The mix of parties now working to form the next Czech government spans the spectrum from conservative to liberal, but all appear to share a commitment to the democratic principles espoused by founding President Vaclav Havel. And that, says a former Havel aide, could be bad news for China and Russia. Havel, the erudite playwright whose writings and dissident activities helped undermine communism in Europe, “would be quite pleased” with the state of his country following last month’s parliamentary election, said Jiri Pehe, who advised the former Czech president in the late 1990s. Havel died in 2011. The election unseated populist billionaire Andrej Babis as prime minister and left his coalition partners, the Social Democrats and the Communist Party, out of parliament altogether. Babis formally submitted his resignation to President Milos Zeman on Thursday, clearing the way for Petr Fiala, head of the Civic Democratic Party and a leading figure in the winning five-party coalition, to begin forming a new government. Pehe says he expects the incoming coalition, despite its philosophical differences, to adopt a foreign policy that aligns with the strongly pro-human rights, pro-democratic ideals of his former boss. “At least for the next four years,” Beijing and Moscow...
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. Seventy percent of the adult population in the Czech Republic have already received at least one COVID vaccine dose, while 68 percent are fully vaccinated, the data of the Smart Quarantine team and the Health Ministry showed today. Czech President Milos Zeman wants outgoing PM Andrej Babis to run for president, but the decision is up to the ANO movement, Babis said in an interview for Blesk tabloid today, adding that he himself wants to focus on his opposition role in the Chamber of Deputies. The Czech Republic’s foreign trade balance slipped into deficit in the third quarter of 2021, as imports rose by 12.7%, compared to a 2.8% drop in exports. The main factor was the CZK 20.6 billion year-on-year decline in the trade surplus in motor vehicles. Avengers star Chris Hemsworth will be heading to Prague at the end of the month for the filming of Extraction 2, the sequel to Netflix’s blockbuster action movie. Czech headline inflation jumped to 5.8% in October, the highest since October 2008, backing expectations...
This Saturday: British pianist Sam Haywood presents a fascinating program called “Musical Liaisons”. The recital will take place at Rudolfinum Hall. Haywood has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus and the Wigmore Hall. He embraces a wide spectrum of the piano repertoire and is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician or working with singers. As a chamber musician he is a regular duo partner of Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis, and performs with many leading chamber ensembles. His latest CD ‘Composers in Love’ brings together both well-loved and lesser known music inspired by composers’ muses. He recently made a Hyperion recording of piano works by Russian pianist-composer Julius Isserlis, grandfather of cellist Steven Isserlis. He has given private performances for Princess Diana, HRHs Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Michael Portillo, Hillary Clinton and Xi Jingping, President of China. Alongside his busy solo and chamber music career, he composes and is a Founder and Artistic Director of the Solent Music Festival. Sam is also passionate about his work with young people. He is an ambassador to the West Lakes Academy, has written a children’s...
faUSt, also better known as Faust, was ahead of its time as a West German rock group (in the early to mid-1970s. They released only four albums, each experimental and distinct from the other, but their last release “Faust IV” is considered for alternative or indie rock musicians and fans their masterpiece. The 80s-90s alt-rock, psych-rock and post-punk groups that are influenced by Faust, and were proud to say so include Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Nirvana to name a few. Matching only early experimental Velvet Underground for dissonance and melody, juggled with verve, fragility, and accidental brilliance is one way to describe “Faust IV” released in 1973 on Virgin Records, meaning it was recorded only two years into the Faust experiment. Song lyrics are spoken not sung, and mostly in English with selective German or French songs adding intrigue and helpful for their overall international appeal. In a wider context, the German music scene in the early 1970s was prophetic in ways beyond the most obvious example, Kraftwerk, which formed in 1969 and is now a more influential group in pop music than the Beatles. Faust was part of a movement known as “Krautrock” with groups from West Germany,...
The government is set to tighten coronavirus measures on Friday morning. The so-called Austrian model, which would mean a ban on access to restaurants, stadiums or other public places for the unvaccinated is one of the options considered by the Czech government. According to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), the changes will be substantial. There is speculation that only those who have been vaccinated or who have had a covid will be allowed to go into restaurants. Thus, no negative PCR or antigen test would be enough to enter a public space. “The evolution is exceptional and the occupancies of intensive-care beds are increasing significantly faster than we had expected,” Health Minister Adam Vojtech told a news conference on Thursday. Babis called again on unvaccinated Czechs to get the vaccine, calling it a “moral responsibility.” Tests confirmed 13,502 new COVID-19 infection cases in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, nearly 50 percent more than a week ago, the public Czech Television (CT) reported today, referring to Health Ministry spokesman Daniel Koppl. Nearly 3,500 coronavirus patients are currently hospitalised in the Czech Republic, of which 524 are in serious condition.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his government have resigned in a formal step required by the Constitution following last month´s parliamentary election. Babis said Thursday he sent the resignation letter to President Milos Zeman. The head of state is expected to ask Babis to stay in office until a new government is appointed. Babis´ government had to resign after the first session of the new lower house of Parliament was over, which happened on Wednesday. A three-party, liberal-conservative coalition known as Together won the Oct 8-9 election with a 27.8% share of the vote. Together teamed up with a center-left liberal coalition made up of the Pirate Party and a group of mayors and independent candidates, which came in third place with 15.6% of votes. The new partnership will hold 108 seats in the 200-seat lower house of Parliament, relegating Babis, a populist billionaire, and his centrist ANO (YES) movement to the opposition. Zeman has already asked Petr Fiala, the candidate of the winning coalition, to form a new government. The five parties of the coalition signed a deal this week to rule together. It´s not immediately clear when the president, who is currently hospitalized, will swear in the...
