Section Archive Current Affairs
Czech Republic and Britain alone withhold signatures from EU treaty
Twenty-five of 27 EU member states signed the European Union’s new fiscal
compact in Brussels on Friday - but the Czechs were not among them. Prime
Minister Petr Nečas together with British Prime Minister David Cameron
have opted not to support the treaty, which is aimed at enforcing budget
discipline in the union and prevent meltdowns within the eurozone as was
seen with Greece. More
Fate of education reforms unclear after week of student protests
A week of student protests against proposed reforms of the education system
culminated with mass demonstrations around the country on Wednesday. After
a night spent sleeping rough on the floor of university halls and lecture
rooms students and university staff took to the streets to show their
discontent with reforms which they claim will reduce the autonomy of
education institutions, shift the burden of funding to students and put the
academic sphere under the influence of private enterprise and politicians. More
Brno's Villa Tugendhat reopens after two year renovation
This week saw the completion of a two year restoration project of Villa
Tugendhat, a unique functionalist villa in the city of Brno. Its history
matches that of Czechoslovakia: repeat occupation, dilapidation and
ultimately restoration. More
Leading economist on austerity package: public sector still squandering money
The Finance Minister’s austerity plan for 2013, which includes
far-reaching measures to increase state revenues and cut public spending,
has raised an outcry from the opposition benches with the leader of the
opposition Social Democrats Bohuslav Sobotka saying his party would table a
vote of no-confidence in the three-party centre-right coalition. More
Study: Obesity, smoking and drug abuse on the rise among Czech adolescents
Czech researchers from the University of Olomouc made a significant
contribution to the latest Health Behavior of School-Aged Children Research
Study. Sadly, its conclusions point to a worrying trend: Czech adolescents,
and their counterparts across Europe, are living an increasingly sedentary
lifestyle. As a result, obesity, drug abuse and smoking among those aged 18
and under are on the rise. We spoke to one of the Czech researchers
involved in the international study, Michal Kalman. More
Analysis Results – new Krištof Kintera exhibit perplexes and provokes
Krištof Kintera is one of the most respected contemporary Czech artists
– he was recently given the title Artist of the Year – and his new
exhibit offers an insight into his latest work. Provocative, whimsical and
daring, the “Výsledky analýzy” show is one of the season’s most
interesting exhibits. We take a look ahead of the opening. More
Students continue protests over university reform proposals
The student protests that formed a key component of the 1989 Velvet
Revolution serve as a stark reminder, even more than twenty years later,
that the imagery of any Czech government upsetting its student population
is going to create a major headache. Recent reforms proposed by the Czech
Education Ministry under Josef Dobeš have achieved just that. Students are
crying foul, with banners draped in universities across the country
accusing the government of putting profits before education. This week,
many Czech students have taken matters a step further with a self-titled
“Week of protests” against the legislation. Tuesday sees students
attending countless workshops and debates while protests marching on the
offices of the Czech government are scheduled for Wednesday. Dominik Jůn
spoke to Charles University student Matouš Turek, one of organizers of the
protests, and began by asking Turek to explain the background behind the
controversial legislation: More
Finance minister tells Czechs to brace for succession of lean years
Although the Czech government has refused to sign up to the EU’s fiscal
discipline pact, frugality has become the order of the day and the finance
minister has warned the nation that, come what may, fiscal discipline will
be observed in the interest of bringing the country’s public finances
under control. On Monday the cabinet’s economic ministers are meeting to
debate austerity measures for 2013 which far surpass those previously
undertaken.
More
Cakes for freedom – tongue-in-cheek happening to support artist facing controversial prison sentence kicks off in Prague
Activists are holding a protest happening in front of Prague’s Pankrác
prison, where Czech artist Roman Týc on Friday afternoon is starting a
one-month prison sentence for a 2007 art project that involved defacing
fifty traffic lights in Prague by changing the standard red and green
figures to show them in situations such as drinking, urinating and hanging
themselves. The artist says he chose prison time over paying a fine because
otherwise he would be renouncing the project’s message. Titled “Bábovka
pro Týce” or “A cake for Týc”, the happening is as tongue-in-cheek
as the art project itself – as a sign of their solidarity, participants
will bring cakes to the prison, an allusion to the well-known prison
cliché of a cake with a file in it. Ahead of the start at 2 p.m., we spoke
to co-organizer Magda Vídeňská about the unusual happening. More
Scattered oversight: the gaping loopholes in Czech public servant conflict of interest laws
A recent study by the pro-civic engagement charity Oživení found that of
five hundred disclosure declarations lodged by Czech politicians – MPs,
Senators and local officials - roughly a quarter had errors or issues
worthy of further investigation. Critics suggest that the current system
simply is not working and with an array of authorities across the Czech
Republic tasked with examining conflict of interest declarations – some
admit that they do not even have the resources to fully check what public
servants have declared. In addition, there are numerous loopholes that
appear to make the system highly ineffective. Dominik Jůn spoke with
Vladan Brož, of Transparency International and began by asking whether he
thought the current system was working. More
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