Martina Sablikova (b. 1987), the Czech speedskater, specializing in long distance races won her first women’s title at the World Allround Speedskating Championships on Sunday. The Norway king Harald V. and with him about 9300 spectators applauded her in the ‘Viking Ship’ the sold-out hall in Hamar. She is the most versatile speedskater of the planet!

She led after two first races on Saturday, including the feared 500m sprint, and won the women’s gold medal after winning the concluding 5,000 meters in 6:55.54. Than she fell down and just lied. “She touched her limits. The hall was full and very hot, the ice was getting worse. It was an extreme race for everyone.” Her coach said after. The Netherlands edition of De Telegraph wrote: “ Sablikova is in the golden course ”

The Czech metropolis attracts millions of visitors every year. There is a difference among them, though – those who come from abroad look especially for well known Gothic and baroque monuments, meanwhile those from Bohemia aim for Prague Exotic entertainment, for the famous gorilla group, tigers or lions.

Prague Castle
1 342 246
Prague Zoo
1 196 954
Old Town Square City hall
456 002
Petrin Observation Tower
307535
Petrin Maze
211 342
Old Town Bridge Tower
115 582

The numbers above speak about the number of sold tickets, which when count up make the Prague Castle the winner of visit rate in 2008. Beside tourists from abroad also because the Crown Jewels were displayed.

The third best guitarist of all times, 83 yo bluesman B.B. King visits withing his reportedly last European tour Prague. For how many times is this ‘International Farewell Tour’ going to repeat? During the last tour of this name got B.B. King a question from a journalist, if it is really his last tour, and he answered: “My favorite actor Sean Connery … made a movie called Never Say Never”

Maybe the last tour would really be the last, but thanks to the miracle in the form of King’s new album One Kind Favor. Most of the critics run out of stars while evaluating it, and the fans were ecstatic.

BB King have performed for a few times in the Czech Republic, and it was always a success. The tickets start at 700 czk and go up to 2500, the pre-sale start on 16th February at Ticketpro. B.B. King performs with his group in Prague Tesla Arena on 15 June 2009.

The original estimates spoken of more people, at the end about a thousand came to gather around the statue of Jan Hus at the Old Town Square. To support the National Library came also famous personalities like Aňa Geislerova, but also vip Karel Schwarzenberg, who is not only the Foreign Minister, but one of the few moral authorities among contemporary Czech politicians. He tried to explain Prague mustn’t be conservative and that it needs something new.

Most of the people who came were young, often students. Those were called together using the Internet portal Facebook; a community of the library supporters gradually gathered there, up to the present state of about 20 000 members. Which is unique – no demonstration has been called together this way so far here. The Prague City Hall forbid them to build a platform though, so they had to make it from an improvised one at statue of Jan Hus. But they say this is but the beginning.

Only a few hours after the Ministry of Finance officially announced the tender for the new owner of the Czech Airlines, the company everyone expects to take over the Airlines didn’t wait and applied for the privatization.

“Under the European convention Aeroflot, which doesn’t have the headquarters in Europe, buy maximally 49% share of CSA. Within the privatization of CSA it is our aim to join with those financial partners, which has the seat in the Czech Republic. In present, we negotiate with a few potential partners, with the seat in the Czech Republic, the outcome will be known in a few weeks.” said the general director of Aeroflot Valerij Okulov.

Applications can be send until 23rd March, the new owner will be known until September. The whole pack of state stocks, which is 91,51%, is being sold.

Juditin most, is the ancestor of the more southern located Charles Bridge. It was build between 1158 and 1172 and so it became the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest north from Alps. In 1342 the bridge was destroyed by flood.

The bridge stood, similar like Charles Bridge, on round stones connected by iron, cast in lead. The question is, where exactly the pillars stood. Some remains can be found in the building of Křížovnický řád, at the canal under the square and in the basements of houses at the Little Quarter. Juditina tower, which forms the entry to the Charles Bridge from Lesser Quarter was originally the gate to Juditin bridge.

The police scuba-divers continue in their work, first time in the history there is the aim to completely map, where the pillars were. We are going to inform you about the outcome.

The end of plans for US radar base in the Czech Republic? According to the report of yesterday edition of British edition of The Times this scenario is probable. The American President Barrack Obama want to reduce the number of strategic nuclear weapons, which USA and Russia have. Even if happens, both countries would still dominate world in the number of their arsenal. Obama wants to reduce them of 80%. Still, they would have over thousand rockets available.

Russians didn’t wait with their response – on the very day the vice prime minister Sergej Ivanov announced Moscow is “without any doubts” ready to sign a new agreement.

