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. CZECH REPUBLIC Poland has been ordered to pay a daily penalty of €500,000 to the European Commission over its failure to respect a court ruling to halt operations at its Turow lignite mine, the EU’s top court said on Monday. The US Molson Coors is probably going to sell Pivovary Staropramen. Four sources familiar with the situation independently confirmed to Hospodářské noviny that the brewery is to be for sale soon. As early as 2020, the global brewing group hired Bank of America to develop a plan to sell Staropramen by the end of 2020 or early 2021. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the deal was delayed. The Czech Republic ranked fifth globally in the list of 47 countries most suitable for manufacturing. Within Europe, it is first. This is according to the Manufacturing Risk Index by Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). WORLD The United States in November will re-open for air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said on Monday, easing...
Employee engagement is one of the most important aspects of any company that ensures great performance and boosts profits. However, in the COVID-19 era, most businesses struggle to keep their workers motivated. Having focused and excited workers is what makes any company and business successful. However, it is not always easy for businesses to keep their workers content and committed. Any group environment can sometimes lead to un-cooperation, demotivation, or even conflicts between its members, and such situations directly affect the performance of a business. Especially during the global pandemic and the experiences of isolated home-office, many have found themselves struggling to stay involved and interested in their jobs. Unfortunately, it has been a major challenge for companies around the world to keep the team spirits high. Research shows that employee engagement at companies should not be overlooked. Partially because ⅓ of employees is constantly looking for new opportunities, both intentionally and casually. Mainly because 85% of the global workforce is not engaged at their work. As a result, businesses with highly engaged workers are 22% more profitable and can retain top talent for longer. Going on business trips, developing friendships at work, and having offline team-building activities can significantly boost employee engagement rates. At the time of the global pandemic, wellness programs for employees have been deprived of these usual interactions...
Plans have commenced for a project which will see the neglected river transform into a clean outdoor sports ground. The Ministry of Defence had previously indicated that the wild water track in Štvanice, which he had once used for an exhibition race along with the Czech army, was set to be destroyed due to its lack of use. Martin Leskovjan, founder of the Vlna Stvanice association, has since negotiated with the Ministry of Defence to hand over the lease of the Vltava River Basin on new lease conditions. The thought of the destruction of Štvanice, which is unique in the world as one of two artificial tracks with wild water, is behind Martin’s motivation to bring a new lease of life to the abandoned area. “The longer I deal with Štvanice, the more possibilities, and potential I see,” said Leskovjan. “The strong positive response and support of the project is concentrated from all sides and confirms to me that the project can bring together many paddlers and surfers, but also the city and its inhabitants.” As an active paddler himself, Martin plans to bring the first river surfing wave to the centre of Prague, where it will be possible to...
The Czech Republic is expanding its vaccination program to offer a third dose of a vaccine amid rising infections. The Health Ministry has recommended the booster shot for anyone older than 60, health workers, and other vulnerable groups. On Monday, the first 8,000 people received a text message from the authorities that they are eligible for the third shot. They can be given it no earlier than eight months after receiving their second dose of vaccine. Those whose immune systems are compromised and others who are seriously ill can get the booster shot as soon as four weeks after the second shot. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine will be administered at vaccination centers in hospitals and by general practitioners as most mass vaccination centers are being closed due to falling interest. “The general rule says that all people who completed the first vaccination at least eight months ago can get the third jab,” said Health Minister Adam Vojtěch, noting that a booster shot is “strongly recommended” for people with weak immune systems. Only mRNA vaccines will be used, even for those who were previously vaccinated with AstraZeneca or the Johnson & Johnson jab. EU countries currently have no common approach...
Prague Castle is hosting a two-day festival of mini-breweries this weekend. The festival, which starts on Friday afternoon, will offer the production of 66 Czech and Moravian breweries and four foreign brewers. Altogether, visitors can taste 140 different sorts of beer. Now in its 10th year, the Microbrewery Festival has become one of Prague Castle’s most popular events, filling the Castle’s Royal Garden with some of the Czech Republic’s most popular microbreweries. The festival is organized by the Czech-Moravian Union of Minibreweries. Last year, visitors consumed around 7,000 liters of beer. This year, the festival will take place on Friday, September 24 from 14:00 – 20:00 and on Saturday, September 25 from 12:00 – 20:00. The number of visitors is limited by the event’s venue. Every day, 1.200 visitors can attend the event; 600 tickets will be sold at the venue. Participating breweries include favorites like Clock, Purkmistr, U Medvídků, Hoppy Dog, Joe’s Garage, Faltus, Permon, Kocour, and countless others. Brewers and owners from each brewery will be on hand to provide detailed information about their beer. You can buy the tickets online. The basic ticket costs CZK 600 a person and it includes a degustation glass, a catalogue, and...
It once seemed relatively uncontroversial: a 25-page document meant to reduce violence against women across Europe. But a decade later, the initiative, known as the Istanbul Convention, has unexpectedly become a proxy fight for the larger culture wars brewing between East and Western Europe. One by one, Eastern European countries are turning their back on the document, claiming it will erode their version of “family values.” Turkey, which hosted the convention that produced the document, will withdraw from the convention on July 1. Poland has signaled it is questioning the agreement. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, signed the document, but haven’t translated its provisions into law. Czech opposition to ratification has grown due to concerns that it aims to undermine “traditional family values”: for example, that is promoting same-sex marriage, or would legally-recognise “third sex” status, or automatically grant “refugee” status to transgender or intersex people. “When [the Czech Republic] put its signature to the Convention, a few years ago, there was no such discussion here. But in between, many things happened and now the society is divided. Many people when they hear ‘Istanbul Convention’ directly think it has something to do with migration or the effort to legalise homosexual marriages...
