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. Up to a fifth of Czech companies are considering laying off staff to make up for rising energy costs. The rise in energy prices has affected enterprises with a high consumption, such as glass making companies, ceramics manufacturers, steel producers and food producers particularly badly. ‘Il Boemo’, a film about the life of Czech composer Josef Mysliveček, will be released in cinemas tomorrow. The film was shot in the Czech Republic and Italy in a Czech-Italian-Slovak co-production. The lower house of Czech parliament yesterday approved an increase in the 2022 state budget deficit to CZK 375 billion, which is CZK 45 billion more than the increase proposed by the government and CZK 95 billion more than the deficit of the original budget passed in February. Prominent Russian historian Andrey Zubov, forced out of the country in late September, has come to Brno where he will give lectures at Masaryk University. Zubov is one of the Russian intellectuals who are opposed to the ruling regime there. He will give classes on Russian history...
Students from Masaryk University in Brno are asking for “gender-neutral” toilets. They published a petition “Gender-neutral toilets at Masaryk University”, which was signed by 340 people by Tuesday. The representatives and people behind the petition do not want to replace the binary toilets, but want to add or change some existing toilets to neutral. “Students who identify as non-binary are in the worst situation,” the petition reads. “Students often find themselves unable to find restrooms designated for their gender, which can result in uncomfortable situations and have a negative impact on their health,” the petition reads, adding that students who identify as non-binary are in the worst situation. “Meeting physiological needs is more than important for effective work on campus, which is why proximity and appropriate labeling of restrooms is also very important to us,” the student petition points out. “One of the bad examples we want to change is the illogical location of the men’s toilets in the Art Department (opposite classroom 13), most of whose students are women,” the petition concludes. Gender-neutral toilets are becoming increasingly ‘popular’ across Europe. Zurich, Switzerland, for example, plans to introduce up to one third of gender-neutral toilets in new school buildings. All...
The first one-way ticket for the Paris metro began to be valid on July 19, 1900 at 13:00. It cost just 25 centimes in old money and gave the passenger a seat in first class. Now the iconic paper ticket costs 1.90 euros, or about 47 crowns. However, the city has decided to replace it entirely with smart cards or mobile phones as part of the modernisation from 2025. Gradual digitization The abolition of paper tickets in Prague is only in the distant horizon. At least according to Daniel Šabík, head of communications at the transport company. “We are not planning to stop selling paper tickets overnight. However, within the framework of distribution channels, we will go the way of further gradual digitalization," Šabík tells Metro daily, according to which, for example, contactless terminals are already being installed in city buses.” “The first of them should start working in November and by the end of this year all our buses will be equipped with them. By the end of this year, we plan to launch a pilot project in which coupons, including annual coupons, could be purchased cashlessly in ticket machines. And of course, we want to further strengthen purchases...
The largest rail carrier in the Czech Republic, České dráhy, has announced an increase in average fares of 15% starting December 11. The company attributed the price increase to rising energy costs in the Czech Republic. This is the sharpest increase in the last fifteen years. Tickets at current prices will be available until December 10 with a deferred validity of up to two months. For people who use trains regularly, this means being able to use the old fares until early February. “We are trying to keep the price increase below the level of inflation even though the costs, which are critical for rail transport, have risen much more than that,” Frantisek Emelka of the Czech Ministry of Transport told IDNES. With the new prices, the cost of a 10-kilometer ticket will increase by 4 crowns to 31 crowns. Up to 45 km will go up by 12 crowns – up to 92 crowns, while up to 100 km will go up by 25 crowns – to 188 crowns. The price of the so-called “Ticket for Summer” – a pass that allows passengers to travel without restrictions around the country – will also increase significantly. It will go up...
Día de Muertos is a holiday full of colour, skeletons, dancing, music and good cheer. This tradition is so culturally rich and exceptional that UNESCO included it in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. You can enjoy the Mexican Souls on 25 and 26 October at the Klementinum Gallery. There will be a traditional floral altar, guided tours and if you come themed, you can even take part in the Miss Catrina election. History of Day of the Dead The ancient indigenous people of Mexico have practiced rituals celebrating the lives of past ancestors for around 3,000 years. The celebration that is now known as Day of the Dead originally landed on the ninth month of the Aztec calendar and was observed for the entire month. In the 20th century, the month long festivities were condensed to 3 days called The Days of the Dead: Halloween on October 31, Day of the Innocents on November 1, and Day of the Dead on November 2. La Catrina is one of the most recognizable figures of Day of the Dead, a towering female skeleton with vibrant make up and a flamboyant feathery hat. The Lady of Death...
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. The Prague Municipal Court will continue proceeding the Capi hnizdo (Stork Nest) case of suspected EU subsidy fraud, in which ex-PM Andrej Babis and his former aide Jana Nagyova are charged, in the week starting on December 19, court panel chairman Jan Sott announced today. He also ordered the trial to continue on three days in January. Detectives detained ten people during a raid at the Brno City Hall today, checking the activities of a particular municipal firm, prosecutor Petra Lastovecka said in a press release. The police raid was also connected with the privatisation of municipal flats and subsidy frauds committed in the territory of Brno. General Petr Pavel would win the first round of the Czech presidential election with 27.7 percent of the vote if held in October and would advance to the second round with former PM Andrej Babis who would gain 23.3 percent, the Ipsos agency election model released to CTK shows today. Economist and former university rector Danuse Nerudova would end third with 16.9 percent of the vote....
