The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Speaking at today's Google Summit: Technology for Society event, Google's Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Europe Annette Kroeber-Riel announced that Google plans to allocate 3.3 million euros (CZK 81 million) towards digitization, digital inclusion and education in the field of digital skills in Czechia, iDnes reports. The funds come through the Google.org Fellowship program.

Starting today, and until Jan. 20, 2023, individuals can submit their projects via the website. After that, Google.org will cooperate with experts to select the projects that will receive funding, whose names will be announced in the second half of 2023.

The top prize at the National Architecture Awards for 2022, which took place yesterday at the Trade Fair Palace, went to Prague Kunsthalle, a former transformer station reconverted into an exhibition space, ČTK reports. Its authors are Jan Schindler, Ludvík Seko and Zuzana Drahotová from the company Schindler Seko Architekti. Architect Václav Aulický, known for designing the Transgas building complex and the Žižkov Television Tower, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The former member of the legendary Pink Floyd band announced that he would add another Prague date to his "first-ever farewell tour." Waters will perform on both May 24 and 25, 2023 at the O2 Arena. So far, the tour has seen Waters revisit hits from "The Wall," "Wish You Were Here," and "The Dark Side of the Moon" Pink Floyd albums, as well as solo material. 

The number of murders during the first three quarters of this year, namely 122, was 17 higher than for the whole of last year, ČTK reports, citing police statistics. Between January to September, 2021, police registered 85 murders in the Czech Republic. Police spokesman Jakub Vinčálek said that the rise cannot be tied to a particular social phenomenon, given that most murderers are motivated by personal conflicts.

Ivanka Trump had a great time during her stay in Prague, judging by her social media posts, Expres.cz reports. The daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump put on comfortable shoes to enjoy the Czech capital's most famous landmarks, such as the Astronomical Clock and the Charles Bridge together with her husband Jared Kushner. Ivanka Trump came to Prague to accept an award on behalf of her late mother, Czech-born Ivana Trump, in a ceremony held Friday.

The Czech Ministry of Education plans changes to the current admission requirements, ČTK reports. As such, those who studied abroad for at least two years in the previous four years would no longer have to take an entrance exam for secondary school in the Czech language. Currently, the exam waiver applies to students who have studied abroad for a long time and who want to enroll in a Czech school.

Prague councilors approved yesterday a Sports and Physical Education Support Program for the support of physical activities in Prague in 2023, according to an official press release. The funding for the program is CZK 388 million. This is an increase of CZK 35 million compared to this year, which authorities say are meant to offset rising energy prices. "Most of Prague's sports associations can calculate for themselves the amount they will be entitled to in the grant procedure for the following years," said Vít Šimral, the head of the Council for Sports at Prague City Hall.

Between Nov. 3 and 11, Prague's Jazz Dock Bar and Cafe will host renowned artists from the international jazz scene, such as saxophonist Joe Lovana, pianist Aaron Parks, U.S. singer Gretchen Parlato, and The Bad Plus band. The lineup also includes Czech performers, such as the Marta Kloučková Quintet, and many other artists who will perform during a Czech Jazz Evening.

The city of Prague will receive CZK 22 million in funds from the UNICEF international organization to create "zero grades" in secondary schools intended for Ukrainian children between the ages of 15 and 19, a press release said. These grades will serve as an introduction to Czech language, culture, and education system that would allow the students to "further develop their study potential in the following year at regular Czech secondary schools," said Vít Šimral, Prague councilor for education.

Despite a Civil Code amendment last year preventing the emergence of new foreclosure cases for people under the age of 18, more than 15,000 foreclosures for minors are still ongoing in Czechia, Seznam Zprávy reports. The Here and Now organization, which specializes in child debt, said the foreclosures were "often the result of the interdependence of politicians, lawyers, arbitrators and private executors. The children's ones are specifically a failure of the judicial and legal system, but also of the creditors."

A comparison between the same types of furniture items and accessories available in Czech and Polish stores shows that the Polish ones are significantly cheaper, Seznam Zprávy reports. For instance, the Malm chest of drawers was 28.3 percent cheaper in Poland, while the Fridfull flower pot was 45 percent cheaper. Only 2 items out of a list of 15 were cheaper in Czech IKEA stores, namely the Nyckeln towel, which was 2.8 percent cheaper, and the Blåvingad children's carpet, which was 2 percent cheaper.

"Three nuts for Cinderella" (originally "Tri orísky pro Popelku," also translated as "Three wishes for Cinderella") premiered on Nov. 1, 1973. The Czech-German production became a beloved classic of Czech cinema, and a must-watch for Czech households around Christmas time.

The filming proved challenging due to the -21 degree Celsius temperatures, Blesk.cz reports, as well as the lack of snow that required the film crew to change locations.