Section Archive Current Affairs
New trade minister appointment stirs controversy
President Klaus has appointed Civic Democrat Martin Kuba to head the
ministry of Trade and Industry, following the resignation of Martin
Kocourek last week. Though Mr Kocourek’s tenure ended amid allegations of
corruption, the new minister was clearly not chosen on the basis of a
controversy-free political history, as Christian Falvey reports. More
Smog woes to continue all week
It’s the worst case of smog in recent memory. From east to west, the
Czech Republic has been under a cloud for the last several days. As up to
four times the permissible limit of pollution is being registered in
various parts of the country, children and the elderly have been advised to
stay indoors and factories have been forced to restrict their production.
The city of Plzeň has even experienced the rare phenomenon of
“industrial snow”. We spoke with Josef Keder of the Czech
Hydrometeorological Institute, who told Radio Prague first of all where the
problems were worst at the moment. More
Three Czech nationals to be tried for spying in Zambia
The fate of three Czech nationals who are awaiting trial in Zambia on
suspicion of spying, remains highly uncertain. The three face 25 years in
prison for having taken photographs of an old plane displayed outside a
military base in Lusaka. The Czech Foreign Ministry has tried in vain to
intervene on their behalf and is now sending a special envoy to the country
to present the case in person.
More
Commonwealth representatives mark Remembrance Day in Prague
The military section of Prague’s Olšany Cemetery filled with foreign
uniforms on Sunday as soldiers of the Commonwealth of Nations marked
Remembrance Day, and commemorated the sacrifices of their countrymen who
lost their lives on Czech territory during the Second World War. More
Saint Martin’s vintage arrives in Prague
In recent years, Saint Martin’s day has become a welcome opportunity for
Czech winemakers to present their young wines. The revived tradition of
Saint Martin’s wines has caught on, and November 11 has become a fixture
in the calendar of Czech wine-lovers. One of the main wine festivals in the
capital is held on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square, in the Vinohrady
neighbourhood. More
Czech underground legend Ivan Martin Jirous dies aged 67
One of the legends of the Czech underground, poet Ivan Martin Jirous, died
in Prague on Thursday at the age of 67. Ivan Jirous, or Magor – literally
“the crazy one” as he was affectionately called by his friends – was
perhaps best-known as the artistic manager and spiritual leader of the
underground band The Plastic People of the Universe, but this eternal rebel
was also a sensitive, contemplative poet and master of the Czech language. More
Czech Martin Staszko finishes second in world’s biggest poker event
Czech player Martin Staszko achieved the greatest success of his poker
career when he finished second in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas on
Wednesday where the 35-year-old Czech won over 5.4 million US dollars in
prize money. Czech players now hope his accomplishment will popularize
poker back home, and eventually relax recently tightened Czech legislation
on the game. More
Industry minister resigns amid corruption charges
Prime Minister Petr Nečas accepted the resignation of Industry and Trade
Minister Martin Kocourek on Wednesday evening, the sixth change to the
cabinet in the last year. The resignation was preceded by several days of
corruption allegations against Mr Kocourek and speculation as to the source
of a 16 million crown payment made to the minister’s mother. More
Vsetín faces Roma exodus
In late 2006, Jiří Čunek, then mayor of the eastern town of Vsetín and
later Christian Democrat chairman, made a controversial decision to move
several hundred Romany rent-defaulters out of a dilapidated block of flats
in the town centre and relocate them in a complex of portacabins on the
outskirts of Vsetín. Now, five years on, most of them are choosing to move
even further – as far as the United Kingdom. More
Specialists at Defence University make use of Xbox technology to create new military visualisation system
Specialists at the Defence University in Brno have developed a new system
for the Czech military to improve planning as well as the real-time
monitoring and control of missions in the field in 3D. Most intriguing is
that the system makes use of technology from Microsoft’s Xbox gaming
console but applies it to real-world situations including the battlefield. More
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