Same-sex spouses would have the same rights and obligations as opposite-sex spouses under the draft. This includes, for example, the entitlement to widow’s and widower’s pensions, rights, and obligations concerning the children they raise and access to family care.
This year, for the first time, the flagship educational project Fireflies of the Czech Radio Endowment Fund will open its doors to the guests of Café POTMĚ, in Náměstí Míru in Prague.
From June 22 to July 3, Praguers will be able to enjoy the lively café bustle and authentic atmosphere while sitting in complete darkness in the company of blind and partially sighted cafe-goers.
The goal of the program is to introduce sighted guests to the world of the blind, giving them an opportunity to step into the shoes of a blind person. Guests can enjoy, among other things, musical performances, wine tastings and live broadcasts by Czech Radio stations.
In the café, customers can look forward to professional service from visually impaired staff, who will be happy to present a piece of their everyday world. Upon arrival, visitors will be welcomed and provided with the necessary instructions, then they will be turned over to guides, who will take them to the table and hand them over to their waiter.
The cafe was designed by Adéla Bačová from KOMA MODULAR, a Czech modular design firm, and the interiors were provided by IKEA.
On the opening day of Café POTMĚ (June 22), visitors can also enjoy performances by the children’s choir of the Jaroslav Ježek School and also Bár’s Bar Band, which is composed of current and former employees of Czech Radio.
On June 24 there will be another musical performance under the baton of singer Elis Mraz. The café owners will also have a special program ready for the last school day on June 30. – Kaufland refreshments will be available for schoolchildren in the morning, and an episode of Radio Junior will also broadcast live from the venue. Later that evening, there will be a wine tasting in the cafe featuring vintages from the Mikrosvín Mikulov winery.
Café POTMĚ in Prague
Admission to Café POTMĚ is 180 Kč. Tickets can be purchased on site or in advance. The café opening will be on June 22 at 2 p.m. Operating hours are every day from 9 am to 8 pm with a lunch break from 1:30 pm to 2 pm.
Proceeds from the tickets sold will go to the Světluška public collection and will help visually impaired children and adults throughout the Czech Republic to live life fully and independently.
After Prague, the program will hit the road, heading to Uherské Hradiště, Olomouc, Brno and Jihlava.
President Miloš Zeman said he would veto a bill that would allow same-sex couples in the Czech Republic to marry after the lower house of parliament received a bill amending the Civil Code to that effect.
People of the same sex may soon be allowed to marry in the Czech Republic according to the bill amending the Civil Code the lower house of parliament received on Tuesday (7 June).
The draft was signed by one representative from five deputy groups, namely Mayors and Independents (STAN), TOP 09, the Pirates, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and ANO.
As expected, the motion was not supported by Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the right-wing Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), though parties generally allow their MPs a free vote on such matters.
President Milos Zeman sought to put a spanner in the works when he said on 8 June that he would veto the law if it was passed by parliament.
But Zeman, known for his controversial comments about the LGBT community, is unlikely to be able to prevent the law from being enacted if it enjoys strong parliamentary support.
Under the amendment before the lower house, people of the same sex would have the same rights in marriage as a woman and a man, and registered partnerships would virtually disappear as an institution.
Last December an amendment failed to pass the Senate, the upper house, which would have forced Czech courts to recognise adoptions of children abroad by same-sex couples.
Currently, local courts recognise foreign adoptions by Czech citizens as long as it “would be permissible under the substantive provisions of the Czech law”. The failed motion in the Senate last year and the latest amendment put to the Chamber of Deputies seek to remove this conditionality. It also applies in some instances to unmarried opposite-sex couples.
In December, the European Court of Justice ruled that parental rights must be recognised in all EU member states without distinction, which includes same-sex couples who adopt abroad.
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The Czech Republic needs to pay EUR 3.3 million (more than CZK 85 million) for mistakes that were committed in the country’s agricultural funding policy, citing a document published by the European Commission last week. The fee includes a CZK 1.1 million sanction for former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s conflict of interest.
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The Czech Republic saw its population increase by 3,200 people to a total of 10.52 million during the first quarter of 2022 based on preliminary results published by the Czech Statistics Agency on Monday. The population growth was caused by immigration from abroad.
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The Czech Republic will donate CZK 3.2 million to Ukraine for the country to purchase ballistic goggles for its police force, according to a memorandum signed by Interior Minister Vít Rakušan and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebiinis in Prague on Monday.
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Household debt with banks in the Czech Republic declined month-on-month in April for the first time since January 2016, falling by CZK 19 billion. From a statistical point of view, the decline in loans to households in April 2022 was affected by the withdrawal of the license of Sberbank CZ.
