The Czech Senate has ruled against the proposal of the Regional Court to amend current legislation that prevents same-sex partners who are registered abroad to adopt Czech children. Adopting children is not possible for same-sex couples in the Czech Republic and the court stated that this move should prevent the bypassing of the rule by using foreign legislation. According to critics, the amendment to private international law would be an interference with the Civil Code. Václav Láska (Senator 21), the author of the proposal, promised to submit a comprehensive amendment to Czech law by the spring of next year. According to Láska, the change could also help unmarried heterosexual couples who adopt a child abroad. It would affect several dozen couples a year. According to the senator, the current form of the law is in conflict with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. Same-sex couples can marry in 14 of the European Union’s 27 countries, according to advocacy group ILGA-World. Since 2006, the Czech Republic has allowed registered partnerships for same-sex couples, which grant several rights of marriage, including inheritance and hospital visitation rights, but not joint adoption, spouse’s pension, or joint...
No matter what the occasion, sparkling wine always fits the bill. Whether brunching with friends, giving a holiday gift, or simply enjoying a glass at home after a long day at work, sometimes, a bottle of bubbly is all you need. In the past, sparkling was considered a wine defect. The involuntary “eruption” of one bottle in the cellar often gave rise to a chain reaction. Many wineries have lost up to 20% of their wine reserves due to such incidents. When champagne was first produced, the pressure of the sparkling wine was maintained by wooden plugs sealed with oil cloth and wax. This method proved inconsistent either from leaking or blowing out of the stopper and a method of restraining the corks using cord was developed. In 1844, Adolphe Jacquesson invented the more secure method involving steel wire, however, the early muselets were not easy to install and proved somewhat inconvenient to open. Further developments led to the modern muselet which is made of steel wire twisted to add strength and with a small loop of wire twisted into the lower ring which can be untwisted to release the pressure of the muselet and give access to the cork....
The future Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek has stated that extending the state of emergency will be a priority subject of discussion of the incoming government, which is set to be officially named on Friday. As Seznam Zprávy reports, some politicians of the ruling coalition Together and PirSTAN do not expect an extension of the state of emergency. Only a further growth in the number of patients with coronavirus could change that decision. Válek added that the matter “it’s still under discussion and solution phase”. This could mean that bars, pubs, and restaurants would remain open during the night-time New Year’s Eve celebrations. “My personal opinion is that now it seems that an extension will not be necessary,” said deputy chairman Jakub Michálek. “Unless the epidemic situation worsens significantly, I do not consider the extension of the state of emergency to be the right step,” added Vít Kaňkovský, vice-chairman KDU-ČSL. On November 25, 2021, the Czech government declared a nationwide 30-days state of emergency aimed at countering the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. Restaurants and pubs have to close at 10 pm. A maximum of 1,000 spectators with valid vaccination certificates or proof of having recovered from COVID-19 within the...
Quick commerce startup Grovy has finalized a €3 million financing round led by Lighthouse Ventures. The funds will be used for further expansion across Central and Eastern Europe, with offices already running in Prague and Bucharest. The startup has already established traction in the crowded German market by focusing on customer service, a positive and fair work culture, and sustainability. The rise of same-day (and same-hour) grocery delivery in Europe has been rapid and not without teething problems. First, many players in the space still rely on significant mark-ups, which can be as high as 20%. Second, many delivery companies depend on gig workers, who are often underpaid and overworked. Lastly, supply chain inefficiencies and food waste have plagued the grocery industry for decades, leaving plenty of room for improvement in sustainability. Grovy is looking to improve retail grocery in all three of these areas. Grovy leverages a network of strategically located dark warehouses to bring supermarket products to people within 10 minutes. While a 15-20% markup from supermarket prices is normal in grocery delivery, Grovy has pledged to never go beyond a 5% markup. Now, Grovy sets its sights on Central and Eastern Europe, where the startup envisions to...
For anyone looking to leave the mean streets of Prague behind for a suburban idyll, a handy new tool will help you determine the best place for you. Říčany currently ranks as the city with the best quality of life in the Czech Republic, according to Deloitte, which uses data from users to evaluate various aspects of life in Czech cities. The project is called “Obce v date”. The town of Vrchlabí improved the most year-on-year, advancing 64 places to 73rd position. The ranking ranks over 200 Czech municipalities according to a number of criteria (health, environment, work, education, services, safety, transport, leisure, housing, etc.). According to Deloitte manager Filip Neterda, “our major goal is to actually help the cities to get their strategic priorities right, to better target the areas into which public investment is required […] We would be really happy if it could serve as a tool for public investment at the level of a city”. Here are the top 10 best places to live in the Czech Republic, according to the index: Říčany – Central Bohemia Prague – Prague Brandýs nad Labem – Central Bohemia Černošice – Central Bohemia Brno – South Moravia Slavkov u Brna – South Moravia Beroun – Central Bohemia...
It now takes the equivalent of 16 years’ average salary to buy a new 70-meter flat in Prague, according to data published by property developers of Central Group. That is six years more than in 2014, evidence that salaries are not rising along with housing costs in the Czech capital. According to Central Group, in Bratislava, it takes 12.5 years’ salary to buy a comparable flat, in Munich, 12.3 years’, in Berlin, 8.7 years, and in Vienna, 8.3 years. Apartment prices have risen by 90 percent in the last five years, but wages have risen by only 33 percent. Therefore, they consider the availability of housing to be the worst in the entire period of monitoring the CG-Index. According to Head and Founder of Central Group Dušan Kunovský, the way out of the crisis is to support new construction and achieve a sufficient supply of new apartments while maintaining market conditions with competition from development companies and mortgage banks. “Since 2015, the prices of new flats in Prague have more than doubled, and the growth rate is also accelerating again. In the last year, a sharp rise in the price of construction work and materials has also contributed to this, but...
