News

Julius Zajac: Let's defend Europe together, beginning with unity

15.11.2015 23:23 After the terrorist attacks in France, antagonism in the Czech Republic is growing against the so-called "optimists" ("sluníčkáři"). Who are they?  full story

Czech PM Sobotka: The Czech Republic must think of its own security

15.11.2015 22:46 Speaking on Czech Television today in response to Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris, which claimed the lives of as many as 130 people, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) said the Czech Republic must aid people in need while simultaneously thinking about its own security. He also said he was disappointed by the words of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker about maintaining the EU's current approach to immigration.  full story

European Commission President Juncker: EU countries must not reject refugees because of Paris attacks

15.11.2015 22:08 Speaking today at a side press conference convened at the summit of the G20 countries in Turkey, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said European Union countries should not begin to reject refugees in response to Friday's attacks in Paris. In his view there is no need for the EU-28 to change their approach to addressing the migration crisis.  full story

Seven people connected to one assassin detained in France, some commandoes apparently managed to flee

15.11.2015 21:29 As reported earlier, François Molins, the Paris Prosecutor, has announced that French investigators have identified the first of the assassins who killed 129 people in Friday in Paris during a coordinated attack. Omar Ismail Mostefai (age 29) was identified by one of his fingers that was found at the crime scene of the Bataclan concert hall.  full story

Police have identified the first of the Paris assassins

15.11.2015 20:12 François Molins, the Paris Prosecutor, has announced that French investigators have identified the first of the assassins who killed 129 people in Friday in Paris during a coordinated attack. Omar Ismail Mostefai (age 29) was identified by one of his fingers that was found at the Bataclan concert hall.  full story

International Romani Union: Freedom is the most important value

14.11.2015 17:44 The International Romani Union has sent the following letter to the French President about the 13 November terrorist attacks in Paris:  full story

Islamic State claims responsibility for assassinations in Paris

14.11.2015 15:09 The Islamic State (IS) organization has released a statement claiming responsibility for Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. Shortly before that French President François Hollande had attributed the assassinations to them.  full story

One of the biggest terrorist attacks: Assassins murder 126 people in Paris, more than 200 injured

14.11.2015 8:36 The attacks that cost the lives on Friday evening of dozens of people in Paris are being reported by French news servers with the headlines "State of emergency", "Series of suicide assassinations", "Unprecedented assaults". The media is also noticing that the attackers chose the unlucky day of Friday the 13th for their assault.  full story

Interview with Czech psychologist: Children's homes no substitute for parental love

13.11.2015 21:54 "I decided that instead of attempting to rescue 100 children at once, I would take one, two or three to be my own," Martina Vančáková told herself while still a student - and she and her husband today do actually care as foster parents for two Romani siblings in addition to their own two biological children. News server Romea.cz interviewed Vančáková, the psychologist who founded the "Our Romani Child" project at the Foster Care Center in Prague, about what children living in children's homes undergo, how to support the healthy identity of Romani children in a non-Romani foster family, and how to work with one's own prejudices.  full story

Turkey's first Romani television station to begin online broadcast

12.11.2015 21:15 The Turkish edition of CNN and other media outlets report that Ahmet Çokyaşar, the chair of the Turkish Romani Confederation, says giving Romani people a voice and providing a different perspective on them from the one produced by other media outlets is the main aim of the first Romani television station in Turkey, which will begin broadcasting on 20 November. The station, called "Roman TV", will first begin broadcasting in Romani and Turkish through the Internet  full story

Czech Republic: Assembly announced in Prague in support of hunger-striking foreign detainees

12.11.2015 20:46 Evangelical clergyman Mikuláš Vymětal, who is working with foreign nationals protesting their detention in the Czech Republic by going on hunger strike, has informed the media of new developments in their situation: "The foreign nationals who are continuing their hunger strike to protest their detention in the facility at Drahonice were told by police officers at around 7 AM today that they should prepare to leave the facility. They were not told where they will be going. Yesterday evening police instructed them to take down signs the detainees had posted in the rooms where they are locked up that read 'Freedom' and 'We Are Not Terrorists'. The leadership of the detention center ultimately abandoned the idea of removing them because he concluded after interviewing them that they are peaceful. Today at 16:00 there will be an assembly in Prague at Klárov in the park near the Malostranská metro station to support the hunger strikers."  full story

Some charges dropped against Romani couple in Greece who cared for Romani child from Bulgaria

12.11.2015 20:08 The Greek wire service Athens News Agency (ANA) reports that a Greek court has dropped charges of abduction against the Romani couple who were discovered in 2013 to be caring for a blonde Romani girl named Maria. Christos Salis and his wife, Eleftheria Dimopoulou, are still being prosecuted for deceiving the authorities by asserting she was their daughter.  full story

Czech academics: Promoters of hate want to trample on the anniversary of 17 November

12.11.2015 18:54 Tomáš Zima, the Rector of Charles University in Prague, and the Deans of its Faculties headquartered at Albertov in Prague have issued a statement against the possible abuse of the upcoming 17 November holiday by people espousing bigotry, hatred and intolerance. While the academics do not give concrete details in their statement, it is known that a demonstration by the Bloc against Islam has been planned for the state holiday next Tuesday at Albertov.  full story

Africa-EU summit: Billions in aid to help stop refugee wave

12.11.2015 17:53 Leaders of European countries meeting in Valletta today signed an agreement to create an EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. The European Commission has already allocated EUR 1.8 billion for it.  full story

Czech Republic: Asylum-seekers on hunger strike, number of injured rising

11.11.2015 21:09 The situation in a refugee facility in the Czech town of Drahonice (Louny district) escalated in the late afternoon today. The Czech Police report that two asylum-seekers have injured themselves and another injured himself after attempting to attack a member of the security forces there.  full story

Czech Gov't Inter-ministerial Commission on Roma holds two-day meeting on Romani affairs

11.11.2015 19:55 Inclusive education, the Romani Integration Strategy to 2020 and proposals from the Czech Interior Ministry in the areas of crime prevention and increasing safety in socially excluded localities have been discussed today and yesterday by experts in Romani affairs from all over the Czech Republic in the town of Pardubice. The meeting is being held by the Czech Government Inter-ministerial Commission on Romani Community Affairs.  full story

Research shows Slovaks take stricter approach to judging Romani people than to judging Hungarians - or themselves

11.11.2015 19:06 News server DenníkN.sk reports that a team of Slovak scholars, led by sociologist Andrej Findor from Comenius University, have conducted research to ascertain how respondents assess the commission of a misdemeanor depending on whether it is committed by an ethnic Hungarian, Roma or Slovak. Compared to the other groups, it is absolutely clear that respondents assess Romani people most strictly.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: We face a crisis fed by fear

11.11.2015 18:36 "We are facing a crisis fed by fear. In the debate being conducted about the refugee crisis, security measures are being constantly emphasized, but not much is being said about the humanitarian aspects," Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier says.  full story

European Court of Human Rights: Freedom of speech does not include Holocaust denial

11.11.2015 18:17 The European Court of Human Rights has rejected an appeal from comedian Dieudonné Mbala Mbala against the fact that the French justice system has fined him for disseminating hatred. Freedom of speech, according to the Court, does not cover anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion wants to focus more on activation and community work

10.11.2015 23:46 The Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion is preparing to open up centers in three regions in January. Branches of the Agency should open in Ostrava, Prague, and Ústí nad Labem.  full story