• Czech timber rafting tradition added to UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list
    12/01/2022

    The Czech tradition of timber rafting, recognized as part of Czech traditional folk culture, has been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. The nomination was approved by UNESCO experts at a meeting in Morocco on Thursday.

    The craft, dating back to the 14th century, involves the transport of wood by waterways from areas rich in woodland to those in which it is scarcer.

    The nomination was submitted by Czechia along with another five European countries, including Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland and Latvia.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather forecast
    12/01/2022

    Friday is expected to be mostly overcast with occasional snow showers and day temperatures ranging between -1 and 3 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Eurostat: Unemployment in Czechia lowest in EU in October
    12/01/2022

    Czechia had the lowest rate of unemployment in the European Union in October, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday citing Eurostat data.

    The general level of unemployment in the EU lay at 6.6 percent in in October, a decrease by 0.1 percent when compared to the previous month.

    Data from the Czech Statistics Office indicates that unemployment in Czechia lay at 2.1 percent, compared to 2.2 percent in September. The country has had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU for several years now.

    Eurostat estimates that there were nearly 13 million unemployed people in the EU in October, with over 18.8 million in the Eurozone.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavský attends OSCE meeting in Lodz
    12/01/2022

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský is due to attend the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Łódź, Poland on Thursday.

    At the meeting, the heads of diplomacy of OSCE member states are to discuss the far-reaching effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the security situation in Europe and on the OSCE’s activities.

    The Czech foreign minister is also due to take part in an event which aims to draw attention to fundamental violations of international humanitarian law in Russia’s war against Ukraine, in particular cases of mass murder, torture and attacks on civilians.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • This year’s hop harvest worst in decade
    12/01/2022

    This year’s Czech hop harvest was the worst in a decade, according to the data of the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, published on Thursday.

    The yield per hectare was the lowest since 2000, reaching only 0.9 tonnes. In total, 4452 tonnes of hops were harvested this year, compared to 8,306 tonnes in 2021.

    This year’s crops were damaged by very high temperatures and droughts. Dry weather has also caused hops to have a lesser concentration of alfa acids, which are responsible for the bitter flavour in beer.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Senate backs training of Ukrainian soldiers in Czechia
    12/01/2022

    Up to 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be able to train in Czechia from next year, after the country’s Senate on Thursday approved legislation to that effect already passed by MPs. The upper house also gave its backing to the deployment of Czech soldiers to train Ukrainian soldiers in other European Union states.

    Czechia has been a major supporter of Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia earlier this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Govt approves extending Ukrainian refugees’ visas until 2024
    12/01/2022

    Ukrainian refugees in Czechia looks set to be allowed to extend their temporary protection visas until the end of March 2024, Czech Television reported. A bill to that effect has been approved by the government and will now go before the lower house of Parliament, the minister of the interior, Vít Rakušan, said on Wednesday evening. At present temporary protection visas are valid until the end of March next year. However, Czech officials say the current situation in Ukraine does not suggest they will be able to return by that date.

    There are over 350,000 Ukrainian refugees in Czechia at present. More applied for temporary protection but some have since returned to their home country.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • MPs approve 2023 budget with CZK 295 billion deficit
    11/30/2022

    Czech MPs have approved the state budget for next year. The 2023 budget should have a deficit of CZK 295 billion, down from the approved deficit of CZK 375 billion for this year.

    All 96 government members present raised their hands for the proposal during Wednesday’s session, while opposition deputies voted against.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Volunteer fireman killed on call in North Bohemia
    11/30/2022

    A volunteer fireman was killed on a call in Nový Bor in North Bohemia on Wednesday. The man, who was 39, was attending to a fire at a log-built house when part of the roof collapsed on him, a police spokesperson said. A search is taking place for a 73-year-old man who lived in the house and is now missing.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Three tenders received for huge Czech nuclear unit contract
    11/30/2022

    The Czech energy company ČEZ has obtained three tenders for the construction of a new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power station, it said on Wednesday.

    As expected, offers have been made by the French company EDF, KHNP from South Korea and Westinghouse from North America. The semi-state ČEZ will now examine the offers before proceeding further.

    The new nuclear unit should be completed by 2036. It should be the biggest investment project in Czech history.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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