News
30-07-2010 07:24 | Jan Velinger
- The United States have officially confirmed for the first time that the Czech Republic will be part of new missile defence plans in Europe.
- The European Union’s top court has ruled that US brewer Anheuser-Busch may not register “Budweiser” as a European Union-wide trademark, ending a long legal battle with Czech producer Budějovický Budvar.
- Swiss officials have said that the extradition of fugitive Czech businessman Tomáš Pitr could take up to one year.
Current Affairs
Fugitive Czech businessman Tomáš Pitr arrested in Switzerland
Photo: CTK
Swiss police have arrested the fugitive Czech businessman Tomáš Pitr, who in the Czech Republic faces 11 years in prison for tax evasion and embezzlement. The multi-billionaire was on the run for more than three years. Czech authorities believe that if extradited to the Czech Republic, he could provide crucial information about the infiltration by organized crime into state structures. More
(03:39)‘Kajínek’ – gripping story of convicted killer who maintains his innocence
A new film hits the cinema screens next week about the Czech Republic’s
most notorious prisoner - Jiří Kajínek. In 1998, Kajínek was sentenced
to life in prison for the gangland killings of a Plzeň businessman and one
of his bodyguards, a crime he’s always denied committing. His daring
escapes from several of the country’s high security prisons – and
persistent doubts about the conviction – have made him something of a
popular hero among Czechs.
More
(03:31)Czech pavilion at Shanghai expo getting record attendance
The Czech Republic’s pavilion at the Expo2010 fair in Shanghai is proving
an enormous success. Attendance figures have surpassed expectations and on
Tuesday the pavilion welcomed its 4 millionth visitor. Radio Prague asked
the Czech pavilion’s spokeman Jiři F. Potužník for the latest news
from Shanghai.
More
(04:32)Czech Books
Hearth and Horizon: cultural identity in a globalised world.
This week’s Czech Books visits the home of the distinguished philosopher
and author, Professor Erazim Kohák, to discuss his book, Hearth and
Horizon. After exile from Czechoslovakia in 1948, Professor Kohák had a
long academic career in the United States, and is Professor Emeritus at
Boston University. He returned to his native land in 1990, and since then
has continued to teach philosophy and write, is the recipient of the
highest academic and cultural honours, and is one of those who could truly
be called a public intellectual.
More
(12:55)Letter from Prague
The perils of the Pilsen train stop
For a few months from late July until the nights draw in from September and
force me to change my weekend timetable, I look out of the window with
some
suspicion when my Prague-bound train pulls up at Pilsen on Sunday
evenings.
The cause of my fear can usually be heard before it appears: returning
football supporters after an away game in the West Bohemian city. More
(03:23)Sections
Panorama
Respected research institute to get major make-over, focus on groundbreaking projects
The Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology in Vodňany, South
Bohemia (a centre with a long and respected history and part of the
University of South Bohemia’s Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of
Waters) will soon get a major make-over... More
(07:47)Spotlight
Summer Czech language courses in Dobruška
For many Czechs, the eastern Bohemian town of Dobruška evokes the Czech
National Revival, a time when the Czech language was on the verge of
extinction. A local merchant, immortalized in the novel F. L. Věk by the
Czech writer Alois Jirásek, worked tirelessly... More
(08:33)One on One
Jan Bubeník – one of the student leaders of the Velvet Revolution
Jan Bubeník was one of the organisers of a student march in Prague on
November 17, 1989 to mark the anniversary of a Nazi crackdown on Czech
universities 50 years previously. When the marchers carried on to Národní
St in the centre of the city they were... More
(09:29)Sports News
Sports News
In Sports News this Monday: Roman Kreuziger again comes ninth in
cycling’s Tour de France; Barbora Špotáková is racing to be fit for
the women’s javelin at the European Athletics Championships; and Sparta
Prague’s Tomáš Řepka could find himself in hot... More
(02:58)Mailbox
Mailbox
Today in Mailbox: heat in Prague, buying Czech produce, the Czech pavilion
at World Expo. Listeners quoted: Colin Rose, Chun-Quan Meng, Charles
Konecny, Xiu-Ping Qian. More
(03:58)SoundCzech
To fly like a madman
Welcome to SoundCzech, our language series in which you can learn Czech
phrases and idioms through song lyrics. In today’s edition the phrase to
look out for is “letím jako blázen”, featured in a song by the Czech
pop
group Chinaski. More
(03:37)
