• 10/14/2026

    Chinese citizen Yang Yiming denied charges of spying for Chinese intelligence through his lawyer at Prague’s Municipal Court on Wednesday. He is the first person prosecuted in Czechia for unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power and faces up to five years in prison. His defence says he conducted ordinary journalism and that prosecutors have identified no concrete threat to Czech interests. Prosecutors allege he used journalistic cover to gather political and economic intelligence, adding that some evidence is classified. The court excluded the public during his questioning and the reading of certain documents. The trial is scheduled until Friday.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    The non-governmental organisation Transparency International says the European Commission has confirmed that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of the ANO Party remains in a conflict of interest despite transferring Agrofert shares to the RSVP Trust in February. The organisation published details of the Commission’s letter on Wednesday, saying existing measures were insufficient. Andrej Babiš dismissed the findings as nonsense, insisting he had permanently relinquished the company, received no profit from it and done more than required. In September, the Commission paused the deadline for reimbursing €3.18 million in agricultural funding linked to Agrofert for six months. It warned further measures could follow to protect EU finances. Transparency International is a global anti-corruption organisation active in more than 100 countries.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Skies will be mostly clear or partly cloudy, with patches of morning fog clearing before noon and more cloud in places during the day, especially in Moravia and Silesia. Daytime highs will range from 12 to 17 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    A group of Czech senators has asked the Constitutional Court to strike down legislation allowing the government to cap petrol and diesel prices. Represented by Tomáš Goláň of the Civic Democrats (ODS), they argue the law grants excessively broad powers and fails to protect businesses against prolonged losses. It allows price caps lasting up to a year, with repeated extensions. The senators accept that emergency price regulation can be justified but warn uniform caps could threaten smaller retailers’ survival. They also question safeguards for judicial review and have requested priority consideration. The court received the challenge on October 5.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Opposition MPs criticised civil service changes on Wednesday as the lower house reconsidered legislation vetoed by President Petr Pavel. The coalition of the ANO Party (ANO), Freedom and Democracy Party (SPD) and Motorists wants to replace the Civil Service Act from November. Marian Jurečka of the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) warned this would facilitate dismissals of inconvenient officials. Vít Rakušan of the Mayors and Independents Party (STAN) urged further debate. President Pavel fears political interference and weaker protections for senior officials. Supporters say the changes would align civil servants’ employment with ordinary labour arrangements. The coalition is expected to override the veto.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Czech forward Martin Nečas scored twice in the second period to lead Colorado to a 3–2 victory at Dallas. Defenceman Adam Jiříček netted his first NHL goal, helping St. Louis beat Ottawa 7–2. Tomáš Hertl opened the scoring in Vegas’s win at Nashville, taking his season tally to four goals and three assists. Adam Klapka also scored as Calgary defeated Anaheim 4–2 for their first win of the season. Philadelphia goalie Daniel Vladař stopped 93.5 percent of shots and registered an assist, but the Flyers lost 3–2 to Seattle in a shootout and remain winless after eight games.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Czech banks and building societies provided mortgages worth CZK 35.4 billion in September, up three percent from August but down six percent year on year, according to the Czech Banking Association’s Hypomonitor. New lending excluding refinancing rose five percent month on month to CZK 28 billion. The average interest rate on new mortgages increased to 5.1 percent from five percent in August, having reached a recent low of 4.43 percent in March. Lenders issued 5,995 new mortgages, nearly three percent more than in August but 12 percent fewer than a year earlier. High property prices and borrowing costs continue to constrain demand.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Prague’s Municipal Court begins hearing the case of a Chinese citizen accused of spying for Chinese intelligence on Wednesday. He is the first person prosecuted in Czechia for unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power, an offence introduced in February last year. He faces up to five years in prison. Prosecutors allege he posed as a journalist accredited with the Czech Foreign Ministry, gathering political and economic information, mapping networks of influence and cultivating contacts. He allegedly passed his findings to China.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/14/2026

    Former Czech national team captain Tomáš Souček has extended his contract with West Ham United until the summer of 2028. The 31-year-old midfielder’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of the current season.

    West Ham announced the extension on its website. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo welcomed the decision, describing Souček as a key figure at the club, an important presence in the dressing room and a player with a winning mentality whose professionalism sets an example for younger teammates.

  • 10/14/2026

    Government coalition MPs have urged Czech President Petr Pavel to disclose the cost of his private holiday in Morocco amid suspicions that it was not paid for entirely from his own funds.

    MPs from the ruling ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists want to table a motion for the Chamber of Deputies to formally call on the president to prove payment from his own account and disclose who arranged the plane that briefly brought him back to the Czech Republic on Friday to vote in local elections.

    Pavel travelled to Morocco with other members of an expedition on a private plane reportedly owned by billionaire Pavel Hubáček, founder of the Creditas Group. Presidential spokesman Vojtěch Šeliga earlier told iDNES.cz that the participants shared the flight costs.

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