The Czech government on July 8 gave preliminary approval for Elektrárna Dukovany II, a subsidiary of utility ČEZ, to build at least one new nuclear power unit in the country, along with as many as three more at existing nuclear power plants at Dukovany and Temelín. The government in its resolution published Monday said it would provide the utility with loan guarantees to help secure financing for any new reactors. ČEZ is 70% owned by the Czech government. Reports said construction of any new units is years away, though equipment and technology suppliers could be chosen within the next five years. Expectations are that at least one 1,200-MW reactor would be built at Dukovany by 2035 to replace four existing units that are scheduled to be shut down between 2035 and 2037. New capacity at Temelín would be built at a later date. The new nuclear units are needed to help the Czech Republic meet emissions reduction targets and goals for energy security. “Ministers perceive the construction of new nuclear sources as a precondition for ensuring secure supplies of electricity and energy self-sufficiency in the Czech Republic,” the paper notes. “Construction is an integral part of the basic security interests...
At least three Russian airlines have canceled most of their Tuesday flights to the Czech Republic over what they said was the country’s decision to revoke flight permissions to and from Prague. The flagship carrier Aeroflot and Ural Airlines are the only Russian airlines that perform direct flights to and from Prague. Czech Airlines performs return flights to and from Moscow twice a day. “Because of the decision by the Czech Republic’s aviation authorities to revoke earlier issued permits for Moscow-Prague-Moscow flights, Aeroflot has to cancel following flights: SU2010/2011, SU2014/2015, SU2016/2017 and SU2018/2019, scheduled for 2 July”, the airline said in a statement. At the same time, flights SU2012/2013 and SU2024/2025 will be carried out as scheduled, according to Aeroflot. Ural Airlines also “indefinitely” canceled flights to Prague from Moscow and Yekaterinburg on Tuesday, then said its Yekaterinburg-Prague flights had been restored. Aeroflot-owned Pobeda Airlines canceled flights from Moscow to the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary. The Czech Republic “used the parity rule” and revoked Russia’s permits because it was unhappy with terms offered to Czech Airlines for flights going over Siberia from Prague to Seoul, the country’s transport ministry said. No statement has been issued by Aeroflot regarding the decision by the Czech aviation authorities. According to...
The Bohemia Jazz Fest, which Downbeat magazine lists as one of the world’s most important cultural events, was founded in 2005 by acclaimed jazz guitarist Rudy Linka. Thanks to its sponsors and patrons, the Bohemia Jazz Fest has become a summer ritual with jazz fans from all over Central Europe gathering on the squares of historic Czech cities to see and hear the world’s greatest jazz performers. In addition to jazz, there will also be a thrilling blend of blues, funk and world music. The headliner in Prague will be Wolfgang Muthspiel Quintet, Stefano Bollani Napoli Trip, and Tuck & Patti. The guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, born in 1965, lives in Vienna and is considered to be one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. From the mid-90s, he lived and worked in the Jazz capital, New York. During this time, he daringly took sensitive excursions into the world of pop music with Rebekka Bakken, while pursuing the electronic project Muthspiel/Muthspiel with his brother. Jazz pianist Stefano Bollani began playing piano as a child in order to accompany his singing but soon concentrated solely on the instrument, enrolling in a conservatory in Florence when he was 11. There, he studied both jazz and pop music, and after graduating...
