Current Affairs | All stories

A great way to spend part of the upcoming weekend is being offered by the district of Prague 9: the Vibrant Nine festival, taking place at Podvíní Park. Focussing on diversity and multiculturalism, the event will allow attendees to visit 20 countries in just one day.

An unprecedented number of high-level corruption cases have been uncovered in the past months in the Czech Republic. Police and state attorneys appear to be investigating corruption charges brought to them with greater urgency. The arrest of Ronald Adams, the CEO of Czech truck maker Tatra this week, is the latest scandal, adding a new layer to an on-going investigation.

The Czech Health Ministry has set itself a new target – getting Czechs to adopt a healthier lifestyle and start at an early age. According to Health Minister Leoš Heger a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and poor eating habits are largely to blame for the nation’s deteriorating health and he wants to address the root of the problem.

A remembrance ceremony on Tuesday marked the 44th anniversary of the beginning of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The first days of the invasion were closely tied to the Czech Radio building in front of which bloody clashes took place and at least 15 civilians were killed.

The Czech Republic has been hit with a severe heat wave. Currents of hot air coming from north Africa via France and southern Germany raised temperatures by to record-breaking highs this week, with a new record of 40.4 degrees Celsius registered outside Prague on Monday. While doctors advise people to take extra caution to avoid problems, meteorologists warn the heat will soon give way to heavy storms expected later on Tuesday.

Thousands of people joined in Saturday’s Prague Pride parade though the streets of the Czech capital, in the second instalment of the festival. The march was the climax of the week-long festival of sexual minorities which was bigger – and raised less controversy – than its debut last year.

The Senate on Thursday rejected one of the most controversial components of the government's fiscal consolidation package - a hike in value-added and income taxes aimed at bringing the debt in public finances under 3 percent of GDP in 2013. The proposed bill has come under fire not just from the opposition parties but also from economists and, not least, the prime minister’s own Civic Democrats who argue that it will drag the country deeper into recession.

After hours of debate the opposition-controlled Senate on Wednesday rejected a controversial bill on the restitution of church property. Under the legislation the state would secure the transfer of part of the land and property seized by the communist regime in the 1950s and pay tens of billions of crowns in compensation for the rest. The bill’s opponents have questioned the scope of the restitution –amounting to 135 billion crowns -saying it is inflated and arguing that the country can ill afford such generosity at a time of tax hikes and cost

When is the last time you used your mobile phone? Did you say anything important? Are you sure no one else was listening? There are rising concerns in the Czech Republic about the increasingly common use of devices that can intercept your daily mobile communication. Masha Volynsky has more.

Prague municipal authorities have approved a series of major changes to the city’s transport system. The alterations will mean that as of September 3, numerous tram and bus lines will be cut while other, longer routes will be added. The city says the changes are needed to save money, but critics argue that they will cause chaos.