The Czech National Bank is set to raise its main rate by 50 basis points to 5.00% on March 31, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, which would be the highest since 2001 as policymakers battle an inflation surge exacerbated by the Ukraine war. The central bank has raised its two-week repo rate by 425 basis points since June, tightening aggressively to tackle inflation that hit a 24-year high of 11.1% in February. Price pressures are still building, spurred on by rising energy costs following the Ukraine conflict. A Reuters poll showed most analysts expected the central bank to deliver one more big interest rate increase when it meets on Thursday, and only a few predicted borrowing costs would rise again later this year. Nine out of the 12 analysts polled predicted an increase of 50 basis points this week and two expected a rise of 25 basis points. One expected no change. Of the six respondents giving an outlook beyond March, three forecast the main rate would peak at 5.50% this year. In a January poll, only one forecast rates would rise above 5%. The central bank will announce its decision at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a...
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would isolate for seven days. “I want to return to my work program as soon as possible, at least from home,” Fiala said on his Twitter account. The news comes as the government’s proposal for extending the state of emergency in the country is set to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, in order to ensure the successful management of the massive Ukrainian refugee influx. “It is unlikely that the Ukrainian refugee wave will slow down in the next two months,” said Interior Minister Vít Rakušan. The government says if the legal instrument is not extended a system under which Ukrainian refugees can get accommodation via regional assistance centres would cease to function. Emergency purchases of essentials would also be impossible, says a government paper. 8,812 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the Czech Republic on Monday, which was a fall of 15 percent on the same day last week. There was a similar week-on-week percentage fall in the number of tests conducted. There were 1,857 people in hospital with the coronavirus on Monday.
Czech street art artist Dmitrij Proškin (ChemiS) launched a charitable sale of printouts of his last mural. The mural features a young girl sheltering iconic soft toy characters of various nations, including the USA’s Mickey Mouse, France’s Obelix, the Czech Republic’s Little Mole, the German’s bee Maya, Polish Leolek and Bolek, Finnish Moomins, French Obelix, and the British Gromit, under a Ukrainian flag. The message, Proskin says, is that Ukraine is currently protecting the rest of the world from “disaster.” The print in A3+ format with the autograph of the author costs 2500 CZK. All the money raised will be used to help Ukrainian children. The author will choose a specific charity program in the next weeks. To purchase the print you need to write to the artist through personal messages on Facebook or Instagram. ChemiS is one of the Czech Republic’s most renowned street artists and has created murals across the world. In 2011 he created a mural of Vaclav Havel, shortly after the president’s death, and in 2018 one of the country’s first president, T.G. Masaryk, on the centenary of the birth of Czechoslovakia.
When the Czecho-Slovak Republic was established in 1918 it was spelled with the hyphen, but in 1921 the government renamed the country Czechoslovakia. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, the country was known as the Czechoslovak Republic (from the end of World War II to 1960) and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (from 1960 until the fall of communism nearly three decades later). Following the Velvet Revolution and the collapse of communist rule at the end of 1989, the country initially moved towards reinstating its hyphen-less interwar name: “Czechoslovakia” or “the Czechoslovak Republic”. But Slovaks rejected the solution on the grounds it gave more importance to the Czechs and, calling for greater equality within the federation, demanded the hyphen be reinstated. The “Great Hyphen Debate” erupted in Czechoslovakia’s Parliament on March 29, 1990. Deputies rejected various proposals for a name to replace the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in the post-communist era. Slovak insistence on their national identity being enshrined in a hyphenated form of Czecho-Slovakia led to 12 hours of discussion and backroom discussion before the final formula was agreed. The president, Vaclav Havel, had warned deputies that the country would become a laughing stock unless it quickly resolved the Great Hyphen...
Five weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have caused immeasurable grief, suffering and, quite likely, lasting psychological troubles for many Ukrainians. Although many have already found safety in nearby European countries, the effects of the hardships they had witnessed are likely to stay for a long time. To alleviate this, at least partially, and offer Ukrainian refugees better chances to feel at home, Prague civil associations have turned to sports as the answer. As TheMayor.eu reports, several sports clubs have announced they will be opening their doors for free for Ukrainian children, willing to practice sports. Moreover, on top of access to regular training sessions, some clubs generously offered training equipment and additional training slots, especially for the needs of the guests from Ukraine. To facilitate Ukrainian parents in finding the sports that best cater to their needs, the Czech capital has launched a single online space, where clubs can publish their offers. On Praha Sportovni (which is also available in Ukrainian), one can already find 7 publications, including football, basketball, martial arts, even dances, together with their schedules and conditions for participation. Some clubs have really taken the task to heart, by providing Ukrainian translators and making equipment available, and...
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 Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, is due to meet his German counterpart, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin on Wednesday next week. It will be Mr. Fiala’s first visit to the German capital since he was installed late last year. The Czech Communist Party is to stop publishing its own newspaper Haló noviny at the end of April, the grouping’s central committee decided at the weekend. The left-wing publication, which has been going since 1991, will now become a weekly. The Czech motocross racer of the century, Jaroslav Falta, one of the world’s best racers in the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 71. Falta died of heart failure on Sunday night, the website iDNES.cz reported. MPs will on Tuesday debate a government request to extend the current state of emergency until the end of May. The cabinet used their right to issue a 30-day state of emergency in early March, saying it was necessary to deal with the large influx of refugees from the war in Ukraine. The head...
