Section Archive Current Affairs
Protest, rebellion, revolt – Arab Spring takes center stage at the One World International Human Rights Film Festival 2012
The One World International Human Rights Film Festival has just started in
Prague. This year’s edition brings over a hundred films from 72 countries
to the Czech capital, where documentary lovers can visit special festival
screenings until March 15. With such an abundance of interesting
documentaries, it’s something difficult to determine what to see first
– we asked program director Kateřina Bartošová about her highlights
and about the theme of this year’s main category. More
Study warns of possible new attacks against Roma as neo-Nazi movement gains traction
A new study commissioned by the Interior Ministry has suggested that the
neo-Nazi movement in the Czech Republic (estimated as 4,000 strong with 400
hardcore members) is successfully pushing an agenda of hatred and racism in
troubled parts of the country. As it stands, the last decade or so saw a
number of arson attacks against ethnic Roma families including a
highly-publicised case where a toddler barely survived and was left with
lifelong disabilities. According to the latest report, unless more
comprehensive measures are taken soon, racially-motivated attacks spurred
by the neo-Nazi movement, may increase. More
Daily Telegraph: Prague fourth best city for young expat life
Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper has just published a list of the top
twenty places for young people to emigrate, and the Czech capital Prague
came in fourth. "Beautiful and only a short flight away from Britain,
Prague offers all the stability of Europe with not requiring a new
language, and it has the best beer in the world," that's according to
the Telegraph at least. So is Prague as an expat destination all it's
cracked up to be? More
Trade union group fears that government cuts will weaken stagnant Czech economy
The Czech government is debating continued austerity measures, hoping to
save 23 billion crowns in 2012, 42.4 billion in 2013 and a whopping 84.4
billion in 2014. But the plans have been met with opposition from trade
unions, who are highlighting that the cuts could lead to as many as 24,000
public sector job losses and include layoffs of as many as 17,000 teachers
as well as 3,500 police officers within the next two years. Jaroslav
Zavadil, head of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions recently
called this “a path to hell, which will destroy the public sector.” More
De-facto leader of Public Affairs stands trial for corruption
The junior coalition party Public Affairs, which won seats in Parliament on
a strong-anti-corruption agenda, is facing a major test of its credibility.
The party’s de facto leader, former transport minister and present head
of the party’s parliamentary group in the lower house Vít Bárta is
standing trial on charges of corruption. The court hearings which began on
Monday will hear testimony from ministers and MPs and the outcome of the
much anticipated trial could shake the party in its foundations. More
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
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