On Tuesday, June 26, the Czech government approved the amendments to the law on railway transport, which allow the use of trains without drivers. The construction of a new fourth metro line in Prague, which will be marked by “D” letter and blue color, will begin by the section from Pankrác to the Olbrachtova station and it should cost 39.7 billion crowns. The first section will also test the operation in automatic mode – without drivers, which will speed up the putting line D to operation. Construction will be preceded by an archaeological survey which is set to begin this summer and is expected to take about a year. Construction works on the line will be launched at Pankrác station, outside the Arkády shopping mall. This is where the tunnel boring machines will be brought under the ground. Construction of the Metro’s D route was originally supposed to start in 2010, but it was postponed due to various reasons, including problems with acquiring all of the land. According to previously released plans, it should be completed by the year 2022 or 2023. The completion of the metro D construction will also mean a significant improvement of the environment. The amount of pollutants is expected to decrease by almost 60 tons per year. At the same time, the number of cars heading to the center will fall by more than 18 million a year. Author: red
A recent report by Arthur D. Little found cities still need to work intensively on improvements to their mobility systems. The report assessed the mobility maturity, innovativeness, and performances of 100 cities worldwide through 27 criteria. The global average score of the 100 cities surveyed is 42.3 out of a possible 100 points. This means that, worldwide, the average city has unleashed less than half of the potential of its urban mobility system, a state of affairs that could be remedied by applying best practices across all its operations. Only 10 cities scored more than 50 points, of which eight are European cities and two Asian. The city-state of Singapore achieved the highest score with 59.3 points, followed by Stockholm (57.1 points), Amsterdam (56.7 points), Copenhagen (54.6 points) and Hong Kong (54.2 points). Through a partnership with the Union of Public Transport (UITP), Arthur D. Little has mapped out 12 strategic imperatives for mobility solution providers to consider when defining visions and plans. These recommendations involve addressing a definition, activation, need and behavior, superior experience, offering redesign, long-term totex planning, operating model redesign, innovate for value, integrate the system, open the system, network the system and transformation. “In terms of public...
Labyrinths cut out in large maize fields have become a new tourist attraction, mainly for families with children, in the Czech Republic. They were opened by the Fit-Jump company, that now operates 25 maize mazes in the country. The aim of the project is to make children move. Besides, this is an interesting opportunity for farmers to use maize fields before the harvest. The maze operators address families with children, schools, and kindergartens as well as companies that may use the maize labyrinths during team building events. “Out of the original 30 mazes, we have 25 left and this week we will close another in the South Moravia Region,” firm executive Radek Skacel said. The most popular maize labyrinths are in Hradec Králové, Opava, and Pisek. Those in big cities, such as Brno and mainly the capital of Prague, paradoxically attract fewer people. Author: red
The legislation was drawn up by a group of 46 mostly leftist and centrist members of parliament from six of the nine parties in the lower house, including the populist ANO party of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis. However, at the same time, 37 lawmakers introduced a rival bill calling on marriage to be constitutionally defined as between one man and one woman. Thankfully, as it’s calling for a constitutional change it’s far less likely to succeed than the bill calling for same-sex marriages to be legalized. In the Czech political system, a constitutional change requires 60% of the Czech parliament to vote in favor. Meanwhile, a bill that is only seeking to change the law just requires a normal majority vote. In a poll conducted in May, 50 percent of respondents supported gay marriage. Seventy-four percent approved of the existing registered partnership option. Babis’s centrist ANO party won that vote by a large margin and formed a minority government, but he failed to secure parliamentary support. He is now trying to form a new cabinet with the center-left Social Democrats that would also need the backing of the Communist party. Author: red
The United Islands of Prague festival offers more than just music. The festival does present both local and international acts in a wide range of genres so people can discover new sounds, but there is also a large side program. Entry to the festival including the side events is free. The 15th edition of the festival will take place June 22 and 23 in Prague’s Karlín district. The center of the festival will be Křižíkova Street, which will turn into a pedestrian zone on Saturday, offering sports, drawing, circus, film, and educational or creative workshops. Read the full article here (Prague.TV)
The first quadruplets in 15 years were born in Prague last week, at the maternity hospital of Motol. The three girls and a boy – named Anežka, Monika, Klára, and Ondřej are reportedly doing well, informed the hospital today. Anežka (1400g) and Monika (1530g) were born first, Klára (1450g) and Ondřej (1660g) were born next. “The birth of a child is always a special life event. The birth of quadruplets is a truly miraculous event,” said the director of Motol hospital. The quadruplets are the 22nd to have been born in this country since 1950. The number of multiple births has been decreasing in the Czech Republic in the past few years and last year, 1630 twins and triplets were born in a country with 10.5 million inhabitants, according to a demographic booklet of the Czech Statistical Office. In the past 25 years, the highest number of triplets was born in 1997 (35), and the highest twin rate was in 2010 (2446). Author: red
There has been a large increase in the number of accidents involving pedestrians and trams. There were five accidents in May, a record for a 10 day period and also equal to what usually takes place for an entire year. The DPP is launching an awareness campaign to remind people that they have to watch out for trams. The situation is usually caused by a distracted pedestrian who is looking at a mobile phone or listening to music over headphones stepping in front of a tram. The tram driver has only a fraction of a second to react, and the tram often cannot stop in time due to the braking distance needed, according to Martin Doubek, head of the Technical Inspection Department of the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP). Distracted people walking in front of trams is now an almost daily occurrence, he added. Read the full article here (Prague.TV)
A British travel company has launched a novel new way to find love; fly to Prague and take part in a blind date. Travelers who want to try their hand at the novel holiday can book a trip to Prague for £149 (4,500 Kc) and as part of the package get two nights in a hotel, flights and a date with a fellow love-seeker thrown in the mix. The flights are leaving from London Luton, Gatwick or Stanstead but Scousers can pay extra to fly from Liverpool instead. Once you get there the company will set you up with another holidaymaker on the same package for a date. You’ll meet in the hotel reception at 9 am before going off to spend the day together at your leisure. Daytime activities aren’t included in the package price. Customers must be aged between 18 and 30 only. You’ll get the option to select if you’re looking for a man or woman when you go to buy your voucher. According to the company: ” Whether you are looking for a man or woman, we will play cupid and try match you up with one of our other customers to send you off on the date of a lifetime!...
