• 09/17/2025

    Secondary (High) school students across Czechia can take part in simulated parliamentary elections on Wednesday and Thursday. Organized by People in Need, the project involves more than 660 schools—about half of all secondary schools in the country, the highest number so far. Students over 15 will choose from the same parties competing in the real elections on October 3–4. The initiative, first launched in 2010, aims to familiarize young people with the principles of representative democracy. Results, processed by the Kantar agency, will be published on Thursday evening.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 09/17/2025

    The Czech government is set to review a final report evaluating last September’s devastating floods, which caused damage worth an estimated 70 billion crowns, mainly in the Jeseník, Opava, and Krnov areas. Ministers will also debate the introduction of visa requirements for Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports, citing concerns over human rights violations and the suppression of civil society in Georgia. Other items on the agenda include adding new professions such as geoinformatics experts, digital curators, and social educators to the official public service job catalogue, as well as measures related to motorway D3 construction funding and simplified employer reporting.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 09/17/2025

    Jan Štefela has made Czech athletics history, winning bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo, the first Czech high jumper to collect a medal at a world event. In the final, he cleared 231 cm on his second attempt. His hopes of winning silver were dashed by Olympic champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand who overtook him with a 234 cm jump.

    Even so, the 24-year-old Štefela surpassed the career mark of his coach, Jaroslav Bába, who placed fourth at the 2011 championships in Daegu.

  • 09/17/2025

    Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Spolu) has stated that Czechia will oppose suspending the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel. Mr. Lipavský said on X, that in a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, he had assured him that the Czech Republic would not support the proposal, since it is not in the EU’s interest to reduce its influence in the region. At the same time he  stressed the need for the war in Gaza to end as soon as possible and for the humanitarian situation to improve.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she will propose sanctions against Israel on Wednesday, as the Israeli military presses ahead with a ground offensive in Gaza City. The plan includes suspending certain trade provisions under the EU-Israel Association Agreement and sanctioning extremist government ministers and violent settlers.

  • 09/17/2025

    Czech President Petr Pavel will give a televised address to the nation in the week before the parliamentary elections on October 3–4. His spokesperson Vít Kolář told news server Aktualne.cz, that Pavel plans to encourage voter participation and reassure citizens about the integrity of the electoral system, stressing that fears of manipulation are unfounded. He will not endorse any political party, underscoring his role as a nonpartisan head of state. The speech, expected on September 30 and likely broadcast by all three major TV channels, will also touch on the importance of democracy, Czechia’s place in the world, and the need for stability in challenging times.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 09/17/2025

    The 19th edition of Literature Night takes starts on Wednesday evening in over 90 Czech towns and cities. The festival, subtitled The book as a refuge, highlights how literature can offer strength and understanding in uncertain times. In Prague, readings will be staged in 23 unusual locations across Dejvice, Bubeneč, Střešovice and Hradčany, featuring both seasoned actors and young performers. Venues range from historic landmarks to cultural centers, with some readings interpreted into Czech sign language. Organized by the Czech Centres and EUNIC since 2006, the event also extends abroad this year to countries including France, Germany, Israel and the United States.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 09/17/2025

    After high jumper Jan Štefela secured bronze on Tuesday, Czech pole vaulter Amálie Švábíková will compete in the World Athletics Championships final in Tokyo today. The 25-year-old national record holder faces thirteen rivals in the medal battle starting early on Wednesday afternoon. Švábíková already reached the final in Budapest two years ago and finished fifth at last year’s Paris Olympics with a Czech record of 4.80 meters. Meanwhile, javelin throwers, including 2022 bronze medalist Jakub Vadlejch, will fight for a place in the final. The qualifying mark is set at 84.50 meters, with the top twelve advancing.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 09/16/2025

    At high noon on Tuesday, a requiem mass was held in the Church of Our Lady before Týn on Prague’s Old Town Square for American influencer and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead last week. The service was celebrated by Cardinal Dominik Duka and drew hundreds of faithful, along with public figures including Prague city councillor Jan Wolf, MEP Filip Turek, senator Zdeněk Hraba, and former diplomat Eliška Hašková-Coolidge. Police kept watch over the event and had to intervene before the ceremony began to break up a scuffle between two attendees.

    The decision to celebrate the mass has sparked criticism from members of the public, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Church historian Jaroslav Šebek told Seznam Zprávy that in his view, the mass had a political dimension, which he does not consider to be appropriate.

  • 09/16/2025

    The state Railway Administration will abandon plans to replace the bridge at Prague’s Výtoň and instead hold an international competition for its reconstruction. Transport Minister Martin Kupka (Spolu) and Railway Administration Director Jiří Svoboda announced the decision on Tuesday. Svoboda said the bridge would be dismantled and rebuilt on the riverbank, while a temporary single-track structure would be placed on its piers during the works. The replacement plan had faced criticism from local governments, civic groups, conservationists, and UNESCO.

  • 09/16/2025

    Wednesday should be mostly overcast, but dry, with day temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.

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