The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will bring the National Hockey League to the Czech Republic for the 2022 NHL Global Series.
The two NHL regular season games between the Sharks and Predators will be played on October 7 and 8, 2022 at the O2 Arena in Prague.
The Predators upgraded their roster in the offseason by trading for veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh and signing skilled forward Nino Niederreiter.
The NHL’s first game in Europe since 2019 nearly ran into a snag when the Czech Foreign Ministry informed the NHL that Russian players were not welcome in Prague due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the Czech government reversed their stance on Sept. 29.
The Sharks have two Russian-born players, left-wingers Alexander Barabanov and Evgeny Svechnikov, and the Predators have Russian center Yakov Trenin on their roster.
The 2022 NHL Global Series will mark the ninth season overall that the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games.
To date, there have been five NHL regular-season games played in the Czech Republic, which have all been played at O2 Arena in Prague. This year’s games in Finland will mark the first NHL regular-season games to ever be played in Tampere.
The NHL is a global League, with 29 percent of NHL players in the 2021-22 season having been born outside of North America. All four clubs feature a number of international stars on their rosters, including natives of the countries they are visiting.
In October, Roman Josi and Nino Niederreiter of the Predators will be playing in their home country of Switzerland. Czech Republic natives Tomas Hertl and Radim Simek of the Sharks will be playing in their home country for the first time as NHL players.
In addition, the Blue Jackets and Avalanche games in Finland will be played in the home country of Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen of the Avalanche, as well as Tampere native Patrik Laine and Joonas Korpisalo of the Blue Jackets and Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Qatar will open an embassy in the Czech Republic in the coming months, Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani said in a joint press conference with Czech President Milos Zeman yesterday.
The Czech Republic opened its embassy in Doha earlier this year.
Al Thani, who is on an official visit to Prague, said he is looking forward to Zeman’s visit to Doha, which is preparing for the launch of the FIFA World Cup next month.
He added that he discussed with his Czech counterpart the development of mutual economic relations.
Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s clear position to resolve all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
“As far as economic questions are concerned, we signed an agreement on economic cooperation today, as well as a letter of commitment to sign an agreement on the protection of investments after the latter is ratified by the European Commission,” President Zemen said.
Al Thani ended his visit to Czechia prematurely after Brussels didn’t approve his attendance at Thursday’s summit of the European Political Community platform.
According to Deník N, the sheik wanted to become an official participant in the summit and attend a gala dinner for about 50 political leaders.
He reportedly left before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, after his request was turned down by EU leaders, despite efforts from the Czech side to find a compromise.
The Liberec Nature Run takes runners into the Jizerské hory which rise to the east of Liberec, a city of over 100,000 people, located in the northern part of the Czech Republic.
Runners can choose between two races – 12km and 22km long, starting at the Town Hall from náměstí Dr. Edvarda Beneše, the main square in the Old Town.
Both routes are very hilly and offer scenic views, passing the zoo and a granite quarry. The 22km route also visits two reservoirs, the small Vodní nádrž Rudolfov and the much bigger Vodní nádrž Bedřichov which is situated at 775 metres above sea level.
The start/finish area is at an elevation of 374 metres. The event also offers a 2.5km family run through the city centre.
The RunCzech running season 2022 is over but the runners can also look forward to the two winter races co-organized by RunCzech in the south of Italy known as Napoli Running events – Sorrento Positano which starts December 4 th and Napoli City Half Marathon on February 26.
The registrations for RunCzech events 2023, including the International Prague Marathon, are already open at www.runczech.com
Czech member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský received death threats on social media after embracing a joke on the Czech Republic annexing the Russian region of Kaliningrad.
The joke started when an anonymous Polish account on Twitter wrote about dividing Kaliningrad between Poland and the Czech Republic so that the countries could “finally have access to the sea.”
On September 29, Zdechovský—who has been an MEP since 2014—reposted the tweet, translating it into English for an international audience. “I decided to make a joke much more serious,” he told Newsweek. “But it’s obviously ironic. Everybody knows it’s ironic.”
But Zdechovský said his statements on social media are followed by many Russian journalists, who are aware that he has a strong pro-Ukraine stance and took the joke as a serious threat.
