News

Flavoured Tobacco to Disappear from Czech Shops in Less Than a Month

The European Commission will enforce a ban on the sale of flavored, heated tobacco in shops starting on October 23rd. Sales have significantly increased in at least five EU countries. The ban is part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan which aims to create a tobacco-free generation, where less than 5% of the population will use tobacco products by 2040, compared to around 25% today. The regulation issued by the European Union last year “prohibits the placing on the market of tobacco products with a characterizing flavor and tobacco products containing flavorings in any of their components on the EU market.” “I’m not happy about it. I am very much in favor of a harm reduction approach, i.e., risk reduction for tobacco as well. I’m a bit worried that people will revert to regular cigarettes because of this regulation,” said National Drugs Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil in an interview with Novinky.cz. Additionally, some EU countries are considering investigating disposable flavored e-cigarettes and banning their sale. The Health Ministry has recently conducted inspections on these products. “Health inspectors checked the labeling of unit packs for a total of 397 disposable electronic cigarettes. Out of these, 165 products failed to comply with the labeling...

 by Prague Morning Oct 02, 2023

Žižkov Freight Station is About to Undergo a Major Transformation

The freight station in Žižkov (nákladové nádraží Žižkov) is on the verge of a significant transformation. As one of Prague’s largest brownfield sites, the former freight station is undergoing development into a modern district that will offer various services along with housing options. Prague 3 councilors have already endorsed a contract with the development company Penta Real Estate. Other developers are either currently building or planning to build on the freight station site. Together, they will contribute CZK 1.5 billion to the city’s public infrastructure. Finep – one of the largest developers in the Czech Republic – is planning a new project, named U Staré cihelny, that will feature approximately 1,200 flats and 1,110 parking spaces. The project includes non-residential premises, a new five-class kindergarten, and an office building. Meanwhile, Penta Real Estate’s project, called Rezidence Nádraží Žižkov, will offer a total of 530 flats, 10 non-residential units, and 700 parking spaces. The developer will also contribute nearly CZK 100 million to the construction of public amenities. “The brownfield in Žižkov has been under discussion for almost 20 years, with limited progress. However, in recent years, significant strides have been made, and currently, we stand at the threshold of substantial change....

 by Prague Morning Oct 02, 2023

Slovakia Elections: Pro-Russia Party Wins Vote but Needs Allies for Coalition

Former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s leftist-populist Smer party won Saturday’s election in Slovakia after promising to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, to block Kyiv’s potential NATO membership and to oppose sanctions on Russia. With 98 percent of ballots counted in the country of 5.5 million people, Smer had 23.4 percent of the vote, ahead of the liberal, Western-oriented Progressive Slovakia by nearly seven percentage points and almost 200,000 votes. The election winner gets the first chance to form a majority in the 150-seat parliament. Fico’s campaign has raised alarm across the Continent amid fears that he will shift Slovakia to the anti-Ukraine camp alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Fico has taken a very pro-Moscow stance, vowing to end arms deliveries to Kyiv and opposing sanctions even as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues after a year and a half. Despite Slovakia’s profound polarization, Fico is in a strong position to return to power with the support of Hlas (Voice), a social-democratic party that split from Smer. Hlas finished third with 15 percent in Saturday’s vote. Saturday’s ballot has been viewed as pivotal to Slovakia’s future, not only due to Fico’s vows to abandon aid to Ukraine, but...

 by Prague Morning Oct 01, 2023

Prague Airport Unveils Ambitious Plans: Vertiports, Electric Car Charging, and a… Waterfall!

While the Prague airport can boast the fifth best in Europe Google rate (with a 4.3 out of 5 rating from more than 20,000 user reviews) and a high ranking from the International Airport Association, there is still ample room for improvement. “Surveys indicate that passengers in Prague lack the ‘wow effect.’ The airport feels sterile. So, we are considering ways to incorporate artworks or exhibitions in the space to provide passengers, who have the time, with an additional experience,” explains Jiří Pos, chairman of the board of Prague Airport. That “wow” factor could be elicited by, for example, a waterfall featured in a special video that the airport plans to release on Tuesday during a press conference about its upcoming investments. “The waterfall could become one of the future landmarks; it already enhances airports in Singapore and Doha, for instance. While airport operations, shops, and restaurants are crucial, we aim to focus more on enhancing the beauty of the remaining spaces,” Pos stated. Currently, the airport is attempting to combat the unwelcome sterility with a few so-called green walls and living trees in the terminals’ corners. In October, a 3D portrait of Václav Havel will also be displayed. In...