The heat wave starts after Sunday when a powerful upper ridge develops over Europe. As soon as the omega pattern establishes, strong warm advection should take place with a ‘Spanish plume’ from SW Europe. Models are trending with very extreme temperature anomaly for the near-surface layers, locally reaching 12-16 °C above normal for late June. On Thursday, the heat wave would eventually peak over Germany with local temperatures ever approaching 40 °C while on Friday, a cold front might push from the west and finish the heat wave, but the excessive heat would then push towards the Alpine region and Poland / Czech Republic as well. Extreme heat could develop over some areas, locally reaching 35-40 °C in the afternoons next week. Such anomalous temperatures would likely break June records in some areas. Prague has experienced its hottest summer last year, with an average temperature of 22.7° C. Before, the hottest summer was recorded in 2003 with an average temperature of 22.4 degrees, followed by 2015, when the average temperature reached 22.3 degrees Celsius in June, July and August. Author: red
The consumption of medicinal cannabis in the Czech Republic continued to grow in the past years, according to information at a symposium held here Monday. The symposium was organized by the Drug Policy Department of the Office of the Government in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the State Institute for Drug Control. By the end of May this year, cannabis was prescribed at least once and issued to 665 patients in the country. The number of registered doctors for cannabis prescription has also multiplied, and almost 100 are currently prescribed for medicinal cannabis. In 2018, 4,800 grams of medicinal cannabis were issued, almost four times more than in 2017. Since the beginning of this year, 5,347 grams of cannabis have been released for medical use. Nearly 90 percent of the total amount of cannabis is currently being used to treat chronic intractable pain, followed by multiple sclerosis. Cannabis treatment in the Czech Republic will be largely financed through public health insurance by next year. The Ministry of Health has proposed a 90 percent reimbursement from public health insurance on 30 grams of medical cannabis for one patient one month. “Increasing the availability of medical cannabis is an important...
The cites of Prague and Ostrava have been chosen to host the 2024 World Ice Hockey Championships. The International Ice Hockey Federation said on May 24 that it had also chosen St. Petersburg for the 2023 championships, while the 2025 tournament will be co-hosted by Sweden and Denmark, though the host cities have yet to be determined. Same like in 2004 and 2015 the venues will be the O2 Arena in Prague and the Ostravar Arena in Ostrava where the Czechs successfully hosted two editions. The 2015 Worlds set a new attendance record four years ago with 741,690 fans (11,589 in average) coming to the games in the two Czech cities. For Ostrava, which will be the main venue of next winter’s 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, it will be the third IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in the city while Prague has previously also hosted in 1933, 1938, 1947, 1959, 1972, 1978, 1985 and 1992 during the Czechoslovak era. The Swiss cities of Zurich and Lausanne will host next year’s championships, followed by the Belarusian capital, Minsk, and Latvia’s Riga in 2021. Author: red
Passengers traveling by public transportation in Brno can now make a positive experience from ticket inspection. In April, the transport sector released a new program for users of prepaid online tickets. For every successful ticket inspection, people gain points, which they can then make use of while paying a fine or in a competition for free yearly passes. The new system should reward loyal customers and change the view of passengers who only perceive ticket inspection as negative. “We want to motivate the travelers to buy electronic tickets, which is more comfortable for most users”, the spokesperson for the transport sector, Hana Tomaštíková, introduces. Nearly fifty-five thousand passengers are now buying their tickets online. However, although people need to wait in line for the classic paper tickets, it’s still the more favorable one with more than sixty-eight thousand people still using it. If the chance of winning attracts people to buy tickets electronically, is still not a certain solution, according to the economist Lukáš Kovanda. “It might have some influence, but I wouldn’t overestimate it. Most of the time we expect more from these measures than is realistic”, he explains. Magda Bařinková travels around Brno using the electronic tickets. “I...
The Czech government has approved a national strategy for artificial intelligence (AI), in order to further develop AI and put the Czech Republic on the map of the most innovative hubs in Europe, together with France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. “A few months ago, I started working to help the Czech Republic get a European super hub for artificial intelligence and I am dealing with all the European Union leaders to convince them that we are world leaders in this area. Along with the Deputy Prime Minister Havlíček, we are now preparing the basic outline of the economic strategy and there will be an important place for artificial intelligence” emphasized Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The new strategy is primarily the Czech Republic’s ticket to engage in activities at the EU level, setting itself the goal of catching up with the United States and China. “We have a great chance to use Czech cutting-edge research in this breakthrough technology,” added deputy prime minister and minister of industry and trade Karel Havlíček. “This puts us among the European technology elite, not only when it comes to leading the industry, but also becoming a major global player in cybersecurity in order to face...
