• Schieszl's descendants call for his villa to be declared cultural heritage site as demolition begins
    11/08/2023

    The descendants of the Czechoslovak politician Josef Schieszl, a close associate of T. G. Masaryk, have called on Culture Minister Martin Baxa to declare their ancestor's historic Prague villa a cultural heritage site, Czech news site Deník N reported on Wednesday. The villa on Petřín hill is currently having demolition work carried out on it in order for a new house to be built there instead for a secret investor. Deník N writes that the investor's identity is hidden behind a tangle of sixteen offshore companies based in Cyprus.

    The Czech Building Authority approved the demolition work despite the objections of the Prague 5 local government and the National Heritage Institute. Residents from the local neighbourhood in Smíchov have also started a petition against the demolition of the villa.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Man charged with starting Bohemian Switzerland forest fire
    11/08/2023

    A 36-year-old former volunteer guard has been formally charged with general endangerment and damage to another's property for starting the largest forest fire in Czechia's history in Bohemian Switzerland last year, Czech news site iDnes reported on Wednesday. The same man also set fire to a lookout tower and seating areas in nearby Děčín in April this year. The defendant, who is now in custody, has partially confessed to the crime, but his motives remain unclear. He could face up to 15 years in prison.

    The fire, which took 6,000 firefighters 20 days to extinguish, broke out near the Czech-German border on the night of July 24 last year and spread to over 1000 hectares of forest.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Senate approves extending training of Ukrainian soldiers in Czechia until end of 2024
    11/08/2023

    The Senate has approved extending the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Czechia until the end of 2024. Defence Minister Jana Černochová told senators that Czechia's priority was to ensure that Ukrainian soldiers could continue to be trained in the country, as this would contribute to ending the war as soon as possible.

    On Wednesday the Senate also approved the extension of most Czech military foreign missions for next year.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Teachers unions threaten day-long strike over salaries
    11/08/2023

    Teachers unions in Czechia have decided to hold a day-long warning strike of primary, secondary and kindergarten schools, scheduled to take place on November 27. The trade unionists are seeking more money for the education sector for next year. Education Minister Mikuláš Bek told them that he was continuing to look for ways to strengthen the budget and offered them further negotiations.

    Mr. Bek has previously said that teachers should get an average of CZK 2,500 raise in January. According to the law, the average teacher's salary should reach 130 percent of the country’s average gross wage. However, the calculation will be based on last year’s wages, so it is estimated to be at about 113.5 percent of the current average.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • PM Fiala begins visit to Ghana
    11/08/2023

    Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala began his visit to Ghana on Wednesday, the third stop on his tour of sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Fiala left for the Ghanaian capital Accra in the morning from the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

    The Prime Minister, who is accompanied by a large business delegation, was originally scheduled to spend the day in Nigeria, but the Nigerian government cancelled the visit at the last minute, citing inability to provide "adequate reception".

    The main part of the Prime Minister's programme in Ghana is scheduled for Thursday, when he will be received by Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo. Mr. Fiala will also launch the Czech-Ghana Business Forum and is expected to meet with members of the MEDEVAC mission.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • New survey to map sexual behaviour of Czechs
    11/07/2023

    A new survey carried out by experts from the National Institute of Mental Health will comprehensively map the sexual behaviour of the Czech population.

    The survey, called Czech Sex, will involve some 6,000 respondents, and will focus, among other things, on sexual health, pleasure and wellbeing.

    The research, which will include online questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, will start in the next few days and will last until March 2024. A similar survey was last carried out in Czechia ten years ago.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Weather forecast
    11/07/2023

    Wednesday is expected to be partly overcast with occasional rain or snow showers and day temperatures ranging between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czech doctors consider prescribing exercise as treatment
    11/07/2023

    Czech doctors would like to prescribe exercise as part of medical treatment in the future, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek said on Tuesday at a press conference focusing on the role of the physiotherapists in sport and medicine. Mr. Válek said the treatment could be financed from the prevention funds of health insurance companies.

    According to the minister, costs related to the treatment of obesity account for up to a tenth of health care spending. Close to a fifth of Czechs are obese, while three-quarters of the population is overweight. More than a million people are being treated for diabetes.

    Experts say that while such a move is still a long way off, it is important to start a debate on the topic. They also point out that it could effectively relieve the overburdened health and rehabilitation system.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czechia’s retail sales declining for 17 consecutive months
    11/07/2023

    Retail sales in Czechia have been declining year-on-year for 17 consecutive months, according to data published by the Czech Statistics Office on Tuesday.

    In September, the decline accelerated to 4.0 percent from a 2.8 percent decrease in August. On a month-on-month basis, retail sales fell by 0.4 per cent in September.

    Czech consumers spent less especially on non-essential consumer goods and food. On the contrary, sales of fuels in September continued to grow.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Three-month old girl Czechia’s youngest patient to undergo heart transplant
    11/07/2023

    Doctors at Prague’s Motol University Hospital have performed a heart transplant on a three-month-old baby girl suffering from cardiomyopathy, a disease that can lead to an extremely rapid organ failure, the hospital informed in a press release on Monday.

    The girl, who has become the youngest child in Czechia to have a heart transplant, is still being treated in the hospital. According to the doctors, the surgery was successful and the prognosis is favourable.

    According to data from the Transplant Coordination Centre, doctors transplanted 34 hearts in the Czech Republic in the first nine months of this year, compared to 81 in the whole of 2022.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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