The planned radar base is something Russians don’t want to allow in the Czech Republic. The Americans haven’t abandoned the plan yet, but freezing the project could make Russians more helpful. The Times has informed Obama wants to create a special office led by Gary Samore, who negotiated about rockets reduction during the reign of Bill Clinton.

The owner of 8 Grammies Tina Turner stops within her European Tour in Prague to make a show for us in the huge hall of O2 Arena. On the brand new show there will be hits across her whole career, as well as great light and platform effects, stunts, imaginative choreography and many other surprises

The last world tour of the most successful women rock star of all times, who sold over 180 million records worldwide, was in 2000, took place in 123 stadiums and lasted 9 months.

Tina turner is known by her deep-felt and strong singing, which has been creating the history of rock music more than four decades. As Tina said at the Grammies: “Wherever I came, people asked me when I am making a new tour. So after some time thinking and planning I announced American concert tour. Now Europe calls me and I don’t want to let my fans down.

The foundation ‘For the Library’ gained permission from the City Hall on Tuesday. The collection should finance construction of the National Library according to the deign of recently decedent architect Jiri Kaplicky. The collection, which is permitted from 9th February should end on 26th January 2012.

Postavme se ke knihovne celem! (face up to the library!) under this motto the civil initiative Democracy builds calls together a demonstration on the Old Town Square. The gathering will bring, according to the organizers, at least 3000 people, including many known personalities.

The Democracy builds initiative have more than 22 700 members on their facebook profile. We also have to count with the massive support the building has among the general public. They want to react on the recent quote of Pavel Bem, that “Prague has made the definitive full top after the library” with the new quote “It is time to start a new sentence.”

The November edition of the most successful night of Mecca – Meccamix, again brings an unique show. Returning DJ star Lee Dagger aka Bimbo Jones (UK) is the headliner, plays with the support of the most successful Czech house DJ and producer of all times – DJ Neo (Subliminal).

At the age of 22 he released his single at famous Subliminal. Until today, he had 7 albums done, 2 Grammy nominees and successful cooperations in studio with such a names as Jocelyn Brown, Soraya or Tara McDonald.

But that is not all – there will be the performance of young male vocalist and saxophonist El Jay with identical voice of Jay Jay from Jamiroquai, with the beautiful female vocalist Sandra, accompanied by truly beautiful dancers Ibiza Diva in Brazilian costumes, Meccamix inflatable decorations and silver confetti coming down from ceilings all night.

Entry: 290czk, VIP tickets: 990czk. Start 22:00, pre-sale Ticketpro. Club Mecca, U Pruhonu street 3, Prague 7.

The vaccination, which make a tick starve to death. That is the perspective that might be true if the newest discovery of Czech parasitologists proves to work.

A tick sucks blood only three times in its life. As a larvae, a nymph and finally only a female does need it for resources for eggs creation. In order the parasite gets enough, it must stay leeched for quite a long time. Enough time for transmitting viruses which are one of the most dangerous on our planet.

Ondrej Hajdusek and his colleagues from the naturalist faculty of Jihoceska Univerzita in Ceske Budejovice found out, how the parasite deals with too much toxic iron, which it swallows with blood of the host. They could essentially intervene with the digestive tract of these almost insects.

When the scientists blocked the specific protein, the blood accumulated in intestines of the tick, which died of hunger. If the vaccination development will be successful, the parasites could lose their appetite.

The reconstruction has been underway for more than a year now, and we can already see shops that has been opened, but that is only a beginning; the new shopping zone is about to take 3 thousand square metres. It should be opened in April. The building, by which tens of thousands pass every day is getting new function, significant for our age. It gets a lot more dignity every hour.

So what should open in April? New restaurants, drugstores, bank affiliates, florists or new toilets. The glass facade has been replaced, as well as the roofs, new nets and and lights. At the same time there will be a new customers centre of Czech Railways; with ticket shop, left-luggage office and information office.

The entry hall reconstruction should be finished in spring 2010. After, the revitalisation of the terminal building will be finished. The other step is Fantova Kavarna – secession café with beautiful interior, which will take three years. Still, one should expect there will still be restrictions.

Public Transport Trains are still getting more popular in Prague. It has been established just a few years ago – when you hear the message ‘přestup na liky typu S a další spoje’ while in train or metro, it means you can change to a train, which can take you to the other side of Prague without stopping. While it can seem seem as a risk at first, when one takes look at www.idos.cz and searches one’s connection, one finds out it can be really fast.

To pay for the train ride is not different from paying for the rest of Prague Public transport – either one buys a ticket in a vendor machine, the same as for metro and trams, or use the increasingly popular sms ticket. Even though some train stations still have the communist feel and look, to be fair it should be said that there has been done a lot for improvement. And the Main Train Station in Prague doesn’t look like a station at Ukraine anymore.