Do you need to get rid of household items you no longer use? The agency ADRA coordinates 26 charity shops across the Czech Republic, where you can give away furniture, clothes, books, electronics, toys and many other undamaged articles in exchange for a product of your choice. By recycling them instead of throwing them away, you will help the planet and at the same time support the work of ADRA. In fact, the profit from selling the donated goods will fund their charitable and humanitarian activities. ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) is an international charity and humanitarian organisation operating in more than 100 countries around the world. It has started operating in the Czech Republic in 1992 and has since assisted millions of people in more than 60 countries across different continents. The first provision of humanitarian and development aid was directed at the communities affected by the wars in Yugoslavia. The organisation has also worked to guarantee education, provide healthcare and improve living conditions of people in Africa and Asia. In addition, ADRA has intervened in most countries hit by unforeseen events, such as natural calamities and wars. Since the 1997 Central European flood, the agency has been...
Prague has been spoiled with the number of great new restaurants, bars, and cafes that have opened up in recent months, and the places listed below are no exception. Zdibský brewery Address: U Továrny 1, Zdiby The owners of the Zdibský brewery boast of self-brewed beer. Straying from established spirit standards, their motto is that beer is like sirloin — it has thousands of different recipes, yet it is a staple in every household. Their light beer is not pure gold, lending it its own original “final touch.” In the Zdibský brewery, customers can choose from four types of draft beers: Zámecké desítka, eleven Zlatý kopec, twelve Ležáček and American beer eleven Miami. These are accompanied by beer classics — pickled camembert, tartare, greaves spread or grilled venison sausage. On weekends, they serve a special lunch menu, inspired by different cuisines. You have a unique opportunity to soak up the taste of Mexico and domestic Czech classics in one locale. Restaurace u Radnice Address: Generála Šišky 6, Prague 12 Looking for a local, fairly priced lunch? This eatery in Prague Modřany is the place to visit. Fans of Czech cuisine will love it here, as the menu includes...
In a mission to fight the sharp rise in energy prices and strengthen Prague’s energy self-sufficiency, there are new plans in place for the municipality to help with the installation of solar panels and subsidies in the capital. According to the approved climate strategy, the city’s goal is to install panels on 20,000 Prague buildings by 2030 and gain hundreds of megawatts of power- which will be made possible through the introduction of new initiatives. Soon, a new city company called the Prague Renewable Energy Community (PSOE) will be offering a subsidy for the installation of a solar panel on their roof, and another city company – Technology of the Capital City of Prague (THMP) – will also help with the installation under advantageous conditions. Residents in Prague can start applying from 1 December. “In the case of private individuals, they will use the Green Savings grant program, and public organizations will then be able to use money from the newly established Modernization Fund,” explained the director of the newly established organization, Jaroslav Klusák. The Prague City Council has also announced the creation of a new organization for renewable energy already in its climate commitments, which should help significantly reduce...
November 11 is known as Saint Martin’s Day. What customs are observed by Czech people and what can you hear about St. Martin? There is a famous Czech proverb related to the Feast of St. Martin: Martin přijíždí na bílém koni. (English: Martin is coming on a white horse.) The reason is simple – the first half of November is the time when the first snow comes to the Czech Republic. “According to the folk saying, if St. Martin does not arrive on a white horse, but on a dark gray one, we will have constantly changing winter weather ahead of us,” said Dagmar Honsová of the Meteopress weather company. However, for many Czechs, St. Martin’s Day is primarily about good food and drinks. Traditionally, the feast consists of baked goose and St. Martin’s wine, as well as cakes made specifically for this occasion. Even though the holiday is popular across the Czech Republic, a survey conducted by Ipsos shows that St. Martin’s Day is most often celebrated by people in the South Moravian region and the Highlands region as well as by people from larger cities and university graduates. Who was St. Martin? Supposedly, Saint Martin was a kind man with...
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. President Miloš Zeman on Tuesday asked conservative leader Petr Fiala (Civic Democrats/ECR) to form the country’s new government. “I accepted this mandate. In the next days, I will continue negotiations with coalition partners about the final shape of the government,” Fiala informed. On Tuesday, State Prosecutor Jaroslav Šaroch sent a request to the Chamber of Deputies for the extradition of the outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) for criminal prosecution related to the Čapí Hnízdo case. Czech President Miloš Zeman, who is currently in the Military University Hospital in Prague, will be transferred from the acute care ward to a standard bed on Monday. South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL) approved a project for a new centre in the region, which will on one hand serve as a reminder of the Holocaust, and on the other promote Jewish culture among young people. Czech headline inflation jumped to 5.8% in October, the highest since October 2008, backing expectations the central bank will not let up on policy tightening after its biggest interest rate...
Czech prosecutors on Wednesday asked the newly-elected lower house of Parliament to lift Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s immunity from prosecution over alleged fraud involving European Union subsidies. If the lawmakers give their approval, it would allow the prosecution to decide whether Babis should be indicted for his alleged involvement in the $2-million fraud. Czech police have repeatedly recommended Babis should be indicted. Prague’s prosecution office announced the move on Wednesday. The request came immediately after the new house convened this week for the first time following October’s election. It wasn’t immediately clear when the prosecution might finish its evaluation of the case. The allegations involve a farm that received EU subsidies after its ownership was transferred from the Babis-owned Agrofert conglomerate of around 250 companies to Babis´ family members. The subsidies were meant for medium-size and small businesses and Agrofert wouldn´t have been eligible for them. Later, Agrofert again took ownership of the farm. Babis denies any wrongdoing, saying the allegations were politically motivated. His political ANO (YES) movement was defeated in the election. A coalition of five parties have signed to deal to rule together this week. Babis, who has to resign after the first parliamentary session is over,...
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