Thirty-two years ago today, Czechoslovakia saw its first-ever papal visit. Not only was this seen as a symbolic step in the newly post-communist country, Pope John Paul II also gave acknowledgment to one of the key figures in Czech history, Jan Hus, and warned of nationalism in a state that would soon break apart. A previous visit planned in 1985, to celebrate the 1,000-year anniversary of the death of Saint Methodius was cancelled at the last minute by communist authorities, who feared the pontiff’s popularity would embolden democratic aspirations in the population – as had happened during John Paul II’s historic 1979 visit to his native Poland. Greeting John Paul II as his plane landed in the airport that would later bear his name, President Vaclav Havel famously declared: “I do not know if I know what a miracle is. Nevertheless, I dare say that right now I am now the witness of one. “Into a country devastated by the ideology of hate arrives a messenger of peace. Into a country devastated by the rule of ignorant people, arrives the living symbol of erudition. Into a country until recently damaged by the idea of confrontation and world division, arrives a messenger...
Can we imagine any part of our life without modern technology? Communication, shopping, entertainment… Every aspect of our daily life relies on it. And now technological development has advanced even further – we can send money easily and securely around the world and have it delivered in close to no time. Sending funds abroad can be stressful: can we trust the service, who will handle our hard-earned money, will it reach the recipient, will the fee be charged as promised by the service provider? With Profee, though, there is no need to worry. Profee is a reliable way of sending money between European countries, as well as from Europe to a number of other geographies. It is just as simple, cheap and quick as giving money by hand. Established in 2017 and guided by a team of dedicated professionals, Profee has been keen on developing innovative tools for personal finance. Now Profee is proud to offer international card-to-card transfers from Europe to Visa and Mastercard cards at over 40 destinations. After an easy and user-friendly registration, you can send up to 150 euro per month with the entry-level account. With Profee there are no hidden commissions or additional costs. Regardless...
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. According to Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Válek, Czechs have sent more than CZK 3 billion to humanitarian and non-profit organizations working for Ukraine, making it the third most generous country in the world. The Kristian Prize, annually awarded by the Febiofest international film festival in Prague, will go to Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov this year. The 29th Febiofest, scheduled for April 28-May 4, will feature over 90 contemporary films, with Sentsov’s new film Nosorih (Rhino) getting its Czech premiere. Hackers have attacked some Czech websites, such as that of the Czech Railways, without any severe impacts for now, the National Agency for Cyber and Information Security (NUKIB) said on Twitter on Wednesday, with pro-Russian hacker group Killnet claiming responsibility for the attack, according to CTK’s sources. The Czech Republic has issued almost 300,000 visas to Ukrainians fleeing the war since its start, the Interior Ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday, adding that after Easter, when the daily number of visas issued fell to roughly 1,000, it rose to 3,449 on Tuesday. ...
The Czech Republic’s membership in NATO is supported by 78 percent of Czechs, the highest figure recorded since 1994. The survey by the STEM agency, which was conducted at the turn of April, also indicated that only 10 percent believe that there is no threat of military conflict in Central Europe. Seven out of ten Czechs consider the reception of Ukrainian refugees to be right. But they fear for their social security in relation to the refugees. Support for the European Union has also increased. 54% of the population expressed a positive opinion about remaining in the EU in a possible referendum. Almost two-thirds of respondents said they were involved in helping Ukraine, whether by offering accommodation, money or a material donation. Seventy percent, however, are also concerned about weakening social security. Half of the public thinks that unemployment will rise because of the refugees. Czechs also do not trust the integration capacity of society. The Czech Republic joined the North Atlantic Alliance in 1999, along with Poland and Hungary. Six percent do not blame Russia for the conflict Three-quarters of those surveyed said Russia was the clear guilty party in the war in Ukraine. Four percent of Czechs strongly...
Czech defence companies will repair Ukrainian tanks and other military vehicles that have been damaged in fighting or need servicing after long-term storage, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The Czech Republic has been among the most active countries in supporting the Ukrainian military with donations and sales of weapons and ammunition, including shipments of Soviet-era tanks, multiple rocket launchers, howitzers, infantry fighting vehicles, and anti-aircraft weapons. “Small faults or fighting damage will be repaired by the Ukrainian army’s and Ukrainian defence industry’s own efforts,” the ministry said. “Czech assistance will utilize the capacities of Czech defence industry companies for more extensive works, including overhauls and bringing equipment in long-term storage to service.” The first contract will include repairs of an unspecified number of Soviet-era T-64 tanks, it said. It said the T-64 tanks would be repaired at privately held arms trading and production firm CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP, which is also one of the sources of equipment sent to Ukraine. The repairs will be done at Czech firms’ facilities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the ministry said. Ukraine has repeatedly called on the West to supply heavy equipment and ammunition to help it resist the Russian assault. Russia attacked...
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 new poll indicates that 78 percent of Czechs agree with the country’s membership in NATO, which is the highest figure recorded since 1994. The survey by the STEM agency. Czech armaments companies are to repair Ukrainian heavy military vehicles, the Czech Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The first contract will be for the repair of T-64 tanks by Czechoslovak Group companies. The Czech police organized crime squad (NCOZ) is conducting an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine based on the testimonies of refugees fleeing from war to the Czech Republic. The 8th Open House Prague festival is ready for the annual celebration of Prague’s architecture, this time taking place on May 16–22, 2022. On the weekend of May 21–22, the festival is set to open 101 buildings and spaces across Prague for free. The Supreme Audit Office (SAO) found irregularities worth CZK 775 million in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) accounting for the year 2020. The material misstatement worth CZK 724 million consisted of a failure to...
