News

The Czech government has approved a ban on mobile telephones in schools. Minister of Education Robert Plaga told reporters on Monday that the cabinet had unanimously backed the move, which was proposed by him and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

If approved by the lower house, the relevant legislation would take effect in September 2027. The bill envisages a ban on mobile phone usage by preschool and elementary school pupils and by lower grades in secondary schools. It would cover not just class and break time but also time spent in school dining facilities and voluntary activities on school premises.

From next year, Czechs could see their monthly pensions increase by CZK 500 crowns every five years, starting at age 80. The government approved a draft amendment to this effect on Monday, the minister of labour and social affairs, Aleš Juchelka, announced.

The move would expand current age-related pension increases. Meanwhile, starting in 2028, pensions should again rise for those who continue working past retirement age. The legislation approved by the government will now go before the lower house.

An earlier version of the amendment also included a revised indexation system under which old age pensions would rise by half of the growth in real wages, instead of one-third. Mr. Juchelka said the cabinet would return to this proposal in future.

It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Tuesday, with an average high temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. Similar weather is expected on the following days.

Clean-up efforts are underway in many parts of the Czech Republic following heavy storms that uprooted trees, damaged roofs and flooded cellars on Sunday. Firefighters responded to around 160 weather-related incidents across Czechia in the afternoon and evening.

The highest number of callouts was recorded in the South Moravian, Zlín and Moravian-Silesian regions. Most involved clearing fallen trees, securing damaged roofs and pumping water from flooded areas.

Power outages also disrupted the Masters of Rock music festival in Vizovice. In Zlín, strong winds forced the evacuation of people from buildings near a high-rise that has been burning for the past 11 days. Emergency crews remain at the scene of the fire.