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 first hospitals in Czechia received anti-COVID vaccines for children aged 5-11, a total of 18,000 doses. The rest of the purchased supply has been taken over by the Avenier firm that will start distributing it to vaccination points and child practitioners’ offices on Thursday. The mayor of the Prague 7 district, Jan Čižinský, says he will run for the post of lord mayor of Prague in municipal elections in autumn 2022. In the first three quarters of the year, 102 932 people died in the Czech Republic, up by a fifth year-on-year. The country’s population, therefore, fell to 10.68 million people. Migration also impacted the decline, with more people moving out of the country. The City of Prague announced that it will hold the Mayor’s Food Collection charity event for the second year in a row. Organisers will collect basic food and hygiene supplies on 16 December from 10 am to 6 pm in front of the New Town Hall building on Mariánské náměstí. Czechs and Hungarians rank among the world’s hardest-working nations when...
Renovation work on Malostranské náměstí will finally begin next spring. Preparations have been completed, and the project has a building permit. Prague city councilors have approved a CZK 74 million public works project to reconstruct Malostranské Square to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Tramlines will be disrupted so the tracks can be rebuilt, and traffic will be redirected during repairs. To make the square more friendly to pedestrians, traffic will remain limited even after the tram tracks are rebuilt. The square should get a coherent look with a uniform paving design. There will be more places to sit, trees and a fountain. Part of Nerudova Street will turn into a pedestrian area. The corner at Mostecká Street will have more pedestrian space. Petr Hejma, Mayor for Prague 1, adds that “Prague 1 wants to shape the lower part of Lesser Town Square into an area that will allow residents to sit and meet in a peaceful and green environment. We very much welcome this project from our colleagues at City Hall, as it will help us considerably towards achieving this goal.” The Lesser Town Square’s new design was selected in an architectural competition organized by IPR Prague in 2014. The winning design is the work...
The traditional Czech Christmas food carp has gone up to 120 CZK per kilogram this year. The country’s largest South Bohemian fish farms have announced an average price increase of 10% due to higher production costs associated with inflation. Prices will differ depending on the region and specific manufacturers. The carp in Czech culture The carp plays a significant role in Czech culture. Its appearance makes it the hero of illustrated fairy tales, but it is above all the symbol par excellence of the Christmas festivities and the species that dominates the fish market. Those who reside at seaside resorts, turn up their nose at this fat fish, full of spines, that lives in mud and stagnant water, but for a country that does not have an access to the sea, it has the advantage that it can be reared in artificial lakes. Already widespread in the Middle Ages, it was a valuable source of protein during the days of abstinence imposed by Christianity. The cheapest ones are from Nové Hrady, while the most expensive are from Třeboň, famous throughout the country as the homeland of local carp, so much so that a statue of a carp has been placed...
The current real estate prices in the Czech Republic have not discouraged you and you are wondering how to make the financing possible? Then this article is for you – by Světlana Lanza, Finance specialist at M&M finance. I will first mention that each institution has a different methodology and funding requirements. Second, each case is assessed individually. And third, the institution always evaluates the level of risk of the business. The following data, in particular, are relevant: Where are you from? The bank has different requirements for EU, US and other foreigners. There are also lists of so-called high-risk countries, but even in this case an exception can be requested, so I would not give up prematurely. Legal status This point is linked to the previous one. Depending on where you are from, it is important, based on what legal status you are in the country, visa, temporary/permanent residence. Foreigners with permanent residence have almost the same conditions as citizens of the Czech Republic, compared to citizens without residence who are significantly disadvantaged, but there are exceptions. Temporary and long-term residence may then have stricter conditions, but there are institutions that provide up to 90 % of the property...
The Czech animated feature film My Sunny Maad has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Picture-Animated category. The Czech Film Fund supported the film for both development and production. Since 2006, when the animation category was added to the Globes, My Sunny Maad is the first Czech film to receive a nomination. The 79th Golden Globes Awards ceremony will take place on January 9, 2022. About the film The film tells the story of Herra, a Czech woman, who falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan man, and she has no idea about the life that awaits her in post-Taliban Afghanistan, nor about the family she is about to join. My Sunny Maad world premiered in the Feature Films competition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2021 and won festival’s Jury Award later. Furthermore, the film won prizes at the FICG in Guadalajara or at the Bucheon International Animation Festival and it was also screened at many other festivals all over the world, including Karlovy Vary IFF, Zurich IFF or Cairo IFF. About the director The director Michaela Pavlátová garnered international attention with her short film Words, Words, Words in Annecy in 1991 (followed by an Oscar nomination...
Healthcare workers in the South Moravian Region have spoken out about the pressure they are under preparing for the effects of the new variant and having to deal with increased cases in the country. Professor Vladimir Sramek, who is Regional Intensive Care Coordinator for the South Moravian Region, has warned that the impact of the Omicron variant has yet to hit the already stretched hospitals here, but warns he is expecting pressure in the coming weeks. While at this current moment in time, he says that the proportion of those requiring hospitalisation with the new variant remains about the same compared to other new variants which have been previous concerns, he predicts hospitalisations are soon going to drastically increase. “I am expecting a plateau of high numbers of hospitalised patients for the next 2-3 weeks,” said Sramek. Staff on the Covid wards here are already working incredibly hard, exposed to trauma and stress, to serve patients dealing with the worst effects of the virus. With so many patients being admitted now, hospitals in the region are also having to postpone planned operations to focus on those that are covid positive. Hospital staff claims they are seeing a lot of unvaccinated...
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