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 Interior Ministry is having problems finding accommodation for the several hundred Ukrainian Romanies who are seeking refuge in the Czech Republic. The problem is that they often come in groups of up to 30 people who want to stay together in one place and refuse to split up into different localities. Health Minister Vlastimil Válek has indicated that he is prepared to do away with compulsory respirators in hospitals and care homes –the last places where they are still required -at the end of April. Avast has stopped offering its products in Russia and Belarus. It has stopped all its marketing and sales activities in both countries. Avast is a Czech company that develops and provides software for cybersecurity pays an equivalent of CZK 50m per year on value-added tax in Russia. The 8th Open House Prague festival is ready for the annual celebration of Prague’s architecture, this time taking place on May 16–22, 2022. On the weekend of May 21–22, the festival is set to open 101 buildings and spaces...
Romani refugees from Ukraine are encountering more and more frequent problems in the Czech Republic. While the authorities, with the significant aid of nonprofit organizations, have managed to house several hundred Romani Ukrainian refugees, accommodation allegedly does not exist for some of the newer arrivals, and some Romani refugees are running into bias and discrimination. As of mid-April, housing similar to that offered to non-Romani Ukrainian refugees is practically inaccessible to Romani refugees. The authorities are said to be recommending some Romani Ukrainian refugees leave the country altogether. “We wanted to remain here, but they told us they have no housing for us and sent us to Germany,” one Romani woman who fled Russia’s aggression with her husband and five children told news server Romea.cz. “Our child is ill, but nobody would aid us,” she told Romea.cz from inside a train car at the Main Station in Prague. That family is not the only one. There were about 100 Romani Ukrainian refugees at the Main Station on 13 April, mostly children and women for whom it is allegedly almost impossible to find accommodation. Martin Kavka, spokesperson for the firefighting service in Prague, claims that accommodation has been found for 300 Romani...
Easter, the most important of Christian holidays, symbolizes redemption, hope, and the resurrection of Christ. As is true for all big holidays, food is a big part of it. Easter Sunday lunch is the most plentiful meal of the holiday. The amount of prepared food was in the past mainly determined by how much each family could afford, but mostly everyone would eat some type of meat on this day. In addition to the roasted meat, an integral part of the meal is the sweet lamb cake, a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. The name šmigrustovka comes from the Easter Monday tradition of young lads “whipping” girls with pomlázkas (braided willow switches), or šmigrusts, as they are referred to in Moravia. On this day, boys will spend the morning visiting girls around town to “whip” them, which is supposed to make them healthy for the rest of the year. One ingredient of the šmirgustovka are the eggs that the boys receive from girls they visited. It is certainly a colourful food and can soothe a stomach tired from spending the morning welcoming the spring outdoors. Czech traditions on Sunday and Monday Easter Sunday Easter Sunday (Neděle velikonoční) is a day of preparations for...
A record-breaking suspension bridge will be opened in the northeast of the Czech Republic between the crests of the Kralicky Snezník mountain, offering spectacular views to hikers. According to Czech tourism officials, the Skybridge 721 is now the world’s longest suspension bridge, spanning 721 meters between two mountain ridges. Located near the holiday resort of Dolní Morava and crossing the Mlynicke udolí valley at the height of 95 meters, the bridge’s formal inauguration is planned for May 9 – just in time for the hiking season. According to Czech tourism officials, the bridge was built near the Skywalk, a 55-meter-high viewing platform from where you can slide back down on a slide that runs for about 100 meters. The winter sports and hiking resort of Dolní Morava is located around 200 kilometers east of Prague, close to the Polish border. The breathtaking bridge will open to the public in spring 2022. Until now, the world’s longest suspension bridge for pedestrians has been located near the Portuguese town of Arouca. It measures 516 meters and hangs 176 meters above the ground. Dolní Morava is the most famous mountain resort in the Pardubice region, attracting approximately 750,000 visitors every year. While 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. The British man whose backpack caught fire at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport on Tuesday, has been found guilty of illegal possession of weapons. A spokesman for the city prosecutor’s office, Aleš Cimbala, said the man had part of a military grenade in his luggage. The Billie Jean King Cup, formerly known as the Fed Cup, will get underway at Prague’s Štvanice on Friday with Czech Markéta Vondroušová playing Harriet Dart in the qualifying tie against Great Britain. Two new dates will be added to the Czech Republic’s list of official “significant days”. May 27th, the day of the assassination of the Nazi governor of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich, Day of National Resistance and June 25th, the anniversary of the signing of the protocol on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia in 1991. Presidential elections will be held in the Czech Republic in January 2023 at the latest. According to election modelling by Median agency, former general Petr Pavel has the highest potential of being elected, followed closely by Andrej Babiš. ...
The cost of living crisis is only getting worse in the Czech Republic. Only the Baltics are a little worse off with regards to the rate of inflation. The cost of living crisis in the Czech Republic is rising rapidly with the growth of inflation to almost 13 percent almost certainly not yet over. Due to the recovery from the pandemic and the Russian invasion, most economies are suffering, but Czechia is an exception. Almost nowhere are prices rising as fast as in this country — only the Baltics are a little worse off. There are several reasons for this. “High inflation in the Czech Republic consists of several parts,” Unicredit Bank’s chief economist Pavel Sobíšek explained. “One is the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, combined with wasteful fiscal policies that have pushed inflation up before the pandemic. “The common characteristic of the countries of Eastern Europe is a larger share of energy and food in the market basket compared to wealthier countries, which leads to higher inflation,” he added. According to economist Radim Dohnal from the Capitalinked company, the cause is wage inflation in recent years due to low unemployment and energy prices in recent months, which is related to the low share of renewable energy sources...
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