Section Archive Current Affairs
Prague and London launch initiative to deepen common European market
The Czech Republic and Britain, who both decided to stay out of the EU’s
fiscal discipline pact, are preparing to launch an initiative of their own:
one aimed at deepening the common market. Prague says that this is the real
key to economic growth at a time when the alliance needs to boost its
flagging economy. More
Director Miloš Forman turns 80
Director Miloš Forman celebrates his 80th birthday on Saturday, and
newspapers in his native country are full of tributes. In the small
category of Czech artists who have conquered the world, Forman has a seat
among the likes of Antonín Dvořák and Milan Kundera and Czechs are
dulely proud of him for his success. But his approach to filmmaking and
style of direction also permanently altered the course of cinematography in
the Czech Republic and elsewhere, a fact we discussed earlier with Karel
Och, the artistic director of the Karlovy Vary International Film
Festival. More
Corruption joins Czech landmarks in satirical tourist campaign
Critics may say that the Czech government is doing practically nothing to
address the country’s high levels of corruption – the Czech Republic
rates 57th out of 182 in Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption
Perceptions Index, four places lower than 2010’s 53rd place – but that
hasn’t stopped other entrepreneurial figures from stepping in to fill the
vacuum. Interested in seeing the top spots for “tunneling”, murky,
hidden centres of power or finding some of the buildings that have resulted
from alleged shady deals? Then Corrupt Tour may be what you’re after!
They are promising to show “The Best of the Worst” as their motto puts
it, their website adding that they are striving to open up an entirely new
field of tourism. Or is it just all a new way to shame the country’s
politicians?
More
Government moves to give crime victims more support and greater protection
Being a crime victim can be a shattering experience and many who have
personally experienced it say that reporting the incident and the
investigation that follows can be equally agonizing. At the present time
there is no code of conduct specifying how the police or state attorneys
should treat crime victims and critics say their conduct often leaves much
to be desired. The Czech government has now moved to correct that approving
an amendment to the law which would give crime victims more support and
greater protection. More
Constitutional Court defies EU with ruling on Czech-Slovak pensions
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday made a landmark ruling regarding the
difference in pensions between the Czech and Slovak Republic. Cases exist
where Czechs who worked in the other half of Czechoslovakia now receive the
lower pension rate of the Slovak Republic. According to the new decision of
the court, such citizens never worked in a foreign country and thus are
entitled to compensatory payments to raise their pensions to Czech
standards. Among the chaos this creates for the Social Affairs Ministry now
is that fact that the ruling directly contradicts the European Court of
Justice. More
Czech soldier in Afghanistan decorated for bravery
A Czech soldier serving in Afghanistan’s southern province Logar has been
awarded the United States Armed Forces Bronze Star Medal. Staff Sgt. Michal
Novotný who is squad leader of the Prostějov reconnaissance unit was
decorated for helping to save the life of an American soldier. More
Police crack down on women’s branch of Czech neo-Nazi movement
The Czech police have cracked down on a group called Resistance Women
Unity, a women´s branch of the Czech neo-Nazi movement National
Resistance. Fifteen women were arrested and charged with promoting and
supporting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms. I
spoke to Miroslav Mareš of Masaryk University in Brno, one of the Czech
Republic’s leading experts on far-right extremism, to find out more about
the role of women in neo-Nazi groups in the present day Czech Republic. More
Baroque Bohemian Carnevale recreating centuries-old tradition long lost
The annual Bohemian Carnevale got underway this week, and for the next
seven days carnival-lovers will have a chance to forget the freezing
temperatures in Prague with masked balls, parades and acrobatic
performances. The event is an attempt to revive what was a major social
event in days gone by – one that attracted big-name celebrities such as
Mozart and Casanova. More
Roma kids from special schools put Czech education system to shame in Great Britain
Thousands of teachers around the country are up in arms. They are unhappy
about the government’s plans to gradually phase out special schools –
or schools for children with a mental or physical handicap – and
integrate as many of these children as possible into the education
mainstream. More
EU human rights court rules Czech state denied Kinský fair trial in property restitution case
The European Court of Human Rights denounced the Czech state for having
denied a fair trial to František Oldřich Kinský, an Austrian aristocrat
who sued the country over his property claims. The court said that Mr
Kinský, who passed away nearly three years ago, had been subjected to
abusive treatment by the Czech authorities when he sued to get back family
property worth around 40 billion crowns. More
+1
+10
+100