On the morning of Monday, 28 March, a group of young people blocked the traffic on Svatovítská Street in Dejvice. Activists dressed in blue and yellow robes sat on the roadway carrying a banner with the inscription “3°C for Ukraine. We must act now.” “We need to reduce the consumption of energy coming from Russia, so Putin will receive less money for further waging war in Ukraine,” said the protesters. “Three weeks ago, we called on the government to adopt a special regulation that would oblige the heating temperatures in the commercial sector, offices, and schools to be reduced to the minimum required by regulations. This is the least we can and must do to stop financing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and gradually get rid of dependence on an authoritarian regime,” the organizers said. “It’s high time for a change. We are planning disruptive actions in Prague to force the Czech government to take action both against the looming climate chaos and to save lives in Ukraine. We no longer want to pay for Putin’s gas.” The police asked the demonstrators to leave the carriageway several times. Later on, the officers were forced to move the protestors to the sidewalk....
The playgrounds from our childhood don’t exist anymore. Technical specifications have been drastically changing our surroundings. If you find an exception, you will be filled with happiness. The playground Kaštánek (The little chestnut) in Stromovka park was designed by recognized sculptors Olbram Zoubek and his wife Eva Kmentová in 1961 and is also an open-air gallery. The historical residential buildings nearby and Prague’s “Central Park” make the place remarkable. The playground consists of a climbing tower, eight low climbing frames, and four climbings bars made of scaffolding pipes. Most of the concrete parts were painted white. The small plastic geometric details are framed by rich colors – red, blue and yellow. The whole concept is simply picturesque. The playground was sensitively restored for the first time in 2017 with the assistance of Olbram Zoubek. Today, it is considered important proof of the artistic feeling of the early 1960s when this period allowed more freedom in the creation of art on playgrounds than in the galleries. It is not common to find such preserved art in public places. I took the photo in freezing weather and appreciated that I could absorb the atmosphere completely alone. Otherwise, it is always full of children.
Czech Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador Alexandr Zmejevskij to Prague to protest against the unacceptable behaviour of authorities in Moscow. According to the Ministry, Czech diplomats are facing severe harassment. “The staff of our embassy in Moscow have been the target of gross harassment by the Russian authorities,” Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lenka Do said on Saturday (26 March). The Foreign Ministry is convinced that Russia’s behaviour breaches international law. “We will not give details for security reasons, but we appeal to the Russian side to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” she added. Zmejevskij has been the Russian ambassador to Prague since 2016. Before that, he served as President Vladimir Putin’s advisor on international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime. In the past, he has made several critical statements about the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech Television that Russia’s treatment of Czech diplomats is unacceptable. Prague has so far applied strict sanctions against Russia, which goes beyond the common European response. For example, the Czech Republic is no longer issuing visas for Russian citizens, except for humanitarian cases. “We have reduced diplomatic contacts to a bare minimum, and we will...
The Prague Easter Markets combine Christian traditions with ancient celebrations of spring, and they are truly joyous occasions, packed with beautiful handicrafts, mouth-watering food, enticing activities and the superb chance to experience Czech culture like a local. The markets are centered around Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square, and they feature upward of 150 dressed stalls each year. You will also find smaller ones at náměstí Republiky, Prague Castle and Kampa Island. Each is a feast for the eyes, with the squares joyously decorated with spring blooms, colourful ribbons, lights and birch tree branches. Easter Markets in Old Town Square The markets feature wooden stalls decorated with the bright colours of spring, flowers, ribbons, and ornaments of animal babies. They are stocked with handicraft products such as embroidered lace, wooden toys, ceramics, scented candles, puppets, and Easter eggs. Food lovers can taste meat skewers, steaks, grilled sausages, homemade cheese, gingerbread, marzipan, Czech Easter specialties such as mazance (Easter sweat bread), and more. Opening time (from 2. 4. to 24. 4) stands 10:00–22:00 refreshment 10:00–24:00 Easter Markets náměstí Republiky In front of the Palladium shopping centre and opposite the Municipal House you will find stalls with a wide range of Easter products...
The Czech Republic has frozen assets worth millions of dollars belonging to Russian tycoons under sanctions, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told national TV. He did not name the individuals whose assets were frozen. Fiala said the government needs to take care of the Czech citizens working at local firms owned by the sanctioned Russian individuals, but excluded the idea of nationalizing their assets. He also said the government was planning to change the current legislation to make the procedure more vigorous and effective. The Czech Prime Minister also said the Czech Republic will continue to supply arms to Ukraine. The Czech Republic is the latest European Union country to announce it has frozen assets of Russian tycoons following unprecedented EU sanctions against the country and its wealthiest individuals. The United States, EU, Canada, Japan, and other countries agreed to place sanctions on Russia’s financial sector, including its central bank, and freeze assets of people believed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the Kremlin launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Italy has frozen the assets of Russian tycoons worth more than 800 million euros. The Central Bank of the Netherlands has blocked 200 million euros of...
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 summer schedule comes into effect at Václav Havel Airport Prague on Sunday. The airport will offer flights to 147 destinations, which is 19 more than last year, but 43 fewer than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. The Czech Republic has so far frozen hundreds of millions of crowns worth of property belonging to Russian citizens who are subject to EU sanctions imposed on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, said PM Petr on Sunday. Thousands of people came out on Saturday for the official start of Prague Zoo’s 91st season. Later this year, the zoo is also set to open a new gorilla pavilion and it is also preparing to build a new pavilion for polar bears. Czech politicians have voiced their discomfort at the National Theater’s decision to cancel a performance of Tchaikovsky’s opera, “Cherevichki.” The cancellation of the opera piece in Czechia comes after a wave of anti-Russian sentiment gripped a number of Western countries. The head of the Interior Ministry, Vít Rakušan (STAN), appointed six members...
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