• 04/19/2024

    Žatec has been named the Historical Town of the Year 2023. The award, provided by the Ministry of Culture, recognises the best use of funding to renovate historical landmarks . It comes with a financial reward f of CZK 1 million, to be used for further monument care. The northern town of Žatec and surrounding hop-growing landscape were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023.

    The Historical Town of the Year competition is organised by the Association of Historical Settlements of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia in cooperation with the ministries of culture and regional development.

  • 04/19/2024

    Traffic police are conducting speed checks in over a thousand locations around Czechia on Friday within the annual Speed Marathon event aimed at enhancing road safety. According to Police Presidium spokeswoman Hana Rubášová the list of locations was selected on the basis of accident statistics and requests from the public. Speeding is one of the most frequent causes of accidents on Czech roads, together with drink driving and using a cell phone without a hands free device.

  • 04/19/2024

    Czech President Petr Pavel has called on the US House of Representatives to approve the aid package for Ukraine. Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the Czech head of state stressed the importance of US assistance, saying that while Europe is trying to increase its share of aid to Kyiv and accept a greater share of responsibility the United States is still providing at least 50 percent of the aid. "Ukraine is as important for Europe as it is for the United States and the whole democratic world. It is not just about defending a sovereign state and its territory, but about the principles and values that we share and that we should protect" Pavel said. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the aid package on Saturday.

  • 04/19/2024

    Viktoria Plzeň were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the European Conference League by Italy’s Fiorentina on Thursday evening. The Czech club had drawn 0:0 with the Italians in the first leg in West Bohemia last week and the second leg was also tied at 0:0 at the end of regular time. However, Fiorentina stepped up a gear in extra time to win 2:0 on aggregate against Plzeň, who had a player sent off after 66 minutes.

    The European Conference League is European soccer’s third-tier club competition.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/19/2024

    Hella, the debut novel by Russia expert Alena Machoninová, has won the main Book of the Year prize at the Magnesia Litera awards. Hella attempts to reconstruct the story of a Czech Jewish woman who was the prototype of a character in a 1937 novel by Jiří Weil set in the USSR.

    The prize for best prose work of 2023 went to poet Marek Torčík for his first prose publication, Rozložíš paměť (You Dismantle Memory). Another poet, Tomáš T. Kůs, took the annual award for contribution to literary culture, in recognition of his popularisation of slam poetry.

    Prizes in several other categories were also handed out in the 23rd edition of the Magnesia Litera awards in Prague on Thursday evening.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/18/2024

    Semyon Bychkov will step down from his position as principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 2028. The 77-year-old Russian-born American has led the orchestra since 2018, when he replaced the late Jiří Bělohlávek and became the fourth foreign chief conductor of Czechia’s most important classical ensemble since 1989.

    The general director of the Czech Philharmonic, David Mareček, said on Thursday that the orchestra had experienced unprecedented artistic growth under Mr. Bychkov's leadership.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/18/2024

    It should be mainly overcast with some rain in Czechia on Friday. An average high temperature of 8 degrees Celsius is expected. More grey skies are expected on the following days.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/18/2024

    Prague’s transit authority has announced a tender with an estimated value of over CZK 80 billion for the purchase of driverless trains for the city’s C and D Metro lines, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

    The Prague Public Transport Company aims to select a supplier and sign a contract with them by October 2025. The trains should be delivered by 2029.

    The Prague Metro currently has three lines while a fourth, the D line, is under construction.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/18/2024

    Production of passenger cars in Czechia increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year to 394,443 vehicles in the first quarter of this year. This is the highest output ever recorded in the sector in the first three months of a year.

    The country’s biggest exporter, Škoda Auto, produced nearly a quarter of million cars in the first quarter.

    Electric car production in Czechia fell by one-third to 27,000 between the beginning of January and the end of March.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 04/18/2024

    The head of Czechia’s BIS counter-intelligence service, Michal Koudelka, discussed its recent operation to uncover a Russian influence network with members of the lower house’s Security Committee on Thursday. The secret service broke up a Russian group that it said was paying politicians in European Union countries and attempting to influence European Parliament elections.

    After Thursday’s in camera meeting the chair of the Security Committee, Pavel Žáček, said other countries were also looking into the matter, among them Poland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

    On Wednesday the Czech and Belgian prime ministers sent a letter to EU leaders warning against Kremlin attempts to interfere in the European Parliament elections.

    Author: Ian Willoughby

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