Prague's first Starbucks celebrates 14 years with a reopening

The world's largest coffee shop chain Starbucks entered the Czech market in 2008, opening in the Grömling Palace on Prague's Malostranské náměstí (Lesser Town Square). Mike Dodman, Chargé d'affaires of the US Embassy in Prague, took part in the reopening of the American-owned chain today, which underwent several weeks of renovation. The location is known for its vaulted ceilings and is housed on the site of the historic Malostranská kavárna. The Seattle-based company is owned by AmRest. There are currently close to 50 Starbucks cafes in the Czech Republic.

The net profit of the ČEZ energy group in the first quarter of this year increased by 218 percent year on year to 26.7 billion crowns. According to ČEZ, the reason for the growth is, among other things, the enormous rise in commodity prices on wholesale markets and a record profit from commodity trading on Western European markets. CEZ's majority shareholder is the state, which holds about 70 percent of the shares through the Ministry of Finance.

About 20 men and women met in front of the Russian embassy in Prague Monday to draw attention to the raping of Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers and to appeal for the crimes to be punished. The participants had plastic bags on their heads and had their legs stained with red color symbolizing blood.

"We want to highlight the violence the Russian army has been inflicting upon women and children in Ukraine," said Jana Studničková, one of the demonstrators. The organizers said the Russian military has used rape as a combat means in Ukraine. In late April, Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova said that in the first half of April alone, she received some 400 reports on sexual violence, including rape, which Russian soldiers committed in Ukraine.

Belarusian politician Sviatlana Tsikahnouskaya will meet in Prague today with Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský and Speaker of the House Markéta Pekarová Adamová. She will also speak this week at the international conference of the Václav Havel Library Truth and Democracy and negotiate with the head of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil.

Lipavský said that on the occasion of Tsikhanouskaya's visit, they are drafting a document for the prime minister that will also include support for an adequate representation of the Belarusian democratic opposition in Prague as well as persecuted Belarusian students.

The Vsetín District Court returned the case of the Bečva River poisoning from 2020 to the prosecutor for further inquiry, Monday, its head Pavel Kotrady told ČTK. He added that the current inquiry results have shortcomings that may hamper the presentation of evidence in the court. The disaster occurred on September 20, 2020, on the Bečva River's 40-km section downstream of Valašské Meziříčí. The poisonous substances were cyanides, the Czech Environmental Inspection (ČZI) said.

In late March, prosecutor Jiří Sachrr brought charges against the Energoaqua company and its director Oldřich Havelka in the case of the Bečva poisoning that killed tonnes of fish and other life in the river. According to available information, Energoaqua and Havelka each face the charges of damaging and jeopardizing the environment and unauthorized handling of wildlife species. Havelka faces up to five years in prison, and the company may be banned and fined if found guilty.

The Czech Day Against Cancer kicks off this week. Typically held during the month of May, the event sees Czech transport companies in Prague, Brno, and České Budějovice sell yellow flowers in their information centers from May 11 to 15. The combination of "flower day" and transport companies in Czechia has a long tradition, and this year it will run without any Covid-related restrictions. Through the purchase of yellow marigold flowers, donors can help the League Against Cancer to collect funds. In 2022, the fund drive is focused on the prevention of cervical and testicular tumors.