At a ceremony at the CU Scientific Council, the Rector of Charles University, Professor Václav Hampl, today gave out awards to the best graduates of the University at the annual Rector’s Awards. Professor Hampl also bestowed a Rector’s Award for Distinction. The Rector’s Awards for the best graduates of Charles University are bestowed on exceptional students in both the bachelor’s and master’s study programmes who have achieved exceptional results in the scientific, research, sports or cultural sphere.

On the 30th October Charles University in Prague awarded Professor Aravind Joshi the honorary title of doctor honoris causa in physics and mathematics. This was done in recognition of his achievements and contributions to his field of computational and formal linguistics. The ceremony was held in the Great Aula of the historic Carolinum Building.

On the 17th and 18th of October, the Centre of Medieval Studies hosted a conference on the financial aspects of the medieval economy. The conference, of which the Faculty of Humanities of Charles University was one of the organizers, attracted academics and scholars from across Central and Western Europe, who discussed and debated a number of topics related to the main theme.

On Wednesday, the 20th of November, the Great Hall of Charles University hosted a ceremony to award honorary doctorates to Prof. Anthony F. Dixon and Prof. Peter Kurmann.

Almost four times the size of France, but with a population three times smaller than that of the city of Plzeň, Greenland is not a country that often makes the headlines. On Tuesday, the 19th November the Scandinavian Section of the Department of Germanistic Studies at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University hosted a talk with Ms Tove Sovndahl Gant, head of the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen.

With levels of youth unemployment in Europe reaching as high as 23% in 2012 , a key part of the Europe 2020 development strategy is to get Europe’s youth working. The 10 year plan to improve Europe’s economy aims towards “smart, inclusive and sustainable growth” in five key areas; Employment; Research and development; Climate change; Education; and Poverty and social justice.

A bright Wednesday afternoon in Jinonice campus of CU welcomed the Head of Diplomatic Affairs between the Czech Republic and Italy, His Excellency Pasquale D’Avino for a topical lecture on European immigration. Loudly greeting the people with a warm “Buon giorno, Dobrý den!”, Mr. D’Avino entered a room full of interested social science academics and guests.

To mark the forty-year anniversary of the 1973 Chilean Coup d’état, the Faculty of Arts hosted expert speakers on the matter of non-democratic regimes. Perspectives from three continents were present as designed to share and discuss examples and research into non-democratic regimes.

The Faculty of Arts of Charles University was graced once again by the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other experienced speakers, one of the highlights of the Societies in Transmission Forum 2000 taking place in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

On October 31, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague hosted a lecture by Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg, Professor Emeritus at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa. Professor Ginzburg's lecture, entitled 'Looking at Europe from the Orient,' opened the TEEMA Conference, which ran from October 31 to November 2 at Charles University in Prague.