“They took it seriously because they have an agenda,” Zdechovský said. “I know Russian propaganda very well, I spent a lot of time studying their behavior and from the first moment it was absolutely clear that Russia will react. I know how nationalist they are.”
Russia’s state-affiliated RT published an article on September 30 saying an “MEP wants Russian region split between two EU states” and had suggested holding a referendum in the region.
“Je čas rozdělit Kaliningrad, aby naši čeští bratři měli konečně přístup k moři”
A pak nemilujte Polaky 😄 https://t.co/hLhyBDZQJm
— Tomáš Zdechovský (@TomasZdechovsky) September 29, 2022
The Czech MEP said he received death threats on social media from Russians threatening to kill him.
“I received some 2,000 messages of people saying they will kill me, that I need to fear leaving my flat because they will hurt me and they will shoot me, and Russian snipers are waiting for me,” he said. “But everybody was joking on Twitter. I’m making fun all the times about these people.”
But Zdechovský, who said he has been put under police protection three times in his life, didn’t take the threats seriously. “It’s not nice, but really you can imagine that if it was a serious threat, they will make it much more intelligent,” he said.
“I don’t fear the Russians. I think that Russians fear me. This joke reached thousands of people, there’s been interest from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the U.K. and Europe.
“I think that this shows that Russia has a very bad image. And many people through these jokes are really making this statement, saying what they think about the Russians.”
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania which doesn’t share a border with the Czech Republic. The region became part of the Soviet Union and then Russia after World War II, but had previously belonged to Prussia, Poland and Germany.
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Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met for talks with the British head of government, Liz Truss, on Thursday ahead of the European Political Community’s meeting at Prague Castle. They discussed bilateral cooperation, the security situation and support for Ukraine.
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Gas consumption in the Czech Republic fell by 20 percent year-on-year in the third quarter. According to Rajdl the drop in consumption is linked to the later start of the heating season and probably also the closure of some companies due to the energy crunch and soaring inflation.
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The export of military equipment from the Czech Republic to Ukraine has totalled CZK 47 billion this year, including CZK 4.2 billion provided by the state, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova told journalists yesterday.
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According to Fincentrum Hypoindex, the average offer rate for mortgages fell slightly for the second time in a row. The Czech National Bank (ČNB) left base interest rates unchanged at its September meeting, while some banks cut mortgage rates as part of their autumn discount promotions.
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Qatar will open an embassy in the Czech Republic in the coming months, Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani said in a joint press conference with Czech President Milos Zeman yesterday.
On Thursday morning, October 6, activists of the Czech branch of Greenpeace unrolled on the Vltava river an inflatable yellow gas pipeline with the inscription “Putin’s Blood Gas”.
It appeared close to the Charles Bridge opposite the Prague Castle, where today is taking place the informal European Council meeting.
EU leaders will discuss the three most pressing, and interlinked, issues facing the EU, namely Russia’s war in Ukraine, energy and the economic situation.
“Today’s protest wants to send a clear message to politicians that they can not continue to deepen relations with the fossil fuel industry and ignore investments in renewable energy sources,” the activists’ representative Miriam Macurová said.
According to her, the energy and climate crises have a common cause – dependence on fossil fuels.
Therefore, Greenpeace views Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine as an opportunity for European countries to accelerate the abandonment of hydrocarbons, reduce emissions, and address climate change while ensuring energy security.
“This winter will be severe, but the next one could be even worse if European governments remain dependent on gas and oil supplies. Imposing a cap on prices may bring temporary relief and lower energy bills, but it will not solve the global problem of our dependence on gas or future energy poverty. It is shameful that since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have not seen any programs for the insulation of houses or the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps, nor any plans to install solar panels on roofs,” said Tomas Galin, the coordinator of the EU’s energy campaign.
The Czech government extended its checks on the border with European Union neighbour Slovakia by another 20 days, seeking to control a spike in the flow of illegal migrants, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said on Wednesday.
Czech police started checks on the 252-km border on September 29, initially for 10 days.
Within the first 24 hours of activating checks, the Czech police have detained 11 migrant traffickers and 247 illegal migrants in the South Moravian Region.
Border checks across 17 crossings on the Czech-Slovak border were put in place in light of a rise in illegal migration to Europe, particularly from Syria.
Before the checks, the Czech Republic had detained around 12,000 illegal migrants in 2022, a 12-fold increase from a year ago.
