• Government not planning to ban kratom and HHC
    07/13/2023

    The Czech government will not ban kratom and cannabinol HHC, but wants to significantly increase safeguards and regulate the sale of these products to better protect users, the Pirate Party announced after Wednesday’s cabinet session. Kratom, which is derived from a tropical plant, has become increasingly popular among teenagers. The Czech National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addictions has advised placing both kratom and HHC on the list of banned substances arguing that they can cause serious health problems and result in addiction. They are moreover sold freely in selected stores and vending machines where children have access to  them.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Inflation in June drops to 9.7 percent
    07/13/2023

    Inflation in Czechia slowed to 9.7 % in June, down from 11.1 % in May, according to data released by the Czech Statistics Office on Thursday. Inflation dropped below the 10 percent mark for the first time since January 2022. Analysts had predicted the drop, which is attributed to the strong crown and falling demand.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Number of foreigners in Czechia exceeds one million
    07/13/2023

    The number of foreigners residing in Czechia exceeded one million for the first time last year, due to the refugee wave from Ukraine, according to the annual report on migration and integration of foreigners released by the Interior Ministry. Year-on-year, the number of foreigners increased by 69 percent.

    At the end of last year, the authorities registered 1,116,154 foreigners with a long-term visa in Czechia. Among those, 80 percent were citizens of third countries, mainly Ukraine, Vietnam and Russia. There were a total of 227,348 EU citizens, with Slovaks being the largest group.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Milan Kundera condolence books open for public in Prague, Brno and Paris
    07/13/2023

    As of Thursday, people in Prague, Brno and Paris can sign a book of condolences for the late Czech-born writer Milan Kundera. The books will be displayed in the three cities where the late Czech writer lived.

    The books will be available at the Moravian Library in Brno, at French Institute in Prague’s Štěpánská Street and at the Czech Embassy in Paris until Monday.

    A native of Brno, Kundera studied and worked in Prague and spent almost half his life in France. He died on Tuesday in his Paris apartment at the age of 94.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather forecast
    07/12/2023

    Thursday will be mostly cloudy with occasional rain showers and storms. Day temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • MEPs observe minute's silence in memory of Kundera
    07/12/2023

    The European Parliament held a minute of silence in memory of the late Czech writer Milan Kundera at its plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

    French liberal MEP and former journalist Bernard Guetta said Kundera was one of the greatest writers of the second half of the 20th century, who embodied the unity of Europe.

    The late Czech writer is also being remembered by French media. While Le Monde describes him as a "novelist of existence", the daily Libération writes of Kundera's "infinite freedom of writing" and recalls his relationship with Prague-born Franz Kafka.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Severe storms to return on Wednesday afternoon and night
    07/12/2023

    The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has issued another thunderstorm warning for Wednesday afternoon and night, with the possibility of strong winds, torrential rain and hail. The storms are likely to occur in the south-eastern parts of the country.

    A fire warning remains in effect across the whole of Czechia until further notice, with a ban on lighting fires outdoors. A high temperature warning also remains in place for the eastern part of the country, where temperatures will again exceed 30 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

  • Unemployment in Czechia drops further in June
    07/12/2023

    Unemployment in Czechia dropped to 3.4 % in June, down by a tenth of a percentage point compared to May, according to data published on Wednesday by the Labour Office.

    There were 249,792 people out of work at the end of June, 4,101 fewer than in May. Job vacancies, on the other hand, increased by almost a thousand to 286,690 positions.

    The labour market is affected by an increased demand for seasonal jobs, along with long-standing high demand for blue-collar employees, highly skilled occupations or craftsmen.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Ginzburg retires as head coach of Czech men's basketball team
    07/12/2023

    Ronen Ginzburg is retiring as head coach of the Czech men's national basketball team after ten years. The 59-year-old native of Tel Aviv, who acquired Czech citizenship in October 2020, last led the national team at the end of February in Montenegro in the World Cup qualifier.

    Under Ginzburg, the national team experienced the most successful period in independent Czech history. In 2015, the team won seventh place at the European Championships and four years later, it reached the World Championships for the first time since the division of Czechoslovakia. In 2021, it fought its way to the Tokyo Olympics, finishing ninth for the first time in modern Czech history.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech leaders offer condolences following death of writer Milan Kundera
    07/12/2023

    Senior Czech politicians have been expressing their condolences following the news of writer Milan Kundera’s death.

    According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Milan Kundera managed to reach generations of readers across all continents and achieved worldwide fame.

    Culture Minister Martin Baxa said that with Kundera's death, Czech and world literature had lost one of its most outstanding contemporary writers.

    Deputy Prime Minister Vít Rakušan tweeted that Kundera's life reflected the complex 20th century and that his literary qualities and his work would live on.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

Pages