• Czech medic injured in Ukraine dies
    05/16/2023

    A Czech medic who helped save Ukrainian soldiers has died, months after sustaining a serious injury in Donbas. Known as “Taylor”, the medic was hit by shrapnel in early March and later transferred back to Czechia. The young volunteer was the founder of Phoenix Project, which gave basic medical training to thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. He himself is credited with saving the lives of many soldiers on the country’s Eastern Front.

    The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of two other Czech volunteers who had died in Ukraine, one in June last year and one this March.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prague City Hall to replace “botched” copy of Mánes calendar on Prague’s astronomical clock
    05/16/2023

    Prague City Hall has announced plans to replace the “botched” copy of the Mánes calendar installed during the 2018 reconstruction of Prague’s famous astronomical clock. The city hall, which supervised the reconstruction work, came under fire after members from the Club for Old Prague pointed out that the copy of the calendar deviated significantly from Mánes‘ original and that some of the figures on the calendar were dramatically different, with a distinct modern slant. No one was penalized for the botched copy which has drawn widespread criticism. The original version of the calendar was created in 1866 by the renowned Czech painter Josef Mánes.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • PM says government will not succumb to pressure from trade unions
    05/16/2023

    Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said his government will not succumb to pressure from trade unions to water down the austerity package aimed at slashing the country’s growing state deficit. Following four hours of talks with trade union leaders on Monday the prime minister denounced the union’s strike alert as “irresponsible”. He said the government was open to arguments and was ready to make minor alterations to the package, such as reviewing individual discontinued subsidies, but stressed that this must not affect the overall volume of the planned cuts.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    05/15/2023

    Tuesday should be partly cloudy to overcast with rain around the country and day temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Barrandov Bridge repairs causing pile-ups around Prague
    05/15/2023

    The next stage of repairs on Prague's Barrandov Bridge began on Monday morning forcing drivers to take a detour via the Prague Ring Road and Strakonická Street. The new restrictions caused pile-ups and long delays not only in the vicinity, but in other parts of Prague on Monday morning.  Inter-city busses on that route were also delayed as a result.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Unions declare strike alert over planned austerity measures
    05/15/2023

    Trade unions have declared a strike alert in protest against the austerity package unveiled by the government last week. According to the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, the austerity measures will place an excessively heavy burden on the weakest social groups, among them pensioners, families with children and employees. The austerity package will bring tax hikes for companies and individuals, lay-offs or lower salaries in the public sector and further price rises in goods and services. Talks between government officials, unions and employers are expected later today.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czech president discussing security issues in Denmark
    05/15/2023

    Czech President Petr Pavel who is on a two-day visit to Denmark on Monday met for talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. They discussed security issues, migration and the protection of the EU’s outer borders as well as continued aid to Ukraine. Later today President Pavel will be received by Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik and attend a reception held in his honour.  On Tuesday the Czech head of state is expected to address the Copenhagen Summit for Democracy on defending global values.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Counter-intelligence service says it uncovered corruption at Czech Agriculture Ministry in 2021
    05/15/2023

    The Czech counter-intelligence service (BIS) has confirmed that in 2021 it uncovered widespread corruption at the Ministry of Agriculture, which led to a police raid in late March and early April of last year. According to BIS spokesman Ladislav Šticha, police officers detained three people from then minister Miroslav Toman’s inner circle and confiscated tens of millions of crowns in cash. The BIS spokesperson said the service was reporting on the case now in order to counter leaks of selected information from the investigation.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • EC Vice President Jourova criticizes Czech government for planned newspaper price hike
    05/15/2023

    European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová has criticized the Czech government’s plans to place newspapers in the higher VAT tax bracket of 21 percent. Jourova said the price hike would have a devastating impact on printed media, particularly the regional and local newspapers, which were already struggling to survive after a big shift of advertising to the digital space. Jourová stressed the importance of these newspapers for many people at a time of fake news and disinformation.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Artist Jitka Svobodová dies at 81
    05/15/2023

    The Czech artist Jitka Svobodová, who started as a painter before moving to drawings, has died at the age of 81. She was repeatedly denied enrollment at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts before eventually getting in in 1961.

    In the period following the Soviet occupation she was barred from exhibiting and trained as a restorer. After the fall of communism she headed the drawing studio at the Academy of Fine Art.

    Jitka Svobodová had a retrospective at the Prague City Gallery at the time of her death.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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