According to Klara Šimáčková Laurenčíková, the human rights commissioner for the Czech Republic and national coordinator for the adaptation and integration of refugees, there are around 30,000 Ukrainian children living in the Czech Republic without adult accompaniment. Some of these children live in children’s homes and require more support and integration from Czech authorities and organizations. Experts recommend providing places in schools for these young people, expanding the availability of Czech language education and leisure-time activities. The PAQ Research agency conducted a survey at the end of last year, which found that 46% of Ukrainian youths attended secondary schools and 90% of Ukrainian children went to primary schools in the Czech Republic. Šimáčková Laurenčíková considers this group to be especially vulnerable because they lack bonds to the community and broader family support networks. The government must stay in touch with this group and offer them support and assistance if needed. Most of the Ukrainian youths leaving for the Czech Republic alone are over 15 years old and are granted temporary protection visas upon arrival, which give them access to education and healthcare. Social workers from the child protection section register unaccompanied minors upon arrival, collect data about their accommodation, and...
Roma communities in the Czech Republic face discrimination in many areas, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said after her visit to the country on Monday. According to the commissioner, there were some positive developments but problems remain in education, housing, employment and interaction with the police. For example, the country should ensure that children of all backgrounds, including Roma children or children with disabilities, can learn together and should not be separated. “The Czech Republic should spare no effort to address the long-standing problem of the exclusion of Roma people and people with disabilities, and to ensure that they can live in equality and dignity,” Mijatović said on Monday. Moreover, the Commissioner warn against the different treatment of Roma refugees coming to the Czech Republic from Ukraine. While Ukrainian people fleeing from the country found housing or employment quite easily, Roma Ukrainians faced severe obstacles. According to the Council of Europe statement, the treatment of Roma Ukrainians “highlighted the deep-rooted prejudices against Roma that still exist in Czech society.” After the outbreak of the war, hundreds of Ukrainian-Romani people asked for help in the Czech Republic. Some of them returned to Ukraine, others found a place...
Czech mobile operator Vodafone raised the price of its ‘lump-sum mobile services’ on Monday, 27 February, by an average of 9%. The company announced the move a month ago. Vodafone described the measure as forced, dictated by rising electricity costs. The hike affected both new and existing clients, not only individuals but legal entities as well. At the same time, the operator assured customers who are currently receiving any personal discounts that they will be preserved and taken into account in the price adjustment. The increase in price only affected mobile tariffs. The prices of cable internet, pre-paid phone cards, and other services remain the same.”
Local authorities in the Czech city of Ostrava have announced a competition for the design of what will become the first skyscraper in the Czech Republic after original plans failed to meet building standards. Architects are being encouraged to submit their design proposals for Ostrava Tower, a building that will be approximately 175 meters tall and the tallest building in the Czech Republic. “We now consider the architectural competition to be the only way to find a permanent and high-quality solution for the city,” declared Ostrava Mayor Tomáš Macura on Monday. “Today we approved the matter at the council, after about a year of negotiating the terms. The investor informed us in about April 2022 that the original form of the building was unfeasible for him, due to the founding conditions and the economics of the construction,” said Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová. The result of the competition is expected by June 2024, and the application for the issuance of a permit must then be submitted to the building authority for approval. The initial design included a public lookout point at the top of the building along with a restaurant. It planned to contain both commercial and residential elements including offices,...
A rare aurora was visible in northern Bohemia late on Sunday evening and should be even more pronounced on the night from Monday to Tuesday, according to astronomer Petr Horálek. The rare sight in the night sky was caused by a geomagnetic storm from the Sun’s activity. The aurora could be seen with a naked eye both in Czechia and Slovakia. “Particles from this eruption are still flying towards us and will hit the Earth in the next hours to tens of hours,” meteorologist Martin Adamovsky explained to CNN Prima NEWS. According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), the flare could therefore be even more pronounced on Tuesday night, but it depends on other factors. “Anything can happen, the glow can be weak or it can come at five o’clock in the morning, then it would be visible in the United States, but not here. But there is a chance, and it is not small,” Adamovský added. If the glow is strong, it should be visible over the horizon almost all over the Czech Republic, but people in more northern regions will have better conditions. “To observe it, you generally need the darkest sky possible, i.e. outside cities. The further...
On February 25, 1948, the Communist Party, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, marking the onset of four decades of undisguised communist rule in the country. After World War II through May 1946 After World War II, Czechoslovakia looked favorably on the Russians, who had liberated them. In fact, the Communist Party had had a solid following in the country from the 1920s, when the nation was democratic. Eduard Beneš, who became the postwar president, had signed a friendship treaty with the Soviets while working with the government-in-exile in 1943. The Czechoslovak army and local government structure were modeled after those in the USSR. By the beginning of 1946, there was no USSR military presence in the country, yet Communists were well-represented in the government with Klement Gottwald as the Prime Minister and other Communists looking after the ministries of the interior, agriculture, information, defense, and education. The results of the May 1946 elections demonstrated the popularity of the Party, as it nabbed 38 percent of the vote. The Communist Party’s popularity drops From May 1946 until July 1947, things seemed to be running smoothly in Czechoslovakia. Then the nation wanted to obtain Marshall Aid....