The National Gallery in Prague will open up Veletržní palác (Trade Fair Palace), Schwarzenberg Palace, Sternberg Palace, and Convent of St. Agnes for free on October 28, 2022. From 10:00 to 18:00, you will be able to visit four branches of the National Gallery in Prague for free. The action is timed to coincide with Independent Czechoslovak State Day. The following exhibitions are actually undergoing: Old Masters I (Schwarzenberg Palace) Old Masters II (Sternberg Palace) Medieval Art in Bohemia and Central Europe 1200-1550 (Convent of St. Agnes) 1796-1918: The Art of a Long Century (Veletržní palác) 1918-1938: First Republic (Veletržní palác) History – what you need to know To understand the origin and importance of 28 October, we need to go back to the end of WWI. During the year of 1918, the guarantee was gained that the Triple Entente countries would accept the future Czechoslovakia as a sovereign state. This unique position among the former Austria-Hungary states made the official creation of Czechoslovakia a swift process from there on, and on 28 October it was established in Geneva that a new republic with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk as president has just emerged. As soon as the news got to Prague, the public was...
Czechia’s National Anti-Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil is preparing a law on the sale and purchasing of marihuana. The state could gain billions in taxes thanks to a controlled cannabis market, Czech National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil told ČTK in an interview today. A controlled cannabis market could bring an additional 15 billion crowns in taxes annually to the state budget. Before the introduction of a regulated market, marihuana growers would need a licence and the law would clearly specify to who they could deliver their product to. Drug Coordinators of the Member States began discussing the regulation of the cannabis market in the EU in Prague today. The strategy envisages legalizing the sale of marijuana under strict conditions, taxation of addictive substances depending on how harmful they are, the launch of a regulated cannabis market and increased government spending on addiction prevention and treatment. The forthcoming rules should concern not only sales but also production. The new measures should establish the level of narcotic substances that legal marihuana products can contain. Some shop owners could also receive a license, Vobořil said. “Marihuana won’t be in every newsstand. The amount of marihuana that people could purchase would be limited and buyers...
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. A new tax on addictive substances along with a more effective tax collecting might bring Czechia up to 15 billion crowns a year based on a draft anti-addiction plan for the next three years, national anti-drug coordinator Jindrich Voboril said at a press conference today. This would secure one billion crowns instead of the current 300 million for addiction prevention and treatment. Coal should be more used in the energy crisis and spontaneous development ideology is also to blame for the spread of the recent devastating fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, President Milos Zeman said during his visit to the region today. Zeman went on to back his old idea of making the Elbe (Labe) River navigable. Only a few individuals with links to risk persons abroad had signs of Islamist radicalisation and approval of terrorist attacks and sharing Jihadist propaganda were also rare in the Czech Republic last year, the BIS civilian counter-intelligence service says in its annual report for 2021 released today. The BIS did not not confirm any...
The Czech Republic and Germany are close to reaching an agreement on sharing gas in times of emergency, Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela said on Monday, as the countries seek to bolster energy security amid dwindling supplies of Russian gas. “I believe we have made significant progress in this issue, and that we will be able to close our mutual deal soon,” Sikela said in a joint news conference with German Economy Minister Robert Habeck in Prague. Bilateral pacts are a part of European Union plans to cope with any gas supply shock, although deals have been slow to materialise. Sikela said the two countries had defined conditions under which they would start sharing gas as well as what compensation the Czech Republic would pay Germany for use of the mechanism, without disclosing further details. Germany had been a large destination and transit country for Russian gas supplies before Moscow began reducing exports to the European Union in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions from Brussels. The Czech Republic was nearly entirely dependent on Russian supplies via German routes, but it has diversified supplies, like other EU countries. The landlocked country continues to receive nearly all...
Korean cuisine is not well known in the Czech Republic, but it deserves to be explored. With three locations around Prague, Bab Ryze offers a great cross-section of Korean dishes that are worth trying. Bab Ryze Restaurant is totally authentic, staffed by Koreans who clearly have a positive relationship with food. Everything I tried was very tasty, and without compromising Czech flavors. I placed my order through Dáme jídlo and the courier arrived as planned. The food was packaged well, nothing leaked, and the trick with the portions wrapped in foil ensured that the dishes were really hot. But let’s get back to Korean gastronomy itself. You’ll find influences from other Asian countries, so there’s no shortage of fried dumplings for example on the appetizer menu. The Gun-mandu dumplings stuffed with mushrooms and leeks were pleasantly crispy, very well seasoned, and accompanied by a dipping sauce (6 pieces for 119 CZK). I wanted to taste as many dishes as possible, so I ordered 3 dishes from the main menu. In Korea, rice bowls topped with various vegetables, meat, and egg yolk are very popular. I opted for a slightly unconventional version without meat. Kimchi Al-bab (189 CZK) is a rice...
Czech lawmakers approved the Magnitsky Act on Friday, allowing the Czech government to impose sanctions on foreign entities violating human rights, supporting terrorism, or committing cyber crimes. The Czech government planned to adopt the Magnitsky Act by the end of next year, but the preparation of the draft was accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It will make the Czech Republic the first Central European country to have its instrument to sanction serious human rights violations,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said. Among EU countries, France, the Netherlands, Latvia and Estonia have similar laws. The law sets out the conditions for the inclusion of entities on the national sanctions list and the procedure for preparing proposals for the inclusion of entities on the EU sanctions list at the Czech initiative. According to the proposal, the inclusion on the sanctions list will be decided by the Government on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For example, the state will be able to prevent sanctioned individuals from entering and staying in the country or freezing their assets. Czech law was inspired by the US Magnitsky Act, named after a Ukrainian-born lawyer and tax advisor who died in Russian state custody...
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