• Czech state returns art objects to family who lost property in WWII
    02/15/2023

    The Czech state has returned art objects belonging to the family of industrialist Johann Bloch, who lost his property during WWII.

    The handover took place within efforts to alleviate the wrongs of the Holocaust and followed two years of cooperation between organisations in Czechia and the US.

    Eighty-four years after they were taken, the National Gallery in Prague returned four paintings to Bloch’s heirs, while the city’s Museum of Applied Arts handed back 10 liturgical vestments.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    02/15/2023

    It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Thursday, with an average high temperature of 9 degrees Celsius. Similar weather is expected on the following days.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • State agency terminates Agrofert claims for over half billion in grants
    02/15/2023

    The State Agriculture Intervention Fund has begun terminating 28 grant applications from subsidiaries of Agrofert, meaning they will not receive over CZK 500 million for projects, iRozhlas reported on Wednesday. Agrofert was founded by ex-prime minister Andrej Babiš.

    The European Commission last year issued a ruling that Mr. Babiš was in conflict of interest in the area of agricultural subsidies, meaning that the EU will not pay out the money concerned.

    Mr. Babiš placed Agrofert in trust funds but EU officials said he still had effective control over the enormous holding.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prague city coalition to be signed on Wednesday
    02/15/2023

    Prague representatives of the SPOLU coalition, the Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents, are due to sign a coalition agreement on Wednesday, nearly five months after the elections.

    SPOLU is expected to hold five seats in the new City Hall administration, of which three will be occupied by Civic Democrats and two by TOP 09 party members. The Pirate Party will hold four seats and the Mayors and Independents two.

    Civic Democrat politician Bohuslav Svoboda will become the Czech capital’s mayor. The new leadership will be appointed at a meeting of the councillors on February 16.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather forecast
    02/14/2023

    Wednesday will be mostly sunny with morning fog and day temperatures ranging between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková likely to be appointed new national refugee coordinator
    02/14/2023

    The government is likely to appoint a new national coordinator for adaptation and integration of Ukrainian war refugees on Wednesday, the Czech News Agency has reported.

    The new post should be filled by the current commissioner for human rights, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, whose appointment was proposed by Interior Minister Vít Rakušan.

    The new coordinator will be in charge of the strategic group for adaptation and integration of Ukrainian refugees, and will coordinate the cooperation between ministries, regional authorities and NGOs.

    Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February last year, Czechia has granted over 488,200 protection visas to people from Ukraine. Most of them have been given to women and children.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Ex-MP Feri denies rape charges in court
    02/14/2023

    The closely-watched trial of former MP Dominik Feri got underway in Prague on Tuesday. Mr. Feri, who is 26, is facing two charges of rape and one of attempted rape. The one-time TOP 09 party politician could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

    Speaking at the court on Tuesday, Mr. Feri said he had never committed any sexual violence. He also said there were inconsistencies in the indictment and expressed his belief that the court would acquit him of the charges.

    Mr. Feri resigned from the lower house in May 2021 soon after media outlets carried a series of allegations of sexual impropriety against him.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech rescue workers in Turkey retrieved 50 bodies so far
    02/14/2023

    Czech rescue workers searching for people buried in the rubble in the Turkish city of Adiyaman have so far retrieved 50 bodies, the spokesperson for the Czech fire service has said.

    The Czech urban search and rescue team, which includes doctors, construction engineers, dog handlers and fire officers, has been helping in the quake-hit areas since last Tuesday.

    The Czech experts, who also helped to locate and extract three survivors, are likely to stay in the country for several more days.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Survey: More than half of Czech dollar millionaires increased assets despite financial downturn
    02/14/2023

    More than half of Czech dollar millionaires managed to increase the value of their assets last year despite the downturn in the financial markets, suggests a survey carried out by the J&T Bank.

    Almost a third of the rich did not post any gains or losses. Less than a fifth posted a loss. Millionaires are beating inflation by investing for the long term, putting their trust in stocks and bonds.

    The annual survey of J&T Bank was carried out among 192 Czechs with at least $1 million (CZK 22.2 million) in disposable assets.

    According to estimates, there are over 30,000 dollar millionaires in Czechia.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Wolt couriers to protest in Prague over pay conditions
    02/14/2023

    Contractors for the delivery company Wolt are due to hold a protest on Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Tuesday over changes in their pay. They also plan to march to the company’s headquarters in Holešovice. The protest has been supported by Josef Středula, the head of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions.

    Wolt, which cooperates with approximately 7,000 couriers in Czechia, changed its method of remuneration at the end of January. According to the organizers of the protest, their earnings dropped by roughly 20 percent as a result.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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