Bright auroras may illuminate the dark skies over the Czech Republic this Halloween weekend. A large solar flare erupted Thursday and is set to reach Earth Saturday, which could result in a strong geomagnetic storm and cause the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, to be visible across the US and Europe, including the Czech Republic. This was stated by astronomer Petr Horálek from the Silesian University in Opava with reference to information from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “If the geomagnetic storm is as strong as astronomers predict, the glow observable from our extremities will be low above the northern horizon, most likely after dark,” he said. In Europe, the forecast shows, weather permitting, the aurora borealis may be visible overhead from across Norway, Sweden and Finland, and even as far south as Scotland and St. Petersburg, Russia. It may be visible on the horizon as far south as Dublin, Ireland and Hamburg, Germany. According to Horálek, aurorae are created due to the interaction of charged particles, which travel continuously from the Sun, with molecules and air atoms in the Earth’s high atmosphere. They commonly occur between 80 and 150 kilometers above the earth’s surface. Behind the interaction...
Representatives of the Czech government, employers, and trade unions have refused to impose any restrictions on unvaccinated workers. The priority for the upcoming weeks should be the promotion of vaccination, emphasising its benefits, they said. As EURACTIV.cz reports, the obligation for workers to be vaccinated or test negative was proposed by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamáček. However, he failed as the system recently introduced in Italy was harshly criticised by trade unions and employers. “It is impossible to implement such measures to the detriment of employees,” said Vít Samek, vice-president of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions after Wednesday’s tripartite meeting. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch confirmed that obligatory vaccination is currently off the table. The government will focus on vaccine promotion as the only possible solution to the COVID-19 crisis. Czechia is facing another spike in coronavirus cases. On Tuesday, more than 6,000 new cases were recorded, and the number of hospitalised people is steadily rising as well. Only 57% of citizens have been vaccinated so far. The government has already decided to strict the current measures to motivate people to get the jab. From 1 November, restaurants and bars will be obliged to check the COVID certificate. On...
Traveling to the Czech Republic by car? Be very aware of this scam! You can easily pay for the highway ticket way too much… ‘Honest Guide’ says tourists are getting overcharged for highway stickers at the Czech border. Watch the video below to understand how this elaborate scam works. After publishing our video, the Czech Department of Road & Motorway decided to terminate the contract with these “exchange-highway-sticker-offices”! “We’re really happy that visitors of the Czech Republic will once again have a safer experience!”, states the “Honest Guide” Janek Rubeš.
Moneta Money Bank won the title of the Best Bank in 2021, Komerční pojišťovna became the best life insurance company and Generali Česká pojišťovna was again the best non-life insurance company. The results of the 13th year of the competition were announced today by Hospodářské noviny, the research and evaluation was carried out by the Datank agency. “The award brings a comprehensive comparison of banking and insurance houses operating on the Czech market. The first place is given to the bank or insurance company that can offer clients the most advantageous products and services, communicate with them well, is accessible to them and at the same time shows good economic results, which testifies to its stability and benefits for its shareholders. “Said Jaroslav Mašek. Fio banka came in second among the banks, followed by ČSOB. The second life insurance company was Kooperativa, the third Generali Česká pojišťovna. Among non-life insurance companies was the second ČSOB Pojišťovna, the third Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna. According to David Pavlát from Datank, Moneta became the best bank this year mainly due to excellent results in the criteria evaluating the client’s view. The year-on-year increase in the market share in loans also helped it to achieve a good...
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the country’s first post-revolution president Václav Havel. To commemorate this occasion, the company České dukáty s.r.o. has decided to issue a commemorative banknote featuring a portrait of Václav Havel created by painter Eva Hašková. “In collaboration with leading Czech banknote designers, painter Eva Hašková and engraver Martin Srb, and in partnership with the State Printing Works of Securities, we have created a limited-edition banknote to honour the memory of the prominent figure Václav Havel”, explains Vladimír Olmr, creator of the project. The main motif on the obverse of the note is a portrait of Václav Havel and the south wing of Prague Castle with the presidential balcony. The reverse side depicts other features of Prague Castle, namely the Matthias Gate and the Wrestling Titans. The banknote is printed on security paper with a linden leaf watermark with a cotton fibre. The portrait of Václav Havel, the text on the obverse side, and the Czech lion registration mark have been printed using the intaglio method. UV light reveals other motifs typical for Václav Havel, both on the obverse and reverse side of the note. The commemorative banknote will be issued as a limited edition in...
Google honours Czech chemist Otto Wichterle with a doodle on his 108th birthday. His innovations paved the way for state-of-the-art medical technologies such as “smart” biomaterials, used to restore bio-recognizable polymers and human connective tissues Making the day even more special, Google is celebrating it with a doodle wherein Wichterle can be seen holding a single piece of contact lens upon his fingertips. As he does so, the light is reflected from the Google logo in the background that represents eyesight. “Happy birthday, Otto Wichterle—thanks for helping the world see eye to eye!” Google wrote. Who is Otto Wichterle? Born on 27 October, 1913 in Prostĕjov, the Czech Republic (then, Austria-Hungary), Wichterle was a lover of science from his childhood days. Because of his interest and passion for the subject, Wichterle earned his doctorate in organic chemistry from the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in the year 1936. During the 1950s, Wichterle taught as a professor at his alma mater and side by side, he developed an absorbent and transparent gel for eye implants. Later on, in 1961, Wichterle successfully formed the first soft contact lenses. Surprisingly, he produced the contact lenses with a Do It Yourself (DIY) apparatus that was made of a child’s...