Apple Pay has launched in three more countries in the last month or so, and a local site suggests that the Czech Republic may be joining the list within the next couple of months SmartMania cites sources saying that it’s coming to Moneta Money Bank soon, with a planned launch date sometime in August. According to information available to our editorial staff, Apple Pay will offer Moneta Money Bank support to its clients. Indeed, in February, the bank issued a paper for investors which revealed a mention of the launch of Apple Pay in the Czech Republic. If everything goes according to plan, the service could start in August this year. There is also speculation that the platform may be supported by Revolut thanks to a vague tweet this week. You can already use Apple Pay to pay money into the service, but you can’t yet use it for spending. The company said back in April that it would be ‘a matter of months.’ Apple Pay uses the near-field communication (NFC) chips embedded in your smartphone to pay for goods and services by holding the device near a card reader, as you would a contactless debit card. You can also use Apple Pay to make single touch purchases within apps....
For travelers looking for natural beauty and peace of mind, Iceland may be the safest bet according to the latest Global Peace Index list from the Australian Institute of Economics and Peace. The rankings are based on a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace, which takes into account statistical factors such as murder rates and military expenditure, as well as perceptions of criminality and terrorism levels. The peace coefficients of 163 countries and regions are then divided into five categories according to their security situation: very high, high, medium, low and very low. Among them, Iceland has been rated as the “Safest country in the world” for the 10th consecutive. The next nine countries are New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, Denmark, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Singapore, and Japan. In its seventh year of civil war, Syria remains at the bottom of the Index, followed by Afghanistan and South Sudan. Author: red
Oscar-winning actor, director, screenwriter, producer and musician Tim Robbins is to be honored at the Karlovy Vary film festival. The festival, which opens its 53rd edition later this month, will give him the event’s prestigious Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema. Oscar-winner Robbins, known for a string of memorable performances including in Mystic River and The Shawshank Redemption and for directing movies including Dead Man Walking, will present two of his directorial efforts at the Czech festival: Bob Roberts and Cradle Will Rock. He will also appear on stage for a special concert performance with his band Tim Robbins And The Rogues Gallery Band. Other prominent guests announced by the festival on Tuesday include American director and ex-member of British comedy troupe Monty Python, Terry Gilliam. The festival’s Grand Jury will comprise director Mark Cousins, actor Zrinka Cvitešić, producer Marta Donzelli, author Zdeněk Holý and director Nanouk Leopold. Author: red
The giant Slav Epic series by Czech Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha has finally secured a permanent home after 90 years in temporary depositories, including a hiding place from the Nazis under a pile of coal. Mucha (1860-1939) said in his testament that he wanted the allegoric cycle of 20 paintings – which range in size from 20 to 50 sq m – depicting Slav myths exhibited in Prague on condition that the city would build a home for the work. Last Thursday, City Hall voted to secure a home for the work that Mucha considered his masterpiece. “I see this as an overdue debt that we owe Alfons Mucha,” said Prague mayor Adriana Krnacova. The new exhibition hall will be located inside Prague’s Lapidarium, a 19th-century Art Nouveau building that has been abandoned for decades. Prague believes its reconstruction will help revitalize the area, which has the potential to draw tourists and locals. “This is the best solution for the Slav Epic,” said Jan Wolf, Prague councilor in charge of culture, adding that the building could also host other works by Mucha. Mucha began the Slav Epic in 1910 and completed it in 1928, 10 years after former Czechoslovakia...
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