Section Archive Current Affairs
Comedian John Cleese to promote Czech Olympic team
British actor John Cleese, best-known for his role in the legendary comedy
group Monty Python, will be the face of a new campaign by the Czech Olympic
Committee to promote the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. The comedian
spent five days in Prague last week shooting video clips to be aired by
Czech TV in which he will present of some Britain’s icons in a most
unusual setting. More
Czech-Libyan community euphoric over end of Gadhafi rule
The end of 40 years of the iron-fisted rule by Colonel Moammar Gadhafi in
Libya has been euphorically welcomed by many within the Libyan community in
the Czech Republic. As rebel troops took over much of the capital Tripoli
in the North African country on Monday, in Prague Libyan officials and
others raised the National Transitional Council flag to mark the end of the
former regime. More
Enabling foreigners to become organ donors
Every year Czech clinics perform hundreds of life-saving organ transplants.
Unfortunately many seriously ill patients wait in vain for the call to say
that a suitable donor has been found. In an effort to increase the number
of donors the Czech Health Ministry is now drafting an amendment to the law
which would allow foreigners to become organ donors as well.
More
Former Czech TV correspondent’s book explores Russian perspective on August 21 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Ahead of the 43-year anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s invasion by the
Soviet Union and her main allies on August 21, a new book offers a hitherto
little explored perspective on this traumatic chapter of Czech history.
Titled “Invasion 1968. The Russian View”, it explores Russians’
attitudes towards the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and the trauma
that some of the Soviet soldiers involved in it experienced in its wake.
Sarah Borufka spoke to the editor, former Russian correspondent for Czech
TV Josef Pazderka, about the Russian experience of the historic event,
their view of the 1968 invasion today and what inspired him to put the book
together in the first place. More
Conflict over ultra-conservative civil servant shakes Czech coalition government
The Czech centre-right government faces another imbroglio. Ministers for
the coalition TOP 09 party walked out of Wednesday’s government meeting
over offensive comments about their chair, Foreign Minister Karel
Schwarzenberg, made by the ultra-conservative Education Ministry HR chief,
Ladislav Bátora. The TOP ministers now say they won’t come back until Mr
Bátora is fired, or his boss, Education Minister Josef Dobeš, quits. More
Trutnov festival back on the Battlefield
It’s that time of year again – the Czech Republic’s premiere open air
music festival in Trutnov is back on the Battlefield, as the traditional
venue is called. A red letter event on the calendars of underground music
lovers (the likes of regular attendee Václav Havel), Trutnov has been
celebrating counter-culture since 1987, when it was attempted, but stopped
by the State Police. This year, as ever, the festival offers four days of a
“cultic meeting” beginning Thursday, “dedicated to Amnesty
International, Jim Morrison and the warriors from Tippecanoe”. Earlier
today festival organiser Iva Rejlová told me more of what we can expect. More
Family, friends and fans pay last respects to murdered best-selling author Simona Monyová
Family, friends and dozens of fans gathered in Brno on Tuesday for the
funeral of Simona Monyová, the Czech Republic’s best-selling author of
women’s literature. The prolific writer, who published close to 30 books
during her 14-year career, died tragically at the age of 44. She was
murdered in her home in early August, with her husband the main suspect. More
Czech mountain bike racer in top form with European Championship, World Cup series wins
Czech cross-country mountain bike racer Jaroslav Kulhavý has had a
sensational season: earlier this month he defended his title as European
Champion and at the weekend he clinched the World Cup cross country series
with a win in Nové Město na Moravě in his native Czech Republic. Not
only did he lock out his nearest competitors on points on the circuit,
he’s looking very good for the Summer Olympics next year. More
Hardbass – we will bring Heil Hitler to your home
There’s an obscure new trend spreading throughout Central and Eastern
Europe - groups of youths from Belgrade to Bratislava to Brno dancing in
public to a hardcore Russian techno track, and then posting videos on
YouTube. It sounds harmless enough, but the problem is the lyrics have a
neo-Nazi subtext. More
Debate over Mašín group reignites following resistance fighter’s death
The death of Ctirad Mašín in the US on Saturday at the age of 81 has
reignited debate in the Czech Republic over whether he and fellow
anti-Communist fighters, who shot their way out of Czechoslovakia in the
1950s, were heroes or cold-blooded killers. While some see their escape as
one of the most daring in Cold War history, others say they tarnished their
moral integrity through their actions. More
+1
+10
+100