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Czech carmaker Škoda Auto will resume supplies of vehicles to Ukraine in June and deliver 80 cars which will be assembled at the plant of Škoda’s business partner Eurocar in Ukraine’s Solomonovo.
According to preliminary data, the population of the Czech Republic increased by 3.2 thousand during the first quarter and reached 10.52 million.
The whole increase was ensured by the positive balance of international migration (10.8 thousand), while natural change was negative (–7.6 thousand). The number of marriages increased year on year, while the number of births and deaths was lower than in the first quarter of 2021.
The population of the Czech Republic consisted of almost 10.52 million (on 31 March). This figure does not include persons who have been granted temporary protection in connection with the war in Ukraine. (According to data from the Alien Information System, there were 250 thousand of them at the end of the first quarter).
From the perspective of regular migration statistics, a total of 19.2 thousand people immigrated to the Czech Republic from abroad, while 8.3 thousand people were registered as emigrants.
The first three months of 2022 saw 24,200 births and 31,900 deaths. The number of deceased went down roughly by a third when compared with the years during the coronavirus pandemic.
Compared to the first quarter of 2021, there were significantly fewer deaths this year (by 15.0 thousand, or by 32%), but compared to the average from 2015–2019, their number remained slightly (by 3.5%) above average. Most deaths currently occur in the strong post-war year of birth 1946.
From January to March this year, 4.2 thousand couples entered into marriage, 1.3 thousand more than a year earlier, and the most since 2009.
“During the first quarter, February dates were most attractive for engaged couples. A total of 2,211 marriages were registered in February and nearly 1,100, half of them, on a single day – on Tuesday 22 February 2022. Usually, up to 20 weddings take place on Tuesday in February. The last daily count of more than 1,000 marriages in the period of 1st quarter of the year was recorded 20 years ago, on 2 February 2002, but then it was Saturday,” says Michaela Němečková from the Demographic Statistics Unit.
Big changes are coming up on Victory Square in Prague, with plans to transform the entire space.
The city and private sector are working together to revive the neighborhood–and in the process, creating a new form of public space is planned for students.
An international architectural competition has been announced for the buildings that should complement the square, prepared by the private sector together with the city, the district, and the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR).
Offices, flats and a new building for the ICT are planned in the place. The land was originally owned by the university and sold to developers with the promise of building new premises with facilities for students, including laboratories. Developers estimate the completion date at 2028.
The completion of the houses in the part of the space where they are obviously missing will fulfill the original plan that the architect Antonín Engel had for Vítězné náměstí more than a hundred years ago. Engel began working on the urban concept of the expanding Dejvice in 1921.
It also included the central square, around which a network of streets run. One of the last great neo-classical Czech architects, it’s vital that the new developer maintain his style and complete his legacy in Dejvice. Engel drew inspiration for the square from the reconstruction of Paris.
However, the whole concept has never been fulfilled. But now both its completion and revival is planned and funded. The design for the square itself already exists, created by the office of Pavel Hnilička Architects, which won the urban planning competition.
“The basic idea of the proposed modifications to the hitherto unfinished square is to release its center by relocating the tram and car traffic. The free center can be filled with many different activities, such as markets, public gatherings, the start and finish of the race and the like. The value of public space lies in its universality,” described the architects.
In addition to opening the center itself to public space and organizing various events, Hniliček’s team designed a monument in the middle of the square similar to that of the Washington Monument in the US capital–a grand obelisk that can be seen from across town.
The transformation of the so-called Dejvice Campus is also planned. It is attempting to transform the public space of the local university campus. Several schools meet here – the Czech Technical University, the University of Chemical Technology, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences or Charles University. The MCA studio won the public contract for the transformation of the Campus.
The public space in the place should be given a new overall concept, its quality should also be improved and the campus should be more connected with the adjoining city.
This way, students can both benefit from easy access to the rest of the area, all the while contributing to the local economy. At the same time, a quiet zone will likely be created for students and citizens who will want to relax in a place away from the noise that often accompanies student areas.
Budvar, the Czech brewer that has been in a long legal dispute with U.S. company Anheuser-Busch over use of the Budweiser brand, increased its beer exports last year despite the pandemic.
Budejovicky Budvar NP, a 126-year-old state-owned brewery, said Monday its exports were up a record 11% in 2021, reaching 1.3 million hectoliters.
Budvar sells its beer in more than 70 countries. It said in a statement that all its major markets, including Germany, Britain and Slovakia, contributed to increased sales.
