News

Two 355-metre broadcasting masts at Liblice near Český Brod were demolished this morning after almost 50 years as Czechia’s tallest structures. Their owner, České Radiokomunikace, said it had found neither a new use for them after broadcasting ended nor a buyer able to ensure repairs and safe operation. The masts were brought down simultaneously at around 11:15 a.m. because their supporting cables crossed. Hundreds watched from outside the safety perimeter, despite the demolition time being withheld from the public beforehand. Police temporarily halted traffic on the main road between Prague and Kolín as the structures fell into nearby fields.

Former Czech league referee Simon Vejtasa has been banned from football for 15 years and fined CZK 150,000 for corruption, the Czech Football Association announced. Its ethics committee found that he accepted bribes to influence two matches involving Baník Ostrava’s reserve team and agreed to accept a bribe over a third between 2021 and 2023. Simon Vejtasa rejects the ruling and plans to appeal, saying match recordings and delegates’ reports support his position. The case follows a series of corruption scandals in Czech football over the past two decades, including the extensive affair surrounding former association vice-chairman Roman Berbr.

Russia could test NATO’s unity with a limited attack on a member state, Czech army chief Miroslav Hlaváč told the Czech News Agency. He warned that two decades of military underfunding could not be reversed within a few years, and defence spending of two percent of GDP would not cover accumulated shortfalls and future needs. The army also wants to accelerate the introduction of artificial intelligence and other technologies, potentially requiring procurement reforms. A development strategy looking ahead to 2040, due before the government on Monday, will incorporate lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East while maintaining the military’s overall direction.

Prague’s Signal festival of digital and creative culture opens on Thursday, offering video mapping, laser projections and light installations at 17 locations. Its two routes cover the city centre and, for the first time, Dejvice. The festival runs until Sunday, with installations accessible daily from 7 p.m. to midnight. Highlights include works by Jim Campbell and Kurt Hentschläger, video mapping inspired by Václav Havel by Ukrainian artist Svitlana Reinish, and a ten-metre laser installation on the Vltava. Eight locations require tickets, including a Laterna magika performance at the former sewage treatment plant in Bubeneč. This year’s theme is “Dream on! Dreams and Visions”.