Press freedom has improved in the Czech Republic according to this year’s Press Freedom Index, which now places the country 20th compared to the 40th spot it scored last year. The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In 2021, the organisation warned against dramatic deterioration in access to information during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the end of the pandemic and the replacement of the former populist government, Czech media breathe a sigh of relief. The index was published on World Press Freedom Day (3 May). The country’s score registered a more modest increase from 76.62 in 2020 to 80.54 in 2021 out of a possible 100. “We will not restrict any media in their activities and we will not hinder any journalists in their work,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a statement, admitting that many journalists work in challenging economic conditions. “The practices of restricting participation in press conferences, limiting access to information and selectively placing state advertising are fundamentally alien to me,” he added. In recent years, journalists were often verbally attacked by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who labelled several Czech media as “mafia”. Babiš is...
On 2 May, the Czech City of Brno announced that it will send two trams and six trolleybuses to its Ukrainian partner city Kharkiv. According to the municipality, sending the public transport vehicles will help war-torn Ukraine begin rebuilding the infrastructure and public services it has lost since Russia’s invasion in February. In a press release, the Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková explained that donating public transport vehicles is an effective and rapid way of helping Kharkiv at the moment. As such, Vaňková contacted the Brno City Transport Company to arrange the donation of the trams and trolleybuses which it planned on discontinuing as part of its fleet renewal. It is important to clarify that although the selected trams (T3) and trolleybuses (Tr14) would have been removed from circulation, they can still run and function smoothly. Confirming this, General Manager of the Brno City Transport Company Miloš Havránek explained: “These are vehicles that are still in use in our country, but we are able to let go of them without affecting the quality of services. They undergo regular service, so even though they date from the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to their good condition, they can still serve for many...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Usti police have busted a 32-member gang of large-scale producers of pervitin (methamphetamine) from medicines bought in Poland. The suspects face up to 12 years in jail if found guilty. In the latest raid, the police seized 9.5 kg of medicines that could be used to produce pervitin worth 2.5 million crowns. . Czechia and Slovakia have been preparing an agreement on the cooperation of their rescue services so that Slovak or Czech rescuers can help on the other side of the common border if needed, the Czech and Slovak health ministries said after their meeting in Bratislava. The interior ministry wants the Czech Republic not to issue visas and residence permits to Russians and Belarussians even after the state of emergency ends and proposes that the cabinet be able to restrict the entry and stay of foreigners by its order in a bill released on the government website. The measure will exert pressure on Russia and Belarus and may help end the war, the ministry argued. The Czech Republic issued 1,238...
The Czech Republic has bought 2.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of gas for 8.5 billion crowns from majority state-owned utility CEZ to add to its state reserves in case of supply problems. The central European country is nearly 100% dependent for its gas on Russia, which cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland last Wednesday after they refused to pay it in roubles, sparking concerns other countries could be similarly hit. “The Czech Republic is increasing its energy security with this purchase,” Pavel Svagr, head of the State Material Reserves Administration, wrote on Twitter. It is the first time the state has bought gas reserves. The price paid includes transport and storage, and the volume amounts to around 2% of the country’s 2021 consumption. The country also holds reserves of oil and oil products sufficient to cover its needs for three months or more. On Sunday, the Ministry of Industry and Trade Josef Síkela said that gas storage tanks in the Czech Republic are 30 percent full at the moment, adding that the country’s gas reserves have exceeded one billion cubic metres. Síkela said the target for 80 per cent of storage capacity to be filled by the start of the...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. Gas storage tanks in the Czech Republic are 30 percent full at the moment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade Josef Síkela said on Sunday, adding that “the target for 80 per cent of storage capacity to be filled by the start of the next heating season will be fulfilled.” . Czech Republic has provided military aid worth almost three billion crowns to Ukraine faced with Russian invasion so far, Jana Zechmeisterova from the Defence Ministry said today. With the Czech Republic taking over the rotating EU Council presidency in July, it has confirmed that it wants to focus on the refugee crisis, energy independence, and the Chips Act. Petr Fiala’s (ODS) government has hinted at the direction it will take regarding the Czech EU Presidency priorities, with many topics being dictated by the war in Ukraine. In an interview with Seznam Zpravy, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek discussed future plans for the Covid-19 vaccination, predicting that vaccination against Covid-19 may become an annual occurrence. Speaking at the congress of the Bohemian-Moravian Confederation...
If you want to get to know the Czech Republic with everything it offers, you must taste a glass of beer – golden treasure Czechs are very proud of. Beer festivals are an excellent opportunity for you to do so. It is a tradition that every fairly large brewery has its festival at least once a year. And what is the program like? Beer, beer specialities in the form of various kinds of grilled meat and cheese. This is accompanied by a musical performance and some kind of surprise of the night. Visit, for example, the Bernard Fest 2022 (24–25 June) in Humpolec, Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, CLOCK/DAY (23 July) in the eastern Bohemian village of Potštejn or the Radegast Day (27 August) at the Radegast Brewery in Nošovice. In addition to beer and food, the program also features cultural and musical events as is appropriate to a proper festival. Then, Dočesná in Žatec (3–4 September) is an event combining the features of a beer and music festival. The town that gave its name to the highest-quality hop variety has prepared a quality musical program involving the tasting of more than 100 beer types this year. And where you can go if...