Specifically, the brewer´s sales in Germany surpassed 500,000 hectoliters for the first time.
Budvar previously said it registered a record output for the second straight pandemic year in 2021, rising 4.6% to 1.8 million hectoliters. Profit figures haven’t been released yet.
The pandemic affected the beer markets with demand for beer in tanks and barrels declining as bars and restaurants were closed for some time while demand for bottled beer was on the rise.
The brewer has expanded in recent years to be able to produce more than 2 million hectoliters of beer a year. That investment helped it react to changes in the markets amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The biggest homing pigeons’ race took place this morning in Krajková, in the Sokolovsko region.
23,000 homing pigeons set out on a flight of several hundred kilometres from West Bohemia to Moravia or as far as Slovakia. The first pigeons made it back home within five to six hours.
Pigeons flew 300-400 kilometers across the country. The first of them came back home (in the village of Havrice) at 10:01, after covering more than 348 kilometers.
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This year’s Book World Prague festival Jiří Theiner Prize has been awarded to Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, who has in turn dedicated the prize to Ukrainian authors taking part in the event.
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The Czech government plans to let companies pay taxes in euros from 2024, which should enable the state to raise its borrowing in the eurozone currency, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura said.
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Consumer prices continued to rise in May. The annual inflation rate increased to 16.1% in May, up from 14.2% in April. This is the eleventh consecutive month of growth. Inflation increased by 1.8 percent month on month.
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Jiri Procházka stopped Glover Teixeira by submission with 28 seconds left in the fifth round to claim the UFC light heavyweight title in a grueling bout at UFC 275 on Sunday.
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Czech carmaker Škoda Auto will resume supplies of vehicles to Ukraine in June and deliver 80 cars which will be assembled at the plant of Škoda’s business partner Eurocar in Ukraine’s Solomonovo.
Czech martial artist Jiří Procházka defeated Light Heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira on Sunday, taking the title for himself.
Prochazka submitted Glover Teixeira in the final round at UFC 275.
Teixeira wasted no time in taking Procazhka to the ground as the fight got underway. The Brazilian worked for submissions and landed heavy ground and pound from full mount. Prochazka had a better second round and was able to show off his diverse striking on the feet.
A nasty elbow from Teixeira had Prochazka going into the third round as a bloody mess. Prochazka was getting the better of Teixeira on the feet but was also holding his own in the grappling exchanges.
The pair continued to go and back forth in the final round, but Prochazka managed to take Teixeira’s back with just over 30-seconds left and tap him out with a rear-naked choke.
A fight of the year contender 🔥
Congratulations to @jiri_bjp on his incredible title win tonight at #UFC275 🏆#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/5BudeZROwe
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 12, 2022
“It’s amazing and I’m glad. It was a true war. Glover is a true warrior,” Prochazka told BT Sport.
Prochazka, who practises bushido – the moral code followed by samurai – emerged victorious in the final round following a brutal back and forth contest.
Despite winning, he also apologized, saying that he thought he would show a better performance, website mmafighting.com reports.
Teixeira, who became the oldest first-time champion in UFC history when he defeated Jan Blachowicz in October, said: “He (Prochazka) is a very skilled guy on the ground. “I gave my all out there, there are no excuses.”
After several months of testing, technology company Wolt launches a new subscription program in Prague that provides customers free delivery. They can save at least CZK 29 for each purchase.
The monthly subscription price is CZK 109 and is valid for orders from selected venues, of which there are currently 1,700. The program should be expanded to other cities in the future.
During the testing, 5,000 active subscribers have already joined Wolt+ and on average saved CZK 289 per month. In addition, for the first two weeks, customers can try the service for free.
In Prague, users can choose from 1 600 restaurants and 100 shops, including Wolt Market. In the app, Wolt+ partner businesses are marked with the W+ logo, which makes it easy to navigate.
There are more than 1 700 Wolt+ venues
“We approached the most popular Prague businesses that our customers have long liked to join Wolt+ and now they can choose from a range of 1,700 venues. In the future, we plan to expand our portfolio of restaurants and shops with new businesses. We also want to bring the program to
customers from other cities”, says Jan Foret, CEO of Wolt Czech Republic.
The selected venues include restaurants such as La Taquería, Paprika, or Souvlaki Bar. The program also presents a range of burgers from Dish and The Craft, Italian cuisine is represented by Lasagneria and Giallorossa, Asian cuisine by Bo District and Banh Mi Makers.
Vegan dishes are served by Chutnej restaurant and ice cream lovers can be delighted by the offer of Angelato gelateria. Membership in the program is not limited by time and users can terminate it at any time. As a part of the launch, Wolt+ program includes a monthly discounted offer on orders from Wolt Market.
