• Weather forecast
    05/19/2023

    Saturday should be partly cloudy and dry with day temperatures between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius.

  • Debate on government proposal tightening ban on media ownership shelved
    05/19/2023

    A debate in the lower house on a proposal to tighten the ban on media ownership by top politicians has once again been shelved until mid-June, the ctk news agency reported. Friday’s debate on the government-proposed draft was reportedly obstructed by the opposition ANO party, which asked for a recess until the end of Friday’s session. The party’s head Andrej Babiš owns a large share of the media market and the law would directly affect him.

    The proposed amendment to the existing law prohibiting the country’s top officials from media ownership specifies that the law applies to the owner and beneficiary of the given media regardless of whether they have been placed in trust funds.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • 2023 Colours of Ostrava festival to be bigger than ever
    05/19/2023

    The Colours of Ostrava music festival, due to be held from July 19 -July 22nd, will showcase nearly 70 foreign bands and over 40 local performers, the festival's organizers said. The main stars of the festival will be the American band OneRepublic, Niall Horan, former member of One Direction, Macklemore, Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil, and the British duo Sleaford Mods. According to the festival’s director Zlata Holušová, it is the biggest line-up in the festival’s 20-year history. The festival is traditionally held in the industrial area of Ostrava's Dolní Vítkovice.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Defense Ministry protests against spray-painted crosses on Czech Dana howitzers
    05/19/2023

    The Czech Ministry of Defense has contacted the Ukrainian embassy to protest against the practice of spray-painting crosses similar to those used by the Wehrmacht on Czech Dana howitzers donated to the Ukrainian army. Deputy Defense Minister Jan Jireš pointed out that photographs of these crosses have appeared in the international media and argued that the practice is damaging Ukraine's reputation. Ukrainian and Russian troops frequently mark their vehicles to distinguish them from the enemy since they both use the same types of Soviet-era vehicles.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Government will propose upping license fees for public broadcasters
    05/19/2023

    The government will propose upping license fees for the country’s public broadcasters, Czech Television and Czech Radio, Culture Minister Martin Baxa told the news site Novinky. The ministry also wants to amend the existing legislation so as to make license fees compulsory for people who own a smart phone or tablet, on which TV and radio programs can also be accessed. This would increase the number of households paying license fees by around 600,000. Czech Radio, which celebrated its centenary on May 18, would like the current monthly license fee of 45 crowns increased to 60. The monthly license fee for Czech Television is presently 135 crowns.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Fire in Bohemian Switzerland national park brought under control
    05/19/2023

    The forest fire that started in the Bohemian Switzerland national on Thursday afternoon has been brought under control. Nine firefighter units and a helicopter were called to the blaze, which broke out between the Pravčická brána rock formation and the German border. Police have detained one person in connection with the fire, which is believed to have been caused by fireworks.

    Last July, the Bohemian national park was ravaged by the largest forest fire in Czechia to date, which destroyed an area of over 1,000 hectares.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Ice Hockey World Championship: Czechia beats Slovenia 6-2
    05/19/2023

    Czechia had to come from two goals down to beat Slovenia 6-2 in the 2023 men’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga on Thursday evening. Dominik Kubalík led the Czech rally with a hat trick and an assist and currently leads the tournament scoring table with six goals.

    The national team, which is now in second place in Group B with 10 points, is scheduled to play Norway on May 20 and Canada on May 23.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather forecast
    05/18/2023

    Friday is expected to be mostly overcast with occasional rain and day temperatures ranging between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech foreign minister to visit Iraq and Saudi Arabia
    05/18/2023

    Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will visit Saudi Arabia and Iraq next week along with a delegation of Czech businessmen.

    Mr. Lipavský will meet with the countries’ top officials to discuss the development of bilateral relations as well as the current political and security development in the Middle East region, in which both countries play a key role.

    The Czech foreign minister is also scheduled to meet with representatives of allied military missions in Iraq in which Czech experts are deployed.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Former Central Bohemian governor Rath released from prison
    05/18/2023

    The former governor of Central Bohemia David Rath was released from prison in Brno on Thursday after serving the remainder of his prison sentence for corruption.

    The regional court in Prague sentenced the former health minister and governor of Central Bohemia to 7 years in jail for corruption in June of 2018. The sentence was later extended by one year.

    Rath was arrested with seven million crowns on his person in 2012 and accused of taking bribes to rig public contracts. He has appealed the verdict several times to no avail.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

Pages