“Back then, before World War II, Hitler behaved in exactly the same way as Putin is behaving now with regard to Ukraine,” the ex-general said at a pro-Ukraine demonstration in Prague on Saturday evening. Czech President-elect Petr Pavel has drawn parallels between the actions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler. “Back then, before World War II, Hitler behaved in exactly the same way as Putin is behaving now with regard to Ukraine,” the ex-general said at a pro-Ukraine demonstration in Prague on Saturday evening, according to Czech News Agency (CTK). Pavel said Hitler abused the German minority in the Sudeten territories of what was then Czechoslovakia to stir up emotions and incite violence. Nazi Germany annexed the predominantly German-populated Sudeten territories under the Munich Agreement of September 1938. A few months later, in March 1939, its forces invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. World War II finally broke out with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1 that year. The rally was attended by several personalities. Among the speakers was Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, the British, German and US ambassadors to Prague and Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires Vitaly Usatyj. It was organized by the civic association Million Moments for Democracy, Memory of the Nation, the Ukrainian Embassy and the Gift for Putin initiative. Pavel...
On February 25, 2018, Milion chvilek pro demokracii (lit. ‘A Million Moments for Democracy’) was conceived as a petition for Andrej Babiš’ resignation from parliament, arguing that someone under criminal investigation should not be allowed to hold the position of Prime Minister. Although they fell short of their goal for one million signatures, the organization has continued to maintain a strong civic presence within the Czech republic, urging for greater accountability in government and greater civic participation. They are predominantly funded through private donations and fundraisers. We met Hana Strašáková, spokesperson for Milion chvilek pro demokracii. “Over the five years of our activity, we have gathered know-how on how to talk to those who do not vote for democratic political parties and who do not agree with Million of Moments. … Our goal will undoubtedly be to unite all the people who care about the future of our country. And that will undoubtedly require a greater focus on non-urban citizens.” Earlier this year, Petr Pavel was elected President of the Czech Republic after two rounds of voting,receiving 35.40% of votes in the first round and 58.31% in the second. Prior to being elected President, Petr Pavel served as the Chairman...
Czechia hosts the most Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status per population among European Union nations, Eurostat data shows. By the end of last year, there were over 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status on European Union territory. Among them, one-half stayed in Germany and Poland, roughly one quarter in each, followed by Czechia, which had an 11% share. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February last year, the EU decided to activate for the first time rules that enabled refugees to get temporary protection – a mechanism that gives access to public health insurance, education and the labour market. EU countries even decided to prolong the temporary protection scheme until March 2024 due to continued fighting in Ukraine, despite it initially being set to end in March this year. Germany and Poland granted temporary protection status to 968,000 and 961,000 Ukrainian refugees at the end of last year, while Czechia granted 432 000, Eurostat data shows. According to the most recent data from the Interior Ministry, about 500,000 war refugees from Ukraine have secured temporary protection visas in Czechia. The ministry also estimated at the end of 2022 that, about one-fifth of refugees had already returned...
Data provided by the Czech National Tourist Board reveals that a total of 19.5 million tourists visited the Czech Republic last year, thus marking an increase of 71 per cent compared to 2021. In spite of such an increase, the number of tourists is still 12 per cent less than before the pandemic. Compared to 2019, the Czech Republic welcomed nine per cent more domestic tourists in 2022. At the same time, amongst the number of travellers that the country hosted 12.1 or 62.2 per cent of Czech were female tourists, and 7.3 million or 37.8 per cent were foreign visitors. Aside from Czechs, the largest number of tourists consisted of Germans, Slovaks and Poles. In this regard, the director of the Czech National Tourist Board Jan Herget said that as far as internal tourism is concerned, it was led by local tourists, where last year 12,109,732 of them traveled around the country, which means nine per cent more than 2019. “Last year, Germans, Slovaks and Poles visited us the most. However, tourists from Asia were still missing. We are working on long-distance direct flight connections with Asia, the first “swallow” means the resumption of direct flights Prague – Seoul...
The Czech Republic has disclosed the amount and type of military aid provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The assistance includes tanks, light armored vehicles, artillery, and ammunition. According to the Czech government, military aid provided to Ukraine totals 10 billion Czech crowns, with an additional 30 billion crowns worth of arms and equipment transferred from the Czech defense industry. This marks the first time the government has reported in such detail on the amount of military aid given to Kyiv, including cooperation between the state and private companies. “The first delivery we organized took place 14 days after the invasion began, and in this way, we showed others that it is possible and that this is the right way,” stated Fiala, a Czech politician. The list of military aid provided to Ukraine includes 89 tanks, 226 other armored vehicles, and 38 howitzers. About a third of this weaponry came from the country’s military stockpiles. In addition, six air defense systems and four helicopters were handed over to Ukraine. The Czech defense industry also supplied Ukraine’s Defense Forces with 33 multiple rocket launchers (MLRS), and half a million units of ammunition, including 60,000 missiles for MLRS....
Czech crowdfunding initiative Gift for Putin (Dárek pro Putina) started a campaign to collect money for a mobile rocket launcher and 365 rockets to help Ukraine prepare for the spring counteroffensive. The campaign has already collected CZK 2 million in donations just hours after its start. “You sent CZK 2 million in four hours from the start of the collection for Přemysl. No previous collection had such a massive start. Thank you very much. Every koruna helps kick those murderous scoundrels in the backside,” the fundraising organizers said on Twitter. The money is newly being collected by the Gift for Putin group, which will pass it to the Ukrainian embassy after the whole required sum is collected. In the past, a tank and an air defence system were bought within the Gift for Putin campaign launched by entrepreneur Dalibor Dedek last May and held under the aegis of the Defence Ministry. Za 4 hodiny od spuštění sbírky na Přemysla (raketomet RM-70) jste poslali 2 000 000 korun.😍 Žádná předchozí sbírka neměla takhle masivní začátek… 👏Moc děkujeme. 🫡 Každá koruna pomáhá, těm …… lůmpům vrahounskejm nakopat ….. pozadí. 🇨🇿❤️🇺🇦 https://t.co/RyCyPqJczC pic.twitter.com/HAqtj32hmB — Dárek pro Putina (@DarPutinovi) February 20, 2023 According to...
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