The European Union´s top court on Friday ordered Poland to immediately stop mining brown coal at the Turow mine, on the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The Czech Republic filed in March for an injunction, saying the open-cast lignite mine in Poland drains ground water away from inhabited areas and has other negative effects on Czech residents. The decision by the EU´s Court of Justice is a temporary measure pending the court´s final judgement on Prague’s complaint. Poland is heavily reliant on coal and had argued against the decision, which was praised by environmental campaigners. “This ruling is a welcome reprieve for people living on the front line of this crisis, who have been forced to live with the mine gulping their drinking water and undercutting their houses,” said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director for the Europe Beyond Coal group. “The message for polluters like PGE is clear: The rules are the same for everyone, and they are there to protect everyone.” In January, the German city of Zittau, just across the border from Turow, also took Poland to the EU’s court, saying the mine was harming the city and was draining away groundwaters. Poland´s state PGE energy group,...
Garden benches and mobile flower beds were donated to the Home for the Elderly in Malešice. At the beginning of this year, the Czech City of Prague made a commitment to extend the life of Christmas trees by recycling them and transforming them into furniture for social facilities. As such, it announced that students in the field of carpentry from the Jarov Secondary Vocational School would use their skills to help the city achieve its sustainable goals. Now, the Czech capital has proudly reported that the students have built two garden benches and four mobile flower beds out of the spruce that stood in the Old Town Square last Christmas. Moreover, they have donated these newly built products to the Home for the Elderly in Malešice. An innovative and sustainable city In a press release by the municipality, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib commented on the students’ efforts: “Even around Christmas, the tree made passers-by happy in the Old Town Square. Now, thanks to the skillful students of the Jarov Secondary School, it has been used to create specific products which, I believe, will serve clients of the Home for the Elderly in Malešice for many years. It is thus not only an effective use and transformation of already...
Apple seems to have a love affair with our beautiful Czech Republic, choosing it as a location for many of their holiday Apple commercials. This time Apple returned to Prague to shoot a new video, which focuses on security. The ad is called Privacy on iPhone and promotes the new Tracking Transparency feature, which came as part of the update to iOS 14.5. iPhone and iPad users can decide whether they want to allow applications to collect data for marketing purposes. The ad spot follows an average smartphone user as he goes about his daily routine. Throughout the video, everyday tasks and interactions — which are meant to reflect common apps — lead to people collecting more data about him and following him around. Eventually, the protagonist is surrounded by a large group of people all harvesting his data. But when he pulls out his iPhone and enables ATT, they all begin to disappear. An analytics report from earlier in May indicated that 96% of iPhone users are using ATT to opt out of tracking. A separate survey of smartphone users in the U.S. suggested that the majority support Apple’s privacy push, and at least 36% said ATT was their favorite iOS 14.5 feature....
Thousands of people rallied against the Czech Republic’s justice minister Thursday, accusing her of undermining the independence of the country’s legal system and spreading misinformation about the investigation of a huge ammunition depot explosion allegedly caused by Russian spies. The protesters in Prague called on Czech Justice Minister Marie Benesova to resign and said if she does not, they will hold more rallies across the country next week and march through the capital on June 1. Benesova was the only member of the current coalition government who backed President Milos Zeman after he said that the 2014 blast could have been caused by human error or some other cause. The demonstrators repeatedly accused Zeman of treason. Zeman claimed there was no conclusive evidence about the Russian involvement in the ammunition explosion. His words were widely repeated by Russian media and authorities. All other government ministers, including Prime Minister Andrej Babis, as well as lawmakers and officials briefed on the investigation, said that´s not true. Banesova, a close ally of the president, strongly criticized the country´s prosecutor general, Pavel Zeman, for his public comments on the blast investigation. The prosecutor general resigned from his post last week, citing pressure from the...
The United Arab Emirates has become a destination popular with travellers who both want to enjoy the modern cities of the Middle East to the fullest and get to know the traditional local culture. Air Arabia will resume its connection to the Emirate of Sharjah during September 2021. Thanks to direct flights, passengers will be able to enjoy the local pleasant temperatures and relax on beaches in the Persian Gulf this autumn. “The United Arab Emirates is currently among the most visited countries by passengers flying from Prague. We are pleased that Air Arabia has planned to resume its regular operations during September 2021, offering additional alternatives for air travel not only to the Middle East, but also to other destinations in the carrier’s network,” Jaroslav Filip, Director of Prague Airport Aviation Business, said. Effective 22 September 2021, the carrier is scheduled to operate the route from Václav Havel Airport Prague up to four times a week during the summer and winter timetable. Passengers will thus be able to board direct flights every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The Emirate of Sharjah and the local airport, where the direct flights are to be landing, are about a 20-minute drive from Dubai...
A new study by Uswitch reveals which cities around the world are the most sustainable. The study analyzed cities based on several factors which contributed to them being the most sustainable: Energy, transportation infrastructure, affordability, pollution, air quality, CO2 emissions, percentage of green space available. Prague scores highly for the percentage of green space available Prague has one of the highest scores for green space on the index (88.9%). Since 2018, Prague has implemented the Tree Planting Action Plan, an eight-year scheme to plant 1 million new trees. This helps the quality of existing wooded areas and reduce traffic noise in residential areas. The city puts a lot of effort into their recycling as less than 10% of waste is sent to landfills. Other initiatives include citywide bio-waste collection and plan to reduce the total production of mixed city waste by at least half by 2030. Prague is known for its cheap and easy-to-use public transport, and scores moderately on the index’s transport infrastructure (48%), the city has approved a Sustainable Mobility Plan that will ensure more sustainable transport in the city up to 2030. This includes electric buses, refurbishments of trams, construction of park & rides, safer cycler routes in the...