London jazz-rap group Us3 come to Prague on 14th April to Prague, to play again in the Lucerna Music Bar. Us3 publish in April 2009 a new, seventh studio album, so the fans will hear new tracks as well on the concert.

The group Us3 originated, when in 1991 the jazz musician an a promoter of Geoff Wilkinson first time produced music for TV shows and in the past he made keyboard player at John Mayall. Together, they made the song Will We Be in 21st Century? And The Band That Played the Boogie song a year later, which brought attention of the owner of Blue Note Records.

Us3 concert in Prague, 14th April 2009 at Lucerna Music Bar, tickets at Ticketpro.

According to the investigation of Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer, which was carried out by the British post company Post Office® Travel Services the Czech Republic is, after Hungary, the the second most cheap destination of 2009 for the British.

The common tourist costs in 27 countries of the world were investigated in the survey. The list include thinks like cup of coffee, bottle of beer, can of Coke, bottle of mineral water, tanning cream, repellent, box of cigarettes or a three-course dinner with wine in a local pub. The same list was more expensive in the Czech Republic, but only of £1,50. Thailand was third.

So it seems, the Czech Republic could be sought after by the British now even more than before. Not only the exchange rates and prices went positively for them, but the low-cost flight companies reduced prices as well.

So here it is – one of the things CSSD won the regional elections with was they offered people the end of regulation charges in symbolic height, the system which helped many doctors from redundant patients, on the contrary the regional hospitals and polyclinics haven’t seen a change, but at least it brought money to the health budget. How much? About 700 mil czk.

The policy of country marshalls brought critique of economists and the Ministry of Finance. Specialists see repaying the charges at the time o the crisis as ineffective spending. “That this take place at the time of crisis underlines the absurdity.” said the finance minister Kalousek. Not even an economist Jiri Rusnok, who is a member of CSSD who put the idea through don’t think it is wise. “It is a product of a political decision.”

Travel movement of the whole world is in a crisis now. Popularity of Prague hotels, none the less, grows. The five-star hotel Aria at Mala Strana (the Lesser Quarter) is, according to the prestigious traveller’s magazine Tripadvisor the most luxurious hotel of the world. Nevertheless, most o Prague citizens don’t even know, where the hotel offering view into Vrtbovská garden is.

According to a specialist it is not an accident that among the 50 most luxurious hotels are, beside Aria, other three Prague hotels in the mentioned chart. “The times, when Prague hotels offered low class services, are long gone.” states a Mag Consulting company representative. That is the reason, why among the hotels appeared also hotel Ventana in Celetna street, which has, beside a relax centre and a hotel library a crystal chandelier by Swarovski. Most of the hotels are in the centre of Prague, overlooking the best sights.

People, who nowadays head to Vysehrad, can be surprised by an unusual view – In V Pevnosti and Vratislavova streets a massive construction from wood and iron grown up. Workers lay special plastic carpet, thanks to which the street is going to turn into an ice bed. On the surface is going to take place the Red Bull Crashed Ice race on Saturday 7th February. This year, 120 racers from the whole world are going to participate, from which 60 are from the Czech Republic.

And what the Red Bull Crashed Ice is? A combination of downhill skiing, hockey and boardercross. the competition take place in urban ice tracks in various cities, wind and diving its way. The competitors have to navigate the course’s massive vertical drops, razor-sharp turns, jumps and steps, all while doing speeds of up to 50 km/hr. If that’s not enough of a rush, they’ll also have a crazy live audience cheering them on. If you want to be among them, look for at a ticket at Ticketpro.

The exit from Hradcanska metro station, the subway station closest to Prague Castle is shocking for many people. First, some of the doors a closed, so it a little like finding the right way out of maze. But when one finally gets outside, it looks like one got out to the middle of a building site. And this is the way it is going to be for a few months more.

The construction takes place because of the tunnel Blanka is being build. And if one wants to try for a tramway, one can try again. Directly from the place go the substitute bus line X1, in the night it is X56, in the direction to the centre only. The best advice is to find the directory table with the map and try to figure out where the bus stops. Unfortunately, the obstacles stay there until 30th June 2009.

Prague City Hall have introduced, how the future of drivers might look like in Prague. From the Main Train Station to the Wenceslas Square they could choose – either to go into the tunnel or use the new roundabout in front of the State Opera building. So the hated speedway among the National Museum Building and Wenceslas Square should disappear.

What you can see here is a computer study of Satra company, which was designed for the Prague City Hall. If everything goes according to plans of the city, the first digging should start in 2011 and the construction wort 10 billions czk would last for three years. Where the tunnel is going to start and where it ends is not clear yet.