This year, the Czech Republic has chosen We Are Domi as its representatives on Eurovision 2022 which will take place in Turin next May with the song “Lights Off”. We Are Domi – also occasionally known simply as DOMI – is an electropop band formed in 2018 in Leeds, UK, but based in Prague. It consists of three members: Czech vocalist Dominika Hašková and Norwegians Casper Hatlestad (guitarist) and Benjamin Rekstad (keyboardist). The trio met while studying jazz at Leeds Conservatoire. Since their debut, they have already released six singles. Dominika is the daughter of the well-known former ice hockey player Dominik Hašek and became known in the Czech Republic after her participation in the inaugural season of Got Talent Czechoslovakia, where she made it all the way to the final but did not make it into the top 3. The group started as a spontaneous partnership as part of their studies in 2006 until it picked up for a more serious debut twelve years later. The group moved together from Leeds to Prague in 2020, when British restrictions stemming from COVID-19 were jeopardizing the band’s work, and have resided there ever since. “Lights Off” is the song with which...
There are different assessments about the impact of a Russian gas cut to the Czech Republic, but with the country receiving nearly all of its gas from Russia, the results could be dire. “When someone says to shut down the valves with Russian gas, they have no idea what they are talking about. I do not wish a return to Middle Ages unto anyone,” said former Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, According to Topolánek, the Czech Republic could not quickly make up for the Russian gas. The Czech Republic is 98 percent dependent on Russian gas, compared to just 31 percent for Poland. The consequences of Russia stopping the deliveries would thus be destructive for both households and businesses. In Topolánek’s view, the Czech Republic could not depend on Germany or countries in south-eastern Europe either, as those would have to cover their needs first. The current prime minister, Peter Fiala, offers a slightly more sanguine outlook, saying yesterday that if Russia ceased its gas supplies to the Czech Republic, the country would manage the situation for some time but would then need help from the European Union, according to Czech news outlet Idnes. “We can deal with this for some...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech Republic has now granted special visas to almost 314,600 refugees from Ukraine. Most of the refugees, around 73, 400, remain in Prague. . The minimum gross decent wage for a full-time job in the Czech Republic that would cover the needs of an adult with a child, as well as leisure time and small savings, should be CZK 33,909. In Prague, it should be CZK 39,974 due to higher costs. Transparency International (TI) has withdrawn its defamation lawsuit under which it asked former prime minister Andrej Babis for an apology for his recurrent comments that TI was corrupt. In the past, Babis called TI “an absolutely untrustworthy non-profit organisation” as well as “a corrupt NGO”. In an interview with Seznam Zpravy, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek discussed future plans for the Covid-19 vaccination, predicting that vaccination against Covid-19 may become an annual occurrence. Czech Senate chairman Milos Vystrcil and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky will attend the funeral of Madeleine Albright, the Czech-born former U.S. secretary of state, in the National Cathedral...
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of Europe’s oldest and finest film fests, began to tease elements of its 56th edition, which will take place in its eponymous Czech city from July 1-9. In a show of support for nearby Ukraine, KVIFF announced that it will host the Works-in-Progress program of the Odesa International Film Festival, which cannot be held due to that nation’s ongoing war with Russia. “Broad solidarity with war-afflicted Ukraine must also include support for the country’s cultural life, which at this moment has come almost to a halt,” Hugo Rosák, the head of KVIFF’s Industry Department, said. “As a film festival, we have tried to find ways of supporting Ukrainian cinema, and we are glad that we have managed to work with the Odesa film festival to find a meaningful form of cooperation.” Added Anna Machuh, OIFF’s general director, “We are honored to have this opportunity to show Ukrainian cinema, talent and culture to the world.” KVIFF also revealed that it will bestow its President’s Award — which recognizes outstanding figures in Czech cinema — to the actor, playwright, screenwriter, and director Boleslav Polívka. The release stated, “For more than two decades, Bolek Polívka has left a similarly distinctive mark...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. A special military plane with the remains of General Frantisek Moravec, a commander of the Czechoslovak intelligence, landed at the military airfield in Caslav, Central Bohemia, on Tuesday. The plane with the remains flew from the United States and from the Czech border it was escorted by two Czech Gripen fighters to the airfield. . Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala is to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on May 5 and he will be equally received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Fiala’s trip was originally scheduled for March, but it had to be postponed twice. The Ministry of the Environment has allocated over 10 billion crowns for adaptation measures against drought in the coming years, Environment Minister Anna Hubáčková told journalists on Tuesday. The Czech Republic has reopened its consulate general in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv, two months after it was closed down in response to Russia’s invasion of the country. Confidence in the Czech economy rose 3.4 points month-on-month to 100 points in April, having fallen a...
The Czech Republic wants to quickly shake off its dependence on Russian military technology and modernize using U.S. products, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced after a meeting in the Pentagon with her U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin. Černochová revealed that the two countries would soon conclude a bilateral defense cooperation agreement which could see Czechia purchase new fighter jets and tanks from the United States, in addition to its current order for a new fleet of helicopters. It was the first direct meeting of both countries at the ministerial level since the beginning of the current phase of the Russian war in Ukraine. Austin welcomed the Czech visitors by heaping praise on the country for being one of the leaders in defense and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and thanked the Czech Republic for its participation in the new NATO battle group in Slovakia. He also confirmed that the current U.S. administration is interested in quickly concluding an agreement with the Czech Republic on defense cooperation. “We have confirmed the intent and we will now discuss the specific provisions of that agreement,” said Černochová after the talks. “Here, my colleagues and the American side have communicated that our treaty should be...
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