Daily news summary

Woman with cancer suing Czech Republic over air-pollution

An elderly woman from the Radvanice district in Ostrava is suing the Czech Republic for having developed cancer, which also killed her husband several years ago.

The woman aims to convince the court that her cancer is linked with the heavy air-pollution that constantly plagues the region and is accusing the authorities of doing very little to fight the problem and protect people’s health.

Radvanice is one of the most polluted parts of Ostrava where the amount of dust particles in the air frequently exceeds permitted norms.

Financial irregularities uncovered at Labour Ministry

The Supreme Audit Office has found financial irregularities at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to the tune of 737 million crowns.

The ministry reportedly erred in the process of establishing new information systems for paying out state support. Two employees have been charged in connection with the findings.

According to the ministry’s spokeswoman Barbara Hanousek Eckhardova the failings took place under the former labour minister and the present administration is trying to put things right.

Prague gets its first nightlife mayor

Prague councillors have elected the city’s first nightlife mayor. The post has gone to Jan Štern, whose task it will be to deal with complaints about noise pollution from bars, pubs and restaurants and promote a safe and vibrant nightlife scene that benefits businesses and residents alike.

According to councillor Hana Třeštíková the nightlife mayor’s task will be to gradually change the image of Prague from that of a city offering cheap alcohol and numerous nightclubs.

In electing a nightlife mayor Prague councillors were inspired by cities such as New York or Paris.

Main Trilobit award goes to “Czechoslovaks in the Gulag”

The main prize in this year’s Trilobit film and television awards has gone to director Marta Nováková for her documentary series “Czechoslovaks in the Gulag”. The documentary series explores the fate of Czechs and Slovaks who experienced the terrible cruelty of the Soviet regime in the years between 1920 and 1950.

The lifetime achievement award went to the late director Evald Schorm in memoriam. The Trilobit awards are bestowed by the Czech Film and Television Union FITES.

Hundreds turn out for lunar eclipse

Hundreds of people braved the freezing cold in the early hours of Monday to watch a full lunar eclipse from one of the country‘s observatories.

The viewing conditions were exceptionally good due to clear skies. The eclipse lasted for just over an hour and ended at 6.43 am.

The next full lunar eclipse is expected in September 2025.

Kupka exhibition attracts thousands of visitors

An exhibition of paintings by the renowned Czech painter and graphic artist František Kupka at the Waldstein Riding School in Prague has been seen by over 90,000 visitors since it opened in September.

Due to overwhelming interest from the public visiting hours were extended until 10 pm in the last few days of the exhibition. The exhibition closed on Sunday and extending the date further was not possible since it is due to be exhibited in Helsinki, Finland next.

The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery and was also shown in Paris.

Weather forecast

Tuesday should be clear to partly cloudy with day temperatures between 0 and -4 degrees Celsius. Night time lows can drop to – 16 degrees in places.