Any customer with a Wolt+ subscription who makes purchases worth over CZK 600 at Wolt will get a cashback worth CZK 150 on their next Wolt Market order.
Worthwhile even for those who order only a few times a month
Membership in Wolt+ is therefore worthwhile for everyone who makes at least 3 orders per month, and in the case of longer distance delivery, the number of orders is even lower due to the tiered shipping fee.
“With Wolt+ we want to provide our users with an even more pleasant shopping experience thanks to reduced additional costs. It will serve especially loyal customers who order frequently via our platform, but it will also pay off those who only use Wolt a few times a month. For them, the possibility of ordering with unlimited shipping fees opens. Our partner companies are also delighted with the program as they are expecting an increase in orders. The program has proved it is worth it not only during testing in Prague but also during the rollout in other European countries, such as Norway or neighbouring Poland”, adds Foret.
Next weekend, on Saturday 18th June, one of the world’s biggest hard rock legends, the seven-piece Guns N´Roses will be performing in Prague’s Letňany as part of their world tour. And this in a three-and-a-half-long set!
From the original 1985 line-up, the band still features Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on solo guitar, and Duff McKagan on bass, with guitarist Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer on drums and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.
The Guns N’Roses 2020 Tour began in January 2020 with a single show, only to be interrupted several times due to the pandemic. Now, Czech or Slovak fans will finally get to see them.
The band has promised to play for three and a half hours, making it the longest concert ever in the Czech Republic. The setlist will include nearly thirty songs from all six of their albums, including a number of covers from The Who, The Stooges, Hendrix solos, and more.
Ten days ago in Spain, the band played AC/DC’s “Back in Black” for the first time ever; Axl Rose sang the same song with them at the same venue in 2016, when he was the lead singer with AC/DC.
Meanwhile, they are working on new music, guitarist Slash has confirmed, following the release of two singles – ‘Absurd’ and ‘Hard Skool’ – last year.
Guns N’ Roses are scheduled to tour across Europe this summer, including UK and Ireland dates in June and July. In Autumn, they will head over to South America and Mexico, before visiting Australia and New Zealand at the end of the year.
“Guns N´Roses”, “Guns” or whatever you want to call them are finally on the old continent. Don’t miss this whirlwind!
Can I still get tickets?
Tickets are still available for the show via Livenation.
At the time of publishing, ticket prices for standing range between 1 790,00 Kč – 3 000,00 Kč. This price does not include any potential handling and delivery fees.
The interest rate on the euro-denominated loan should be below 2% and the city can repay the principal over 40 years.
Prague City Councilors have agreed on the terms of a loan of up to CZK 23 billion (EUR 1 billion) to be granted to the city by the European Investment Bank for the construction of metro line D. The transaction only needs to be approved by members of the Prague City Assembly.
The CZK 23 billion loan covers almost half of the total cost of the metro line D construction between the Pankrac and Nove Dvory stops. Prague will have the option of drawing the loan in CZK or in EUR, while drawing in euros allows for interest rates below 2% per annum.
According to the city’s press release, the project for a new Prague metro line has attracted the attention of EIB experts as it is in line with the city’s approved climate plan and contributes to improving the quality of the environment.
Prague, however, insists that the state contribute financially to the construction as well.
About the new metro
The Prague Transport Company (DPP) started building the new metro line D on 21 April.
This first section is the most complex part of the entire route including the construction of two stations, one of which is a transfer. Along the 3 km metro section with various tunnels the construction will take place in six locations for the next 90 months.
The section will be constructed by the consortium of Subterra, Hochtief CZ, Hochtief Infrastructure, Strabag and Ed. Züblin, under a CZK 13.75 billion (EUR 563 million) contract awarded in 2021.
CZK 14.54 billion (EUR 595.4 million) is the total cost of the I.D1a section, including monitoring systems and certification.
The construction of Line D is divided into four successive sections. Work started on I.D1a section, the most demanding section, for which the construction will take up to 7 years. This will be followed by the Olbrachtova – Nové Dvory (I.D1b) section.
The public transport company DPP will soon announce the public contract for the contractor and plans to start construction in autumn 2023.
Three stations will be built in this phase and three interstation tunnels, from Olbrachtova station. The third section (I.D3) will start from Pankrác towards the center of Prague, on the Náměstí Bratří Synků – Náměstí Míru route. Its construction is expected to start in 2024.
The I.D2 is the simplest section and the last section where the construction work will take only about 4 years starting in 2025. The line will be served by 3 stations and one depot at Písnice.