• 17th All Sokol Slet closes in Prague with second mass performance
    07/05/2024

    Around 13,500 people performed in the second round of mass exercises at Prague’s Fortuna arena (formerly Eden Stadium) on Friday afternoon, officially closing the 17th All Sokol Slet, a gathering of Sokol branches from all around the world held every six years.

    The mass performances, the first instalment of which took place on Thursday evening, are the culmination and highlight of Slet week, which began on Sunday with a parade through the Czech capital and a performance at the National Theatre, and continued with cultural and sporting events throughout the week. Both Thursday's and Friday's performances were aired live on Czech Television.

    Sokol members opened the second round of performances on Friday by forming the word "spojujeme“ (we connect) in huge letters on the stadium grounds and ended it by coming together in the shape of a giant tree, meant to represent the tree of life.

    Sokol is a Czech physical fitness movement with branches all over the world. Since its inception more than 160 years ago, it has been one of the main drivers of Czech social life. The Slets are the highlight of the Sokol calendar.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Weather forecast
    07/04/2024

    Friday will be mostly sunny with occasional clouds. Day temperatures are expected to range between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czechia’s military equipment exports up by 60 percent year-on-year
    07/04/2024

    Czechia’s exports of military equipment reached CZK 48.9 billion last year, which represented a year-on-year increase of 60 percent, according to an annual report on foreign arms trade released on Thursday.

    According to the report, the Ministry of Industry and Trade granted 1,580 licenses to export military material to 99 countries last year, amounting to nearly CZK 68.2 billion. The largest value of exports, worth over CZK 20 billion, was destined to Ukraine, which is facing a Russian military invasion.

    The value of army material imported to Czechia in 2023 was over CZK 11.5 billion, almost triple the sum reported in 2022.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Daniel Brühl receives KVIFF President’s Award
    07/04/2024

    German-Spanish actor, director, producer, and multiple European Film Award-winner Daniel Brühl received the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival President’s Award on Thursday.

    Brühl, who arrived in the west Bohemian spa town on Wednesday, also presented his directorial debut Next Door, a dark comedy-drama about envy and revenge, in which he also stars .
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Retail sales in Czechia grow for sixth consecutive month
    07/04/2024

    Retail sales in Czechia accelerated year-on-year by 4.4 percent in May, the Czech Statistics Office reported on Thursday, with sales increasing year-on-year for the sixth consecutive month. On a month-on-month basis, retail sales decreased by 0.1 percent.

    Shoppers spent 5.1 percent more on non-food items and 4.2 percent more on food compared to May last year. Sales of fuel increased by 2.2 percent.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Annual Cyril and Methodius celebrations kick off at Velehrad
    07/04/2024

    The 25th annual pilgrimage festival marking the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Greek missionaries who brought Christianity to the Czech lands, gets underway in the south Moravian town of Velehrad on Thursday.

    The People of Goodwill celebrations will be officially launched in the evening with a prayer in the Velehrad Basilica and a charity concert. They will culminate on Sunday with a national pilgrimage and an open air mass, celebrated by Olomouc Archbishop Josef Nuzík.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • President Pavel to attend All Sokol Slet mass performances
    07/04/2024

    Members of Sokol, a Czech physical fitness movement with branches the world over, are due to present their first mass performances at Prague’s Fortuna arena on Thursday evening.

    The mass compositions, which will continue on Friday, will be the culmination of the 17th All Sokol Slet, or jamboree, that started in the Czech capital on Sunday. Thursday’s performance will be attended by President Petr Pavel, who will present the Sokols with a banner.

    The all-Sokol jamborees are held once in six years and are attended by hundreds of Sokol members from around the world.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czechs’ sporting activity gradually declines after the age of 55
    07/04/2024

    The sporting activity of Czechs significantly decreases with age, according to the results of a survey conducted by MultiSport Benefit in cooperation with the NMS Market agency. More than two-thirds of respondents in the 18-34 age group regularly engage in some sporting activity, while in the 55-64 age group only half of respondents do so. Only 3 percent of them engage in some sporting activity daily, less than half of them not even once a month, according to the survey. Just over 1,800 respondents aged 18 to 69 took part in the survey.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • More than half of Czechs think government not doing enough for families with children
    07/04/2024

    A growing number of Czechs believe that the government is not doing enough to create good living conditions for families with children, according to the results of a poll conducted by the CVVM agency. Respondents criticized the unavailability of flexible working hours and part-time work for parents with children, as well as inadequate benefits and support for single parents. The number of people who criticized the government in this respect has grown steeply over the last four years from 28 percent in 2020 to 54 percent in 2024.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    07/03/2024

    Thursday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered showers and day temperatures between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius.

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