The Rudolfinum – home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 1946 – will undergo a renovation. This week, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra presented a project to modify the Rudolfinum’s terrace. The project will be a collaboration with developer Arcona Capital. “From our point of view, it’s a simple matter. The project is very exciting, but we approach it with great responsibility. The aim is to open the terrace to the general public, and allow open-air concerts,” says Guy Barker, Director of Arcona Capital. Additionally, part of the reconstruction’s aim is to even out surfaces, repair parts such as railings, and get electricity, lighting, and water running. Moreover, an elevator will be built. The company started working on the project 18 months ago. It already holds a building permit from the National Heritage Institute, the Department of Heritage Care, and the Building Office of Prague 1. The costs of CZK 23 million are covered by Arcona Capital, which wants to raise the money in a fundraising campaign that it will announce this year. The date for the start of the construction is still unknown. All that is certain is that once the work has been done, it will be done within three...
It should come as no surprise that having fun when learning a language is much more successful than using textbooks. Even though watching TV shows can feel like (or lead to) procrastination, it’s a great way to quickly expand your vocabulary and become familiar with idioms and popular phrases. It’s also the perfect listening practice if you’re not able to put yourself out there and communicate with native speakers. You may also pause and rewind a Czech TV show at any time, as well as write down new words. There are plenty of famous shows you can watch dubbed on Netflix, but in this post, we’ll look at six entertaining Czech TV shows with English subtitles that are available on YouTube and Czech satellite television (HBOgo). 1.Ulice (The Street) Channel: TV Nova Subject: This show is about people who live in the Prague suburbs, their everyday lives, issues, relationships, and affairs. It is slow-paced and not very thrilling. It can become very interesting, humorous, well-written, and addictive once you find your favorite characters. Phrases and vocabulary: The use of common, colloquial Czech language with no strong dialect is the show’s greatest advantage. It’s all about “true people” and “everyday life,”...
On Wednesday, MEPs debated with Council and Commission about the findings on the breach of conflict of interest rules involving Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. European deputies have harshly criticized Mr. Babiš for failing to resolve his conflict of interest while the recent European audit concluded that the Czech prime minister is in a situation of conflict of interest because he “still controls Agrofert”. Thirty legislators joined the debate, and no one, except for two members of Babiš’s ANO movement, spoke in support of him. The discussion thus showed that Babiš has no allies in the EU Parliament. In the debate, MEPs commented on the recent conclusions of the Commission’s 2014-2020 audit into a case of conflict of interest in which Andrej Babiš has been implicated, saying that the extent to which oligarchic structures have developed in Czechia is “inacceptable”, and that the funds in question have to be retrieved. Others said that this issue should not be used as an excuse to enhance EU competencies, and some underlined that the recommendations of the audit are being implemented now. Whereas the Portuguese Minister Augusto Santos Silva, President-in-Office of the Council, said the Council could not formulate any view on such specific cases,...
According to data from the Czech Statistical Office, the price of beer cans in local shops rose by 8.5 percent year-on-year in April. In restaurants that kept the window open during the lockdown, beer became even more expensive.”Our findings show that during the covid year, i.e. from February 2020 to February 2021, the prices of the most commonly sold beers in the Czech restaurants rose by 12 percent. This is more than in the previous two years combined,” says Petr Menclík, the director of the Dotykačka payment system, which is used by about a quarter of gastronomic companies in the Czech Republic. A light draft beer costs an average of CZK 31.1 in April this year, and a pint of lager cost CZK 39.2, according to statistics. The dynamic increase in prices indicates that beer will become more expensive even after the loosening of covid restrictions. “We have not increased the prices and we are not even thinking about it, for food or beer, at least until the autumn. Then it will depend on the pricing policy of the breweries,” says Karel Doubek, the director of Adria – Neptun, which owns the U Pinkasů restaurant. “It is also important how...
Prague is popular for its beer and beautiful architecture. Besides that, it has a lot of other things to offer as well. Yes, we are talking about delicious Czech food. If you have been planning to visit Prague, you must have already Googled about it. We are sure you have come across the various Czech dishes that are worth trying. If not, you should Google Czech food and you will get to see many websites displaying the best dishes from the place. If you wish to host a food-based website showcasing the delicacies of your country, you should choose Server Mania as your host. To know more about them, you can read Server Mania reviews online. Here is a list of delicious dishes that you must try in Prague: 1. Palacinky This is one of the most popular dishes in Prague. It is enjoyed by both locals and tourists. It looks similar to French crepes but is prepared differently. They use a different batter with fillings such as cream, nuts, jam, and fruit. If you have a sweet tooth, you will surely love this dish. 2. Vepro-knedlo-zelo This is a full-course meal that comprises bread dumplings, roasted pork, and stewed cabbage. Most...
On Tuesday 18 May, Prague received the European Forest City Award 2021 – an award that recognizes the city’s efforts to care for its environment. Representatives of the European Forest Institute awarded the Czech capital virtually, due to the COVID pandemic. The European Forest Institute brings together forest researchers, international organisations, and forest owners. These environmental experts assess the work of cities and award the one that has most successfully contributed to the maintenance and expansion of its forest fund. Prague aims to plant 1 million trees in 8 years In a press release, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib expressed his appreciation for the European Forest City Award 2021: “I really appreciate the “Prague City of the Forest” Award. It confirms that we are on the right path and that we are succeeding in fulfilling our promise – to plant one million trees in eight years.” The Mayor noted that the city has already planted 370,000 trees. More importantly, he explained that Prague is ambitiously and proactively continuing to work on fulfilling its goals. Deputy Mayor for the environment Petr Hlubuček also commented on this, sharing that planting trees in the city is crucial for multiple reasons: “Trees in the city have an irreplaceable role,...
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