The Czech Republic reported 6,274 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, almost doubling in a week as the country struggles to contain a new wave of the pandemic. Laboratories performed about 105,000 tests on Tuesday, about 34,000 more than a week ago. The latest number is the highest since April 7 in the country of 10.7 million. Hospitalisations have risen to 1,146 as of October 26, up from 249 at the start of the month, with 166 people in intensive care, data from the Health Ministry showed. Despite the rapid growth, cases and hospitalisations are still well below peak levels of early 2021 and the end of last year. Vaccination has been gathering pace after a slowdown, with 6.06 million people fully vaccinated. “The epidemic in the Czech Republic has become the epidemic of the unvaccinated because they make up 74 percent of the positively tested and 63 percent of those hospitalised with the coronavirus infection”, Health Minister Adam Vojtech told a press conference yesterday. “Should the share of the inoculated increase, the anti-epidemic measures may be scrapped next day,” Vojtech added.
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. CZECH REPUBLIC The two electoral coalitions seeking to form the next government, Spolu and the Pirates & Mayors have reached consensus on a crushing majority of program points, ODS leader Petr Fiala told reporters. Representatives of the Czech Republic and Taiwan signed five new memoranda to expand their cooperation in Internet security, the space industry, the development of catalyst technologies or precision engineering. The Brno Transport Company (DPMB) will pay a special bonus of CZK 2,000 to each employee who has been vaccinated or gets vaccinated by the end of 2021. WORLD Vietnam on Wednesday started to vaccinate children as part of an effort to reopen schools after more than half a year of closures due to COVID-19. Google owner Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) on Tuesday reported higher than expected third-quarter ad sales. Google advertising revenue rose 41% to $53.1 billion during the third quarter. Alphabet’s overall sales jumped to $65.1 billion.
Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have soared to the highest levels in more than half a year as authorities call on people to get vaccinated. The Health Ministry said the daily tally of new cases jumped to 4,262 on Monday, 1,733 more than a week ago. It was the highest daily increase since April 13. The trend was not expected to be reversed any time soon. The ministry predicted that in the next few days the country will have more than 300 people infected per 100,000 in a seven-day period, a significant increase from 217 on Monday. Health Minister Adam Vojtech blamed a low vaccination rate. “It has become an epidemic of the non-vaccinated, it’s a fact,” Vojtech said on Tuesday. “A majority of new cases are not vaccinated, and a majority of those who have to be hospitalized and are in serious condition have not been vaccinated.” According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, some 67% of Czechs over 18 have been fully vaccinated, which is below an average of over 74.5% among the European Union nations. “I dare say that if we manage to increase the number of the vaccinated we’d be able to...
October 28 is Independent Czechoslovak State Day, and most large stores over 200 square meters will close due to the law passed in 2016. Pharmacies, gas stations, and stores in airports, hospitals and train stations are not included in the law. Stores under 200 square meters, such as local grocery stores, can also remain open. Legally, all retail spaces over 200m2, except wholesale, will have to be closed on this day, as during most other national holidays. Thus, many brands including Globus, Kaufland or Lidl, are warning their customers to make sure that all their shopping is done ahead of time. Billa will also have to close all their large locations, but their smaller Billa stop&shop stores at gas stations will stay open. Many shopping centres will also experience a forced day-off, such as Arkády Pankrác or Novo Plaza in Prague. Others chose to leave some of their retail spaces open, and have usually released a list of individual closed stores on their websites. While business owner associations have repeatedly criticized the law, trade unionists are campaigning to extend this regulation to all 13 Czech national holidays. The law covers the following public holidays: 1st January, Easter Monday, 8th May...
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. CZECH REPUBLIC Poland and the Czech Republic could resume talks in “the next few days” on a dispute over a lignite mine, the most serious spat between the two countries in decades. The European Union’s top court told Poland last month to halt operations at the Turow mine after Prague complained of environmental damage in nearby Czech villages. Unvaccinated individuals will no longer have to self-isolate when returning from high-risk countries on the Health Ministry’s travel map. They will have to undergo a PCR test and will be obliged to wear a respirator everywhere until cleared. The traditional award giving ceremony held at Prague Castle on the occasion of Czechoslovak Independence Day on October 28 has been rescheduled for January 1, 2022 due to the president’s ill health. WORLD The White House has outlined new rules for foreign travellers to the US, as flight restrictions lift for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020. Airlines must confirm that the proof of vaccination comes from an “official source” and was received at least two weeks...
Taiwanese government ministers were visiting Prague on Monday accompanied by dozens of business and research representatives to boost trade and investment, a move that has angered China. Minister of National Development Kung Ming-hsin is leading a delegation of 66 officials representing business and research groups and organizations, including biotechnology, green energy, information technology, machinery and tourism. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will visit later in the week. China has protested, threatening unspecified retaliatory steps. Taiwan relies on such exchanges to counter China´s efforts to isolate the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory, to be annexed by military force if it deems necessary. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but maintains robust informal contacts. Taiwan´s high-tech companies are also significant investors in the Czech Republic. The ties between Prague and Taipei were boosted by last year´s trip to Taiwan by the speaker of the Czech parliament´s upper house, the Senate, Milos Vystrcil. He was accompanied by more than 80 representatives from government, business and academia, drawing strong criticism from China. Vystrcil and other senior officials in the Senate, together with representatives of government business and tourist agencies and business groups, are...
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