Section Archive Current Affairs
Wenceslas square’s notorious sausage stands to be removed by end of year
For years, Prague councilors have been announcing the end of the sausage
stands on Wenceslas Square, which for some have become an institution,
albeit a greasy and noisy one. Now, City Hall officials are set to serve
eviction notices to all of the fast-food stands on the city’s main
thoroughfare, ahead of a major makeover next year. In the future, Wenceslas
Square may be sausage-free – but not if Prague 1 mayor Oldřich Lomecký
has his say. More
Scandal-plagued Plzeň law faculty will have to close its doors
The scandal-plagued Plzeň faculty of law appears to have come to the end of
the road. On Wednesday the Czech Accreditation Commission announced that
the West-Bohemian law faculty’s undergraduate programme had failed to
pass muster and its accreditation would not be extended past this autumn.
On Thursday some 300 of the faculty’s 2,000 students gathered outside
their school to protest against the decision and have appealed to Education
Minister Josef Dobeš to intervene. However their chances of success are
meager, since under Czech law the minister is not in a position to question
the verdict of the accreditation commission. We spoke to its chairwoman
prof. Vladimíra Dvořáková to find out what was behind the commission’s
decision. More
Icy temperatures pose threat to Prague homeless, Czech capital opens tent shelter
With temperatures in Prague expected to drop as low as minus 20 degrees in
the coming days, the Czech capital’s homeless are at high risk. Due to
the harsh weather, homeless shelters are already close to operating at full
capacity. To help battle deaths from exposure city hall officials have
arranged for a large heated tent to be put up for those with no roof over
their heads. More
War of words erupts in Prague over EU’s fiscal treaty
Top Czech officials have engaged in an unusually strong exchange of insults
over the government’s refusal to join the European Union’s new fiscal
treaty. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Prime Minister Petr Nečas and
President Václav Klaus engaged in a crossfire which has put more strain on
the fragile coalition government, and which illustrates the deep divisions
between the major Czech political forces in their stance on European
integration. More
Internet brings major advantages for the blind and visually impaired
Internet banking, online shopping, google searches – the internet has
made our life much more convenient. And despite the fact that it is a
highly visual medium, blind people, too, are increasingly taking advantage
of the internet. But how do they perceive it and what are some of the
difficulties of mastering the World Wide Web for those without eyesight? More
Czech government refuses to join EU’s planned fiscal compact
The Czech government has refused to join the European Union’s planned
fiscal compact which paves the way for a closer coordination of fiscal
policies within the bloc. At an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, Czech
Prime Minister Petr Nečas cited “ratification issues” as the main
reason why the country will stay out of the pact, as the only EU member
state besides the UK. The Czech refusal has already caused a stir on the
domestic scene as Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said the move would
harm the Czech Republic’s interests. Jan Czech Radio’s former
correspondent in Brussels, Ondřej Houska summed up the reasons Prime
Minister Nečas gave to back his decision.
More
Czechs keep their options open in Brussels
After much controversy at home on whether the Czech Republic should join
the euro-zone’s emerging fiscal compact, the Czech government delegation
headed for Monday’s key EU summit in Brussels determined to keep its
options open. In the midst of continuing discord on the subject, there is
just one thing Czech politicians heartily agree on – they want to have a
finger in the pie. More
Prague court delivers landmark ruling in home births advocates’ battle with the state
A ruling on Thursday by a Prague court might lead to a breakthrough in the
ongoing Czech debate about home births. While state officials and health
care providers have consistently opposed the practice over safety concerns,
the court decided that mothers indeed have the right to choose the place of
their child’s delivery, and the state has to provide all necessary
assistance. More
Firefighters fear more budget cuts will mean dismissing a third of the force
Firefighters in the Czech Republic are greatly concerned at the course
their budgets are taking. As the money from the Ministry of the Interior
steadily decreases, the firemen’s union warns that further cuts may lead
to substandard services. More
Teachers seek to revive Latin at Czech schools
Latin once used to be the cornerstone of classical education. Until the
middle of the 20th century, some knowledge of the language was a
prerequisite for any career in the academia, and Latin was taught at every
grammar school. But the numbers of students taking up the language has
dropped by a half over the past decade. That’s why a group of Latin
teachers launched a campaign to revive the teaching of Latin at Czech
schools. More
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