A village priest in the Czech Republic has issued an apology to local children after he was seen stomping on Halloween pumpkins near his church in Kurdejov, a village in South Moravia known for its winemaking. Father Jaromir Smejkal admitted to destroying the carved pumpkins on two consecutive days in a local park. He expressed regret for his actions in an open letter addressed to the mayor and posted on the village’s Facebook page. Father Smejkal explained that he had taken the drastic step because he believed the pumpkins were symbols of the “satanic feast of ‘Halloween'” and felt it was his duty as a priest and protector of the children in his care to remove these symbols. He claimed he was unaware that the pumpkins had been carved by children participating in Halloween festivities organized by the village. In his letter, Father Smejkal criticized Halloween as a tradition originating from a “heathen, contemporary world,” which he viewed as a contrast to the Catholic observance of All Souls’ Day. Despite his explanation, some local children were reportedly left in tears upon discovering that their creations had been destroyed. New pumpkins were placed in the park, but they too were found...
In 2022, the Czech Republic experienced an unprecedented surge in demand for gender reassignment surgery, with 208 residents applying for the procedure. This marked a 6% increase from the previous year, setting a historic record for the country. According to Ondřej Jakob, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, a meticulous medical commission diligently evaluated these applications, with only one being rejected. Detailed statistics for the year will be published by the ministry at a later date. The number of individuals seeking gender reassignment in the Czech Republic has been steadily rising. To provide context, a mere 13 applications were submitted in 2012. Experts attribute this uptick to several factors, including the influence of social media, enhanced sexual education, and a society increasingly embracing tolerance. Gender reassignment is no longer a taboo topic; instead, it is openly discussed, facilitating quicker identification of issues and empowering people to seek solutions without fear. The relatively low cost of the procedure also plays a pivotal role in residents’ decisions to pursue gender reassignment. State medical insurance covers the expenses related to the surgery itself and necessary examinations. Patients are only responsible for certain hormonal treatments and cosmetic enhancements, such as depilation or breast implants....
In a devastating turn of events, a 22-year-old Czech citizen, Oran Elfasi, was tragically caught in the crosshairs of the recent Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Daniel Drake has confirmed the news, adding that the man was a Czech-Israeli dual citizen who was visiting his girlfriend in Israel and was killed in an attack in kibbutz Nirim. “They should have shot him with a bullet right through the window,” she said. It took more than a week before it was discovered that Elfasi was also a Czech citizen. He was on a list of missing Israeli citizens. The man’s relatives were from Ostrava. “According to what we traced, the great-grandmother and great-grandfather were from Ostrava,” said the Czech Ambassador to Tel Aviv Veronika Kuchyňová Šmigolová. Dozens of people from several other foreign countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Argentina, Brazil and Thailand, have also lost their lives in the Hamas attack and the subsequent shelling by Israel of the Gaza Strip. Oran Elfasi se zasazoval o mír, chtěl trávit čas se svou přítelkyní a rozhodně nechtěl, aby v Izraeli nebo Gaze umírali civilisté. Upřímnou soustrast rodině tohoto česko-izraelského mladíka. Jeho příběh budiž další z připomínek, proč...
On the eve of Czechoslovakia’s split, the population of Prague was reported to be around 1.2 million. In 2021, three decades later, the population remained about the same, at 1.28 million. Could that mean the global growth in population is not affecting Czechia’s capital? According to the Prague Institute of Planning and Development, it is estimated to be quite the opposite in the long term. Instead of stagnation as witnessed in the past thirty years, the next thirty will see a significant increase in the number of Prague inhabitants. By 2050, the population is expected to increase to 1.7 million, with about 400,000 more residents. In relation to other European cities, Prague’s growth has been considered to be ‘above-average’ in recent years, and the most progressive out of all the former Eastern bloc cities. “Future development will be influenced primarily by population migration, which applies to cities in general. Every year, nine thousand more people move to Prague than leave. In addition, two and a half thousand more children are born in Prague every year than people that pass away,” said Marek Vácha, spokesperson for the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) Despite worries regarding global overpopulation given that the...