The vast majority have been Syrians, mostly coming from Turkey, the government has said. They mainly continue to Germany and elsewhere.
Slovakia has criticised the Czech border checks as being against the principles of the border check-free Schengen area within the EU.
Rakusan also argued that Hungary was to blame for the problem as the country has stopped observing the readmission agreement of reciprocal acceptance of refugees.
Rakusan also said he would like to discuss modifications to the asylum law and strengthening of EU external border protection at a meeting of EU Interior Ministers.
The Interior Ministry has raised the combined capacity of its refugee facilities from 800 to 1,040, and is carrying out random border checks.
He also said that in cooperation with Justice Minister Pavel Blazek (ODS) he would submit a proposal to toughen sentences for people smugglers.
Stanislav Virdzek has a lot on his mind. He is the co-owner of La Donuteria in Spalena street.
In addition, he and his business partner Lukas are also development managers in the Czech Republic and overseeing the growth and expansion in the country of the brand, which is one of the fastest-growing in the world and already has over 7 locations just in the country.
Nonetheless, he still comes in almost every morning at 5 am to make the donuts. “You know, with the high standards that we have for ourselves and our product, we really take this seriously,” he says.
Despite the hard work involved both in running the shop and in overseeing expansion to other locations – the newest branch opened a couple of months ago in Hradec Králové – he still enjoys the work. “It is really difficult sometimes, but what makes it rewarding is that people are coming back and are happy. The feeling and look on people’s faces is the best part,” he says to Prague Morning.
Even famous Praguers can’t resist the delicious pull of La Donuteria. Pavel Hoftych, the famous football player and coach, comes with his family.
Stanislav says that he comes with his daughter and his granddaughter, who will often decorate her own donut. “We just give her a plain cream-filled donut and let her decorate it herself. She’ll put on a heart made of strawberries or chocolate and she’s always really happy about it. She comes out of the kitchen with a huge smile on her face.”
Now, the main thing on their minds is a new line of savory, salty donuts that are being launched.
“We started recently. We used to have two flavors: pepperoni pizza and cheesy nachos and now we’ve added more so we have 5 recipes and one that’s vegan. Right now we’re trying to fine-tune another vegan recipe,” Stanislav explains.
In addition, there is also a BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) option that is grilled with dijon mayonnaise. While many of the toppings or fillings themselves are not vegan, all the dough is made from a special, La Donuteria-exclusive vegan flour, and they offer more than half a dozen vegan options for their sweet donuts.
Stanislav says that this has changed the way that people come to the store. “People are coming for breakfast here, especially the regulars. Some of our customers are coming back for breakfast 2 or 3 times a week.”
Right now, the savory donuts are only offered in the morning, before 13:00, as they’re made to order. Prices range from 69-109 Kc.
Check them out on Facebook or in person at Spálená 23.
The Czech government cleared the way on Wednesday to impose caps on electricity and gas prices for households, public institutions and small companies for 2023 as the country faces soaring prices pushed higher by the war in Ukraine.
The Czech Republic, like others in the European Union, has sought to shield people from soaring energy costs as gas supplies from Russia fell, driving up market prices.
The Czech caps, finalised by a government order approved on Wednesday, will be set at 6 crowns per kilowatt hour of electricity and 3 crowns for gas throughout 2023, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
The caps, first agreed by the government last month, apply also to public institutions like hospitals or schools, are in line with the government’s previous announcements. Smaller businesses will also be covered.
Last month, the government agreed larger companies would draw from a 30 billion crown package, and a further 30 billion should be made available for smaller companies within a framework proposed by the European Commission.
EU governments have debated a gas price cap for weeks, without reaching agreement, and the topic will be up for talks when member states’ leaders meet on Thursday and Friday in Prague for a summit.
Along with the 27 EU countries, 17 non-member states, including Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Switzerland, Norway, Kosovo, and the UK have also been invited to the EPC summit, which will also be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The EPC meeting will see the biggest participation of European leaders in Czechia’s history.
The new platform of the EPC, which is meeting for the first time, was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron in May and is intended to help political coordination of all European countries and support political dialogue and cooperation.
Since the release of their gold-certified breakthrough album, 2016’s A/B, Icelandic rock band KALEO—led by frontman/songwriter JJ Julius Son—has taken their music around the world.
