News: Thursday, October 17th, 2024

Ten individuals and two organizations awarded for promoting Czechia abroad

Poet, translator, and activist Jana Beranová, professor Jana Fischerová, and political scientist Jacques Rupnik were among the ten individuals and two organizations awarded the Gratias Agit prize for promoting the Czech Republic's good name abroad. The awards were presented by Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in Prague's Černín Palace. Other recipients include linguist Helena Lehečková, Argentine NGO leader Gabriel C. Salvia, historian George Edward Scott, and soprano Eva Urbanová. Organizations recognized include the Slovak folkloric group and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The Gratias Agit prize has been awarded since 1997.

CzechInvest: Czech education should encourage youth entrepreneurship

The Czech education system does not sufficiently encourage young people to pursue entrepreneurship, focusing more on memorization than fostering creativity, said CzechInvest CEO Jan Michal at the "Entrepreneurial Future of Czechia" conference. While 40% of young people express interest in starting businesses, 55% prefer employment. Michal called for a cultural shift towards celebrating success and emphasized collaboration between schools and employers. State Secretary Ondřej Andrys highlighted the need to nurture entrepreneurial skills from preschool, while the Ministry of Industry is working on initiatives like startup visas and university business incubators.

Telecom operator O2 faced hour-long outage

Telecommunications company O2 experienced an approximately hour-long outage this morning, affecting mobile and data services for some customers across the Czech Republic. By around 10:30 a.m., O2's technicians had restored the services, which were gradually coming back online, spokesperson Veronika Zachariášová told Czech Press Agency. The cause of the outage is still unknown. The issues began around 9:30 a.m., with O2's customer service line notifying affected customers. The company apologized for the disruption. Additionally, Vodafone customers also faced service interruptions earlier in the morning, reportedly due to a network equipment upgrade. O2 is the largest telecom provider in Czechia, serving nearly eight million mobile and fixed-line users.

Czech schools to serve less salt and sugar

Starting next school year, school cafeterias in Czechia will serve meals with less salt, sugar, packet soups, and sugary drinks. Meals will feature fewer dairy products and meat but larger portions of the latter. Experts have sent the Ministry of Education recommendations to update the 30-year-old consumption guidelines, aiming for healthier meals. The proposed changes are expected to take effect in September without a transition period, said Jan Mareš, Director of the Ministry’s Education and Youth section, during a press conference. Approximately 1.5 million children eat in school cafeterias daily.

Court dismisses Pirate Party leader's complaint over SPD campaign in Vysočina Region

The Regional Court in Brno dismissed a complaint filed by Hana Hajnová, the Vysočina leader of the Pirate Party, concerning this year's regional elections in Vysočina. Hajnová sought to annul the mandates of representatives from the opposition coalition of SPD, Trikolora, and PRO, alleging that their campaign violated constitutional principles. However, the court ruled that it had not been proven that the campaign influenced the election outcome. A second complaint regarding the miscounting of preferential votes for a Pirate candidate in the Třebíč district is still pending.

Migration is a litmus test for Czech society, says expert, as two-thirds of Ukrainians wish to stay

The Ukrainian population in the Czech Republic, predominantly young and female, presents a promising opportunity for the country, says migration expert Marie Jelínková from Charles University. However, in an interview with Czech Radio, she warns that despite this, Czechia hesitates to introduce the structural changes needed to support their integration. According to Jelínková, around 380,000 Ukrainian refugees currently reside in the country, with approximately two-thirds wishing to remain. She highlights the strong tendency for temporary migration to become permanent, a pattern observed in previous migration waves.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds present new album in Prague

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will present their new album Wild God in Prague on Thursday, ahead of its release in late summer 2025. The concert at the O2 arena marks the band’s return to the city after three years. Last performing in 2022 at the Metronome Prague festival, Cave described Wild God as "complex, yet deeply and joyously infectious." Collaborators on the album include Colin Greenwood from Radiohead and guitarist Luis Almau. Cave, known for his diverse career spanning punk, rock, and ballads, remains a prolific musician and artist, with notable works in both film and literature.

Weather

Weather in Czechia will be mostly overcast with low clouds and occasional fog, especially in the west and southwest. Isolated drizzle possible, with high temperatures between 10 and 14°C, around 16°C in areas with sunshine.