In exciting news for furniture enthusiasts, IKEA is set to make waves in the Czech Republic yet again. Following their September announcement of price reductions on over three thousand of their most sought-after products, the company is poised to unveil even more wallet-friendly prices this week, according to reports from Seznam Zpravy. Clients have long noted disparities in IKEA’s pricing structures across European countries, with Czech customers often opting to travel to neighboring nations for more affordable options. In response, IKEA took a significant step last September by reducing prices by an impressive average of over 8 percent on a wide selection of items. Remarkably, this move transformed the once-costliest Kallax shelf in Central Europe into the most budget-friendly choice in the Czech Republic. Despite speculation that these changes were prompted by inter-country price discrepancies, David McCabe, the head of IKEA in the Czech Republic, has refuted these claims. While acknowledging the variations in pricing, McCabe explained that these differences stem from diverse local conditions, ranging from market size and transportation expenses to taxes and energy costs. However, regardless of the underlying reasons, Czech shoppers can eagerly anticipate a new round of reductions this week. McCabe emphasized the company’s commitment...
Beer lovers beware: climate change could soon make the world’s most popular alcoholic drink much more bitter. Climate change could soon be altering the quality of hops used to make beer which will then alter the flavor, according to a new study published Tuesday in Nature. European beer-producing regions are projected to experience up to an 18% reduction in their yield of traditional aroma hops by 2050 and up to a 31% reduction in hop acids that are key for bitter flavoring, researchers found. Beer is the world’s third most widely consumed beverage, after water and tea, and is the world’s most popular alcoholic drink, according to the paper. The cultivation of high-quality aroma hops is restricted to a relatively select number of regions with suitable climate and environmental conditions — posing a risk that production could be affected by rising global temperatures. Hops are considered a model crop in these regions, and it is “fairly difficult” to grow them elsewhere, Mirek Trnka, a bio climatologist at the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and one of the authors of the paper. The researchers collected data on beer hop yields and alpha content between 1971 and 2018...
Germany is expected to notify the EU about plans to introduce fixed border checks on the Polish, Czech Republic and Swiss borders. Previously, this had only been possible at the Austrian frontier. The German Interior Ministry is expected to register fixed border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland with the European Commission in light of a high number of refugees entering Germany. The intention of the checks is to more effectively fight against people smugglers and to detect and stop unauthorized entries. What we know so far According to government sources, the necessary notification in Brussels was being prepared on Monday. The plan is an extension of police checks directly at the border in place at the border with Austria since 2015. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had long rejected permanent fixed contro points, citing, among other things, the effects on commuters and freight transport. The norm in the EU’s Schengen Zone is for open borders but with police reserving the right to check anybody crossing at random, but not at set checkpoints. Interior ministers of the eastern German states of Brandenburg and Saxony have pressed Faeser to implement fixed checks. Germany had introduced additional controls at border...
Czechs’ support for the temporary stay of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic has declined in recent months, according to research by the STEM agency. 51% of respondents considered it right for the Czech Republic to continue giving refuge to Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion, 5% less than in June. The number of people who think the Ukrainian refugees are an asset to the Czech Republic has not changed. As in the summer, around a quarter of citizens hold this view, and similarly, those thinking that Ukrainian refugees should be given the opportunity to stay in the Czech Republic after the end of the war remain at two-fifths. Some 54% of respondents said their attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees have remained basically unchanged since the start of the war in February 2022. On the contrary, 43% stated that their attitudes towards them had become more negative. Almost no-one said their attitudes had improved, the researchers added. The survey also assessed how the Czech state has dealt with the arrival of people fleeing Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. Authorities and institutions in the Czech Republic were given an average grade of 3.2, with a quarter of people giving...