The album spawned three hit singles – the GRAMMY-nominated “No Good,” the gold-selling “All The Pretty Girls” and the chart-topping, 2x Platinum-certified “Way Down We Go” which was used in over two dozen television shows from Grey’s Anatomy to Riverdale, leading the No. 1 single to top The Hollywood Reporter’s Top TV Songs chart.
After amassing over 1 Billion global streams, 39 international certifications, and countless sold-out headline shows spanning from London to Moscow, KALEO has proven to be a worldwide phenomenon.
Known for their electrifying live performances, KALEO completely sold out their first U.S. headline tour and was a standout at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo and recently were hand-picked to open stadium dates for the Rolling Stones.
Since KALEO wrapped a nearly non-stop 3-year touring schedule in support of A/B in October 2018, Julius Son was in the studio working on the band’s highly anticipated follow-up album.
KALEO’s Fight or Flight Tour is set to begin in 2022.
KALEO’s sophomore album – Surface Sounds – was released on April 23, 2021 on Elektra/Atlantic and features lead singles “I Want More,” and “Break My Baby” as well as “Alter Ego,” “Backbone,” “Skinny,” and “Hey Gringo.”
Tickets on sale from CZK 990 to CZK 1,450
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix.
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The Czech Republic will extend the checks at its border with Slovakia by another 20 days from the original 8 October deadline, until 28 October. The cabinet approved this proposal from Interior Minister Vit Rakusan today.
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On Thursday, the new European Political Community (EPC) will discuss security and peace, energy, climate issues, and the economic situation at its inaugural summit in Prague. Representatives of 44 countries were invited to attend the summit
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Czech President Miloš Zeman and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, signed an agreement on economic cooperation at a meeting at Prague Castle on Wednesday. They are also due to approve an agreement on investment protection.
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Renáta Kellnerová, widow of the late billionaire Petr Kellner, who died in a plane crash in the US last year, is the wealthiest Czech, according to an annual rich list published by Forbes on Wednesday. The market value of her assets is estimated at CZK 382.9 billion.
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The cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) confirmed the price cap on electricity and gas. Citizens will pay six crowns per kWh for electricity without distribution fees and three crowns per kWh for gas.
Note legal paragraphs, sabres that curl,
pay heed dear Havel, dear Havel, muse well!
Note legal paragraphs, sabres that curl,
pay heed dear Havel, dear Havel, muse well!
This chorus from a song by Jaroslav Hutka used to get sung around Prague with an air of mystery. That was before the Velvet Revolution of 1989. At that time Václav Havel’s name was far less known than it is today.
Back then, Václav Havel was ‘merely’ a persecuted Czech dissident, a co-writer of the Charter 77 protest in Czechoslovakia, an author of little-known plays, which were only ever performed abroad. It didn’t take long, and the life story of Václav Havel changed immensely.
Today, Václav Havel is a world-renowned persona. Yet few of those arriving from abroad have any inkling about his life and family background. Havel’s family history is a rather interesting perspective on the 20th century, however.
October 5th marks the 85th birthday of Václav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia (from 1989 to 1992) and the first president of the Czech Republic (from 1993 to 2003).
Aside from that, Havel was a poet, playwright and filmmaker.
His absurdist plays, which were critical of communism, led him to be blacklisted after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion, and his works could not be performed domestically.
He was one of the authors of Charter 77, a protest petition for human rights, and a founder of the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted.
When massive antigovernment demonstrations erupted in Prague in November 1989, Havel became the leading figure in the Civic Forum, a new coalition of non-communist opposition groups pressing for democratic reforms.
In early December the Communist Party capitulated and formed a coalition government with the Civic Forum. As a result of an agreement between the partners in this bloodless “Velvet Revolution,” Havel was elected to the post of interim president of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989, and he was re-elected to the presidency in July 1990, becoming the country’s first non-communist leader since 1948.
As president, he tried to promote culture in the newly independent country with theater festivals and music. He counted the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed among his friends, as well as human rights activists like the Dalai Lama.
He continued his human rights activism after his presidency by starting Forum 2000, an annual series of lectures, panels and related events.
He continued to write, and his play Leaving premiered in 2008. He directed a film version in 2011.