Tesla is gradually expanding its presence in Europe and they are adding locations in the Czech Republic and Iceland. The automaker is already covering most of Europe, but there are still many smaller European auto markets where Tesla is not directly selling and servicing its vehicles — mainly in Eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, there are already over 400 Tesla vehicles, most of them around Prague, according to the Ministry of Transport. Those Tesla owners had to buy and service their cars in other neighboring countries. Now, Tesla is now launching a service center in Prague and it will also use the location to deliver vehicles sold directly to costumers in the Czech Republic. Lidovky (LN) posted some pictures of the new Tesla service center. Tomáš Novotný, the service manager, told LN: “We have technicians from other European service centers who carry out training and basic repairs and servicing,” On its career website, Tesla is listing 3 service jobs currently available in Prague. Along with the new expansion in the Czech Republic, Tesla is also expanding in Iceland. The market is in a similar situation as the Czech Republic whereas they already have many owners who bought Tesla vehicles by importing them...
The motorcycling Grand Prix in Brno is likely to end after this year’s event without a long-term state financial contribution, South Moravia Regional Governor Bohumil Simek (ANO) said in a press release today in reaction to the 39-million-crown state subsidy rather than the requested 65 million. Speaking to Sport.cz, executive director and chairman of the board of directors of Automotodrom Brno Ivana Ulmanová says they’ve been blindsided after expecting the full amount to be funded. “I was thinking that there would be some kind of helpfulness. So, I have to say that it is utter despair, and those who have decided this way have hurt not only the finances of the Czech Republic but also South Moravia and motorsport. Dorna have said that unfortunately, the Czech Republic is one of the worst partners they have and that they are not even considering expanding the contract at this time, because the payment is unfortunately not what they imagined.” The news comes at the worst possible moment for Brno, with fierce competition among a series of countries to take a spot on the calendar. It could well play into the hands of new track Finland, though, with Brno’s August date the perfect time for them...
The prices of some vegetables, especially potatoes, in the Czech Republic are increasing dramatically due to a significant drop in production. Consumers are paying almost 25% more for vegetables (including lettuce, peas, cucumbers) and over 67% more for potatoes. At this point, some imported tropical fruits are cheaper than locally produced potatoes. The main culprit of a massive surge of vegetable prices in the Czech Republic is an 18% drop in production compared to last year’s harvest. According to the Czech Statistical Office, the total harvest of vegetables (excluding potatoes) in 2017 reached 241,692 tons on an area of 10,237 hectares, while in 2018 farmers harvested only 198,863 tons of vegetables from a slightly larger area of 10,404 hectares. Potatoes, a staple foodstuff in the Czech Republic, followed the same trend. In 2017 the harvest totaled at 583,560 tons, which is by 105,410 tons (15.3 percent) less than in 2017. Out of vegetables, the largest decrease in crop show lettuces (49.5 percent), green peas (35.3 percent), gherkins (34.6 percent), and cabbages (34. percent). Onions are down by 11 percent. The hot and dry weather conditions are the main drivers behind this production drop. Drought is becoming a new and important...
The number of Czechs believing that too many foreigners live in the Czech Republic increased by 5 percent to the current 40 percent as against last year, according to a poll conducted by the CVVM polling institute and released today. However, the views of foreigners’ long-term stay have not changed. Three-quarters of Czechs are of the opinion that foreigners should only stay in the Czech Republic on certain conditions, while one-sixth say long-term stay should not be allowed to them at all. Some 5 percent are ready to offer residence to foreigners without any limitations. Half of the Czech population considers the number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic to be reasonable. Czechs still consider study and practice (82 percent) and family reunification (61 percent) to be the most acceptable reason for their acceptance. Roughly the same number of people added that immigrants should be allowed to stay in the Czech Republic for business purposes. Compared to last year, the public’s view of adapting to foreigners in the Czech Republic has not changed either. According to three-quarters of Czechs, foreigners should adapt to them as much as possible. The opinion that they should be allowed to live in the...
Don’t have an account? Register
Already have an account? Log In
How Would You Like to Promote Your Business? PR ArticleDisplay bannersVideo productionNewsletter adsJob ListingsInfluencer Marketing
Your Email
We will come back to you within 24 hours with our proporsal
