Prague Monitor

Prague Daily Monitor State Prosecutor Jan Lelek asked the National Taskforce against Organised Crime (NCOZ) to investigate whether Vratislav Mynář, the President's Chief of Staff, interfered with the independence of the courts. Lelek was acting on a criminal complaint filed by Senator Václav Láska. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Lupa.cz reports that the Czech Technical University (ČVUT), the country's top technical institution, has decided to end its collaboration with Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei. This is ostensibly being done, following a warning against Huawei from NÚKIB, the country's cybersecurity watchdog, issued in December last year. The move from ČVUT is the latest blow for Huawei. read more

Prague Daily Monitor The Czech Rectors Conference, the leading education body in the country, underlined its support for Charles University, in its legal challenge to President Zeman, over his refusal to name two of the university's academics, professors. The university filed new lawsuits in the Prague Municipal Court against Zeman, earlier this week. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Charles University's Ethics Commission found Professor Martin Kovář, a former vice rector of the University and well-known historian, guilty of plagiarism. Late last year, Kovář was accused of a number of instances of plagiarism in his books, over the last two decades, by three doctoral students at the Faculty of Arts. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Year-on-year inflation was 2.5% for the month of January. In December 2018, the figure was 2% and the jump has surprised many bankers, indicating that the Central Bank's monetary policy, could be tested. read more

Prague Daily Monitor The Chamber of Deputies finally finished the first reading of the amendment to the controversial law on the Electronic Registration of Sales (EET). Once passed, the EET law will be extended to apply to food stalls, craftsmen, doctors and certain other professionals, in its third and fourth waves. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Jana Maláčová, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, announced that her ministry would be reviewing a decision that required doctors to issue electronic sick notes as of 2019, according to Czech Television. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that a number of cities including Prague, Brno and Znojmo are attempting to clamp down visual clutter – the uncontrolled, haphazard placement of advertising signs, neon billboards and branding. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports, based on data from the CERMAT organisation, that the number of students graduating with mathematics at the high school-leaving Maturita exams, is at its lowest in 8 years. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that KDU-CSL MEP Michaela Sojdrova, presented the government with a list of 14 orphans, currently housed in refugee camps in Greece, whom she would like to see re-housed in the Czech Republic. read more

Prague Daily Monitor The Social Democrats and unions which represent government employees rallied against plans by Finance Minister Alena Schillerová to cut government jobs in next year's budget. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that Czechia is the land of super and hypermarkets. With over 1000 such markets in the country, the country has one of Europe's densest networks of large retail stores. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that the country's oldest university, Charles University in Prague, has filed a new suit against President Milos Zeman, for continuing to refuse to honour the university's choice of new professors. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that Finance Minister Alena Schillerova (nominated by ANO) and Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO,) are considering a plan that will see 12500 civil service jobs cut, in 2020. read more

Prague Daily Monitor Czech Television reports that the over CZK 2 million has been sent to Venezuela since 2014, to support the activities of dissidents and those in the fight for democracy, in the South American nation. read more