defendant
    05/28/2014

    A court in Olomouc On Wednesday allowed a man accused in a methanol scandal trial to be bailed from prison on payment of 15 million crowns. The bail was set for Tomás Březina, e the brother of the alleged head of the hard spirits mafia, Radek. Bail was agreed to in part because Tomás Březina has cooperated with police and spilled a lot of the beans on how the hard spirits business, including a massive underground storage facility, operated.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Documents and recollections of Edvard Beneš head for publication
    05/28/2014

    Documents and recollections of the head of office and friend of former Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš, Jaromír Smutný, are being prepared for publication, the daily paper Mladá fronta Dnes reported on Wednesday. The more than 8,000 documents covering the birth of Czechoslovakia at the end of WWI, Beneš’ exile in London during WWII and communist putch of 1948 have been stored at New York’s Columbia University since Smutný’s death in 1964. Some extracts were published Wednesday, the 130th anniversary of Beneš‘ birth.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Triple Olympic medal winner Ondřej Moravec named Czech biathlonist of year
    05/28/2014

    Ondřej Moravec, who earned three medals at February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi has been named Czech biathlonist of the year. Moravec, who is 29, finished ahead of Gabriela Soukalová and Jaroslav Soukup in the poll of members of the Czech Biathlon Union. Ondřej Rybář, who coached a Czech team that enjoyed unprecedented success at the Olympics, was presented with the trainer of the year award at a ceremony at Prague’s SaZaZu venue on Tuesday night.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Coalition to choose European Commissioner after budget outline agreement, says Sobotka
    05/28/2014

    The coalition government will only start talks on choosing the Czech Republic’s next European Commissioner after the parties have agreed on the parameters of next year’s budget, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka told reporters. Mr. Sobotka’s Social Democrats have put forward Pavel Mertlík, a former finance minister, while ANO are backing Pavel Telička, who was a temporary European Commissioner in 2004, and the Christian Democrats have nominated MEP Zuzana Roithová. There have been suggestions another, compromise candidate may be sought. The prime minister has said he hopes to see agreement on an outline 2015 budget by the end of the week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman welcomes Gašparovič on final visit to Prague before leaving office
    05/27/2014

    Prior to leaving office next month, the Slovak president, Ivan Gašparovič, has paid a final visit to his Czech counterpart, Miloš Zeman in Prague. On Tuesday Mr. Gašparovič presented Mr. Zeman with his country’s highest honour, the Order of the White Double Cross. Having invited his guest to a hunt at his Lány residence, the Czech head of state gave Mr. Gašparovič hunting boots and binoculars. Mr. Zeman said it was a pity his counterpart was departing and that he had been a friend to the Czech Republic.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Government to increase tax credits for parents of more than one child
    05/27/2014

    The coalition parties have agreed to increase tax credits for parents with more than one child. Next year parents will be able to deduct more from their tax returns for second and third children. While the Christian Democrats, who strongly back the change, want the credits to rise even further in future years, the minister of finance, Andrej Babiš of ANO, said it was only possible to discuss changes in the short term as it was impossible to predict how the economy would develop. At present parents get a monthly tax credit of over CZK 1,100 for every child; in 2014 there will be CZK 200 more for a second child and CZK 300 more for a third.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Heavy storms cause flooding of cellars and roads
    05/27/2014

    The Czech Republic was hit by severe storms on Tuesday, with heavy rain and hail flooding cellars and roads. In Prague fire officers were called out to deal with flooding at around two dozen spots, including the basement of the National Library, the vestibule of Můstek metro station and a theatre. More heavy storms are forecast for Wednesday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Functionalist Mánes art gallery to reopen Wednesday
    05/27/2014

    The Prague art gallery Mánes is set to reopen after a two-year renovation on Wednesday with an exhibition of works by caricaturist and illustrator Ivan Steiger. Restaurant and office spaces at Mánes are still awaiting building approval, with its operators saying they would like to open the entire complex to the public in the summer. The Functionalist structure hosted the 80th birthday party of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 1930, the year it opened with a show looking back at a century of Czech art.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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