 by Prague Morning Sep 30, 2023

Czech Senate Commemorates 85th Anniversary of Signing of Munich Agreement

The Czech Senate commemorated the 85th anniversary of the signing of the Munich Agreement on Friday, with Senate President Miloš Vystrčil and his predecessors Petr Pithart and Přemysl Sobotka giving speeches. When Germany, France, Britain and Italy signed the Munich Agreement in the early hours of September 30, 1938, the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, where mostly ethnic Germans lived along the Czech borders. The treaty also enabled Germany to take over Czechoslovakia, which they did officially on March 15, 1939. Notably, Czechoslovakia was not represented at the conference that decided that country’s fate. The agreement is viewed in hindsight as a failed attempt to avoid war with Nazi Germany. The Sudeten Germans speak out After World War I, borders had been drawn within the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, and these borders had triggered resentment and local conflicts. The German minority in post-World War I Czechoslovakia had yearned to become independent, not satisfied with its status in Czechoslovakia between the wars. When Germany annexed the Sudetenland, the majority of the 3.5 million Germans living there were ecstatic. By 1935 Konrad Henlein, a Sudeten German himself had built his pro-Nazi Sudetenland German Party (SDP) into the second largest political party in Czechoslovakia. Much...

 by Prague Morning Sep 29, 2023

Anniversary: Church of St. Ludmila Has Dominated Vinohrady for 130 Years

The three-aisle basilica which was built using the plans of the architect Josef Mocker features two 60 metre-high towers with an opulent staircase. It is a typical North German Neo-Gothic church and it has been 130 years since its consecration on 8th October. The church was consecrated roughly five years after its construction work started. Its foundation stone was laid down on 25 November 1888. The building came into existence fairly quickly and was financed by the Vinohrady town itself. Its importance increased after the visit of the emperor Franz Joseph I and the Viennese administration office decided to contribute to its construction as well. The Association for Church of St. Ludmila at Královské Vinohrady also provided a great support throughout. The paintings and ornaments on the walls are by Johann Jobst. The interior and exterior artwork was made by famous artists of the times such as sculptors Josef Václav Myslbek, František Hergessel, and Antonín Procházka, or painters František Ženíšek and Adolf Liebscher. Events The 130th anniversary is associated with a series of celebratory events jointly organized by the Prague 2 Municipal District, the Roman Catholic parish of St. Ludmila’s Church, and the Friends of St. Ludmila’s Basilica in Prague....

 by Prague Morning Sep 29, 2023

Signal Festival to Light Up the Galleries: Seven Venues Will Present Unique Installations!

The eleventh edition of Signal Festival will present the largest-ever gallery zone at seven Prague venues, prepared by a new curatorial team led by audiovisual artist Pavel Mrkus. The unique installations will focus primarily on exploring the boundaries of audiovisual and digital art using new technologies such as AR, 3D scanning technology or original sound and light systems. During the four days of the festival, it will feature unique works by Mexican-Canadian multimedia artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Polish creative studio Ksawery Komputery and Spanish audiovisual collective Playmodes, among others. This year, Signal will once again build on its successful collaborations with Laterna Magika and Kunsthalle Praha and celebrate its centenary together with Czech Radio. Visitors can explore the full programme of the gallery zone with a Signal Plus ticket, while Signal VIP allows them to visit the gallery privately, without queuing or waiting. The Signal Festival will kick off on 12th October and run until Sunday 15th October. The largest gallery zone in the festival’s history 4 days of the festival, 20 installations, 7 of them in the gallery zone. This will be the 11th Signal Festival, which will present the largest gallery zone in its history. This year’s programme will...

 by Prague Morning Sep 29, 2023

Prague Horrortheater Unveils English Premiere of ‘Master of the Trapdoors’ – A Phantom of the Opera

For this Halloween, “The Prague Horrortheater” company will stage one of their most successful and acclaimed plays as an English language Premiere: Master of the Trapdoors – The Story of the Phantom of the Opera, a One-Man-Show that completely leaves out the occurrences of the novel itself. Instead, they begin with an unusual premise: The Phantom of the Opera dies. Practical info: Master of the Trapdoors – 20. and 21. October (with more performances to follow), 20:00 at New Visions Theater, Na Celné 508/3 Tickets here Erik, the man behind the mask, tells the audience in his last hours of an eventful life – his time with traveling gypsies, the pirates of Southeast Asia and assassins in India, as a magician in Russia, an architect at the court of the Shah of Persia, serving the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and also recounting the Franco-Prussian War, the Paris Commune and the retreat into his own morbid refuge deep in the cellars of the Paris Opera. So it’s not quite the story someone how only knows the more kitschy adaptations would be familiar with. And they will go a step further to once again defy audiences expectations, as the Actor playing Erik,...

