Current Affairs | All stories

The German Foreign Ministry wants to acquire Prague’s Lobkowicz Palace, the seat of the German embassy. For thousands of East Germans, the compound was the last stop on their way to freedom in August 1989, two months before the fall of the Berlin Wall. In exchange for the historic building, German authorities are offering the Czech Foreign Ministry a palace in Berlin.

The much-anticipated privatisation of the Czech Republic’s national carrier Czech Airlines (CSA) has hit turbulence, with Air France-KLM dropping out of the tender. That leaves only one bidder for the loss-making airline – and the Czech government likely to face a choice between getting a poor price for CSA or not selling it at all.

The Czech Republic has taken its first medal at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin – silver for Barbora Špotáková in the women’s javelin. Much was expected of the defending world champion, but in the end Špotáková says she is satisfied with second place.

For many Czechs it is difficult to imagine anyone other than Petr Fejk running the Prague Zoo, but soon that will be a reality. On Tuesday the hugely successful zoo director (the first non-zoologist in the post) confirmed that after 12 years he was stepping down as of October 31st. The man who transformed the zoo into one of the most exciting venues in the Czech capital - focussing on new services, modern pavilions and new acquisitions – will now be heading to New York, where he will run the Czech Republic’s National Bohemian Hall.

The sixth year of the Letní Letná or Summer Letná festival of new circus and avant garde theatre has just got underway at Prague’s Letná Park. Until the end of August, colourful tents raised among the greenery not far from Prague Castle will host troupes and ensembles from the Czech Republic and abroad.

The Czech Republic is one of the few countries in the EU not to have ratified the Lisbon treaty. Though both houses of parliament have approved ratification, the president is currently refusing to put his signature to it. Meanwhile, a group of Eurosceptic senators are also employing delaying tactics: they are going to send a freshly announced petition to the Czech Constitutional Court, ahead of a challenge to the document itself.

The Czech government on Monday approved a proposal to allow product placement in television programmes, meaning that the names of real-world products can now appear in television serials, films and other programmes, and TV producers can, of course, make money off of it. In one sense it means a new advertising medium, and in another, simply bringing above-board what producers have already been doing for a long time.

Burčák season is coming – but not, say experts, just yet. The end of August sees a number of festivals kick off around the country in honour of the sweet, deceptively fruit-juice-like, alcoholic drink. But with Czech grapes still to ripen properly, experts are warning that the burčák currently available is of dubious origin and a pale imitation of the real deal. I spoke to the head of the National Wine Centre in Valtice, Pavel Krška, to ask what made an authentic burčák:

The Czech Republic on Monday expelled two Russian diplomats for alleged espionage, provoking an angry reaction from Moscow. The move has put a further strain on bilateral relations already soured by US plans to build a radar base in the country as part of its missile defense shield.

Obtaining a driving licence may seem like an ordinary thing for many people but for 18-year old Jakub Tomeš from the town of Česká Třebová it was a lifelong dream not very likely to ever come true. That’s because Jakub was born without arms and uses his feet to perform everyday tasks. Despite his disability, Jakub has now earned a driving licence along with much praise from his instructor.