During a press conference held on Tuesday, the representatives of the Pirates unveiled their vision for the implementation of eDocuments. This innovation aims to enable individuals to verify their identity through a mobile app on their smartphones, replacing the conventional plastic identification card. It allows people to selectively share personal data during verification processes, enhancing both privacy and security. The scheduled launch of this project is slated for early next year, though it will not be valid for international use. Jakub Michálek, the leader of the Pirate MPs, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “eDocuments is a highly promising endeavor, set to be introduced in January 2024.” Ivan Bartos, Minister for Regional Development and Digitalisation, described eDocuments as a “standard mobile application” that can be easily downloaded, and utilized. The primary advantage of eDocuments over traditional ID cards lies in the ability to selectively disclose information during identity verification. For instance, when confirming one’s age at a restaurant, only proof of legal adulthood, without revealing residence or date of birth, is necessary, as Bartoš clarified. Enhanced security is another noteworthy feature, with the app offering biometric authentication options, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, alongside the option to set...
The so-called ‘máničky’ represented the spirit of freedom and resistance to the authoritarian regime “Better late than never”, some might say upon learning that the Czech Supreme Court has overturned a verdict from 1966, which sentenced 14 young men for protesting the forced cutting of their hair by the police. Back in the 1960s Czechoslovakia was part of the Communist-ruled Eastern bloc of Europe, which resulted in a serious curtailment of personal, collective and economic freedoms for the people living there. Government control extended even into things like fashion and grooming. Long hair worn by men was seen as a decadent influence by the West and a political statement of resistance and opposition. In a sense, it was. That decade was a cultural transformation milestone in many countries and the influence of new ideas, music and youth culture permeated even through the Iron Curtain. The Czech government, however, responded harshly against this budding counter-culture movement by instituting a series of measures, such as the prohibition of long-haired men to ride on public transport, enter cinemas, theatres or pubs. This culminated in a campaign, which had police chase and arrest such males, known as “máničky” (a derogatory term likening them to girls) and...
In September, the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic held steady at 3.6 percent, mirroring the figures from August. The number of people actively seeking employment increased by approximately 2,200 on a monthly basis, totaling 263,000 by the end of September. The number of available job positions rose by around 800, reaching 282,000 compared to the previous month. In a year-on-year comparison, the unemployment rate was slightly higher by one-tenth of a percentage point. The Czech Republic boasts the lowest unemployment rate across the entire European Union. Earlier this year, unemployment had steadily declined to 3.4 percent between March and June. However, there was a slight uptick in July following four months of decline, which continued into August. During September, 47,778 new individuals registered with the Labour Office, marking a 13,135 increase compared to the previous month. The Labour Office reported that 31,326 individuals secured new employment opportunities, with many finding jobs in the education wholesale trade, healthcare, public administration, metal construction, and food products sectors. The highest unemployment rates persisted in the Ústí nad Labem region at 5.6 percent and the Moravian-Silesian region at 4.9 percent. Conversely, the lowest unemployment rate was recorded in the South Bohemian Region at...
On the night of Sunday, 8th October, the Czech Republic’s Giant Mountains witnessed the first snowfall of the season. Temperatures dropped below freezing early in the morning, creating powdery patches above 1,100 meters. Weather experts assure that this snowy episode is temporary, expecting a return to warmer weather in the coming days. The snowfall is the result of a recent cold front passing over the Czech Republic, which brought temperatures below zero degrees Celsius to areas of high elevation in the country. Compared to previous years, the snowfall arrived later. Last year, the first snowfall occurred on 18th September, and in 2021, it was on 12th October. Temperatures on Sněžka reached as low as minus one degree Celsius this morning, but weather conditions on the mountain can change dramatically. Shortly before 4:00 a.m., the measuring station at the mountain’s summit reported a temperature of nearly eight degrees above zero. In addition to Sněžka and the Krkonoše Mountains, temperatures are also low enough for snow to fall in Czechia’s Jeseníky Mountains. However, meteorologists note that the snow is unlikely to accumulate on the ground. While the Giant Mountains enjoy their snowy makeover, the rest of the country continues its autumnal transition,...
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