 by Cara Stevenson Sep 27, 2023

Czech Government Approves Plan to Buy 24 F-35 Jets

The Czech government has approved a plan to buy 24 F-35 fighter jets, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday, as the army seeks to boost its capabilities and work more easily alongside NATO allies. Fiala said the first aircraft would be ready in 2029 and the rest by 2035. “It is an effective solution,” Fiala said. “[The jet] is a system that has a longer perspective than other types of aircraft.” Fiala added that the purchase of the Czech military sends “a message to our allies that we take the defense of our country seriously and that they can rely on us.” Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said the state will pay 150 billion crowns by 2034, which includes 44 billion for base upgrades in the Czech Republic along with fuel, staff training and taxes. The chief of the general staff, Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, said that the new jets would ensure “that in the case of need, we’ll manage to effectively defend ourselves against aggression, together with our allies.” It will be the biggest defence contract ever signed by Czechia. In June, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of F-35 jets, munitions and related equipment to the Czech...

 by Sarah Duchêne Sep 27, 2023

Signal Festival: Get to Know This Year’s International Program Stars

At the Signal Festival, every year we try to present the best of the domestic and international art scene and support all the promising artists. As a part of the 11th Signal Festival, you can look forward to seven leading representatives of the contemporary international new media scene. The international program of Signal Festival 2023 is supported by the PPF Foundation, which is committed to greater involvement of Czech culture in the international context and believes that it is important to enrich our art scene with inspiration from the world. Who can you look forward to? Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer will be the biggest foreign star of the 11th edition. His interactive work Thermal Drift, which will be on display at Lyčkovo Square, takes the body temperature of visitors through thermal cameras and converts it into a dynamic large-format projection. In addition to being the observers of the installation, the viewers also become the creators of their own portraits.   Prague will also host the Norwegian-Portuguese studio Entangled Others projecting microorganisms generated by artificial intelligence in videos called Sediment Nodes in Karlín. The Gallery Zone will also present the Spanish audiovisual studio Playmodes, with the largest installation of this year’s edition, reaching 25 meters in length and over 12 meters in width,...

 by Prague Morning Sep 27, 2023

Taxi Service at Václav Havel Airport Prague Is Now Provided by Uber

Fixed fares quoted in advance, 24/7 service availability, and a fleet of (at the maximum) up to five-year-old mainly upper middle-class cars – such are the commitments of the new taxi service provider at Václav Havel Airport Prague, Uber, that has launched its operations today and already served its first customers. Uber won the concession procedure entered by two bidders. The launch of the winner’s activities was originally scheduled in the spring. However, the unsuccessful tenderer filed an appeal with the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Czech Republic, which made it impossible for the airport to finalise the tender process, temporarily blocking it. At the beginning of September, the Antimonopoly Office confirmed that Prague Airport had set the parameters of the concession procedure in accordance with the law, just as it performed the selection of the winning bidder, which became Uber. Based on the contractual conditions, the service provider is obliged to: Quote the final price before each ride, which will be calculated by their software. The resulting fare must not exceed the agreed price, even when changing the route or waiting in a traffic jam. Ensure 24/7 service availability. Operate a fleet of (at the...

 by Prague Morning Sep 26, 2023

Official: Germany Will Impose Checks on Borders with the Czech Republic

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will announce temporary checks on Germany’s borders with Poland and the Czech Republic in an attempt to curb an influx of asylum seekers. Faeser plans to announce “temporary controls at selected border crossings” on Wednesday, according to the official. The checks, the official added, will begin “within the next days.” German leaders have come under increasing pressure to crack down on asylum seekers entering the country, many of whom are now crossing over the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic. Some 204,000 people requested asylum in Germany within the first eight months of 2023, 77 percent more than the same period last year. Fiala: Czechia prepared to protect EU borders but rejects redistribution of refugees Czechia is prepared to help protect the EU’s external borders, but rejects the mandatory redistribution of refugees between EU countries, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after a half-hour meeting with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her visit to Prague on Tuesday. He dubbed mandatory redistribution “inhumane and dysfunctional”, adding that reducing the number of economic refugees by protecting the borders is a better solution than trying to deal with the subsequent problems that arise from mass migration.

 by Gabriella Burgess Sep 26, 2023