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. CZECH REPUBLIC Czech Finance Minister Alena Schillerova said on Sunday she had warned the central bank against sharp rises in interest rates, prompting a swift reply from the bank’s governor, who said further increases were needed. The Czech National Bank is one of the first in the European Union to begin tightening monetary policy amid strong inflationary pressures. Czechs traveled abroad this summer more than last year and over 750,000 spent their vacation in Croatia, nearly as many as before the coronavirus pandemic, which made the country the most popular Czech holiday destination. Thousands of people in the Czech Republic will be in a position to receive a third round of vaccination against Covid-19 from next week as it is now at least eight months since their initial inoculation was completed. Up to 40,000 people will be informed of the possibility of a booster shot by the end of September. WORLD Thousands of people including soldiers and diplomats marched peacefully through Kyiv on Sunday in an annual gay pride parade. Homophobia is widespread in Ukraine,...
Everyone has their own opinion of where they believe the most beautiful city in the world. With Instagram at our fingertips, it can be hard to choose with billions of pictures uploaded of many different places. And it can be daunting to choose from with many beautiful places all around the world, but according to Time Out, the city of Prague was voted the most beautiful city in the world. Time Out asked 27,000 city dwellers worldwide what they believe their cities top qualities were, and Prague came out on top with 83 percent of voters praising the city. Prague being voted the most beautiful city in the world is nothing new to this infamous city as it was ranked number seven on the 37 best cities in the world. The city’s beautiful architectural landmarks like the Dancing House, Powder Tower, St Nicholas Church, and other monuments like the Charles Bridge and Astronomical Clock led the charge in Prague being named the most beautiful city in the world. “But it’s not all about the buildings: head to Letná Park for stunning hillside views, or wander along the banks of the Vltava for something more peaceful. There’s beauty to be found in the most unexpected of...
Amazon is building a new logistics center in Kojetin industrial park near Prerov in the Olomouc Region, which should create over 2,000 jobs when it opens in 2023. The construction of the logistics center will be completed next year, its full commissioning is planned for 2023. Amazon has already started recruiting the first employees, so far mainly specialists. The recruitment of employees who will process customer orders in Kojetín is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. Amazon’s general manager for the Czech Republic, Michal Šmíd, told CTK today. According to Šmíd, Amazon will expand its product range with the help of a new distribution center in Kojetín and will support a growing number of independent small businesses that sell their goods through its e-shop. The center’s staff will prepare, package and send small items to customers, such as books, electronics and consumer goods. The operation in Kojetín will be equipped with modern technology, including robotic units. “These specialized robots slide under the product shelves, lift them and move them around the distribution center, thus helping to reduce the time required to process orders. In Kojetín, we will offer work with higher added value for qualified employees,” said Šmíd. Amazon has...
Over the summer, the Czech government announced that it was lifting the prohibition on dancing in clubs. It was reported that teens and adults (even some seniors) were dancing in the streets in jubilation around the country at the stroke of midnight, when the ban was lifted. And so since the time is still ripe for dancing, the annual Lunchmeat Festival, has again invited first-rate international electronic music artists and DJs paired with new media artists for making unique synesthetic (physical and intensely visual) experiences. While ever evolving, they are even keeping the motto for this year’s festival similarly to last year’s “We See You Dancin’” since who knows when dancing will again be prohibited. This year’s line-up includes as usual some of the most impressive names on the electronic music scene, including Oscar Mulero, Lee Gamble, and Lorraine James. Mulero, from Madrid, has legendary status for electronic dance festivals and deservedly so for his thunderous and hypnotic yet experimental mixes, and he will do a live audio visual performance with artist Javier Bejarono, presenting “Monochrome.” Lee Gamble is a London-based veteran on the electronic scene with roots in drum & bass, and with his crafty weaving of rave,...
The Czech Republic is an EU leader when it comes to the density of the railway network. With 9,277 kilometres of rail in the country, it would be difficult to find a more connected state within the EU. Quality-wise, though, there are severe shortcomings. “If we look at the quality and capacity of these lines, most of them are single-track and non-electrified. Moreover, unlike in western European countries, the most important lines are, with exceptions, at most two-track and run in parallel, long-distance and regional passenger and freight services,” said Emanuel Šíp, chairman of the Transport Section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce. “So we have to do more to reach the level of the EU’s Western countries,” he adds. The year 2021 is the European Year of Rail. The initiative aims at promoting railways as a sustainable and climate-friendly way of transport. It accounts for only 0.4% of greenhouse gas emissions from EU transport, while the total share of transport in the EU’s emissions stands at 25%. Moreover, railway is the only means of transport that reduced its emissions and energy consumption between 1990-2017. “Czech rail is still poor compared to developed countries,” said Petr Šlegr from the Centre...
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. CZECH REPUBLIC The Czech National Bank should refrain from interest rate hikes that can damage companies and people through higher borrowing costs, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday, adding inflation should move lower. Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen group, will halt production at two domestic plants for a week at the end of September due to chip shortages, the company said on Thursday. Czech President Milos Zeman who was hospitalized this week has undergone medical checks that haven’t revealed any problems or disease that would threaten his life, the presidential office said on Thursday. He will probably return to work next week. WORLD The World Economic Forum (WEF) is to take place in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos next year on Jan. 17-21, reverting to an in-person meeting of world and business leaders, organisers said on Thursday. The Italian government approved on Thursday some of the strictest anti-COVID measures in the world, making it obligatory for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from...
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