• 01/21/2026

    The Czech Senate has backed the government of ANO, SPD and Motorists in its efforts to strengthen the Czech Republic’s defence capability and the security of its citizens against what it described as a growing Russian threat to the European continent.

    In a resolution unanimously proposed by the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, the Senate expressed support for steps to increase national security and defence readiness and to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to resist Russian aggression in cooperation with the Coalition of the Willing.

    Unlike the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate also distanced itself from the anti-Ukrainian statements made in a New Year's address by the Speaker of the lower house and SPD leader, Tomio Okamura, describing them as untrue and offensive.

  • 01/21/2026

    Opposition parties have decided to challenge what they describe as the government’s restrained stance on Greenland and in a joint statement to be delivered to the Danish ambassador, expressed clear support for Greenland’s right to self-determination. They rejected the position of the government, which they say failed to stand up for an ally in the face of pressure from US President Donald Trump.

    The draft joint resolution was initiated by the Pirate Party. The Pirates, the Civic Democrats (ODS), the Mayors and Independents (STAN), the Christian Democrats and TOP 09 express support for Denmark and Greenland and reject violations of international law.

    Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said earlier that he would not take sides in a dispute between NATO members, stressing that the issue must be resolved through dialogue.

  • 01/21/2026

    Almost five percent of children in primary schools are classified as socially disadvantaged, whether due to poverty or other difficult family circumstances, according to new data from the Ministry of Education.

    The ministry sees targeted funding for schools with such pupils as a key form of support. Any assistance will depend on the state budget and could include funding for support positions such as psychologists or special and social education teachers. Special education teachers and social workers are financed through projects or paid for by school founders. In some cases, school principals currently seek funding for these roles themselves.

  • 01/21/2026

    Thursday should be partly cloudy to overcast with day temperatures between 0 and -3 degrees Celsius. Moravia may see more sunshine and temperatures slighly above 0 degrees.

  • 01/21/2026

    Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has awarded the former speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová (TOP 09) the Order of the Brilliant Star for her contribution to the development of relations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, the e15 news website reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the Taiwanese president described Pekarová Adamová as a long-standing friend of the country when presenting one of Taiwan’s highest civilian honours and thanked her for her efforts to deepen bilateral relations in recent years. Pekarová Adamová also informed about the award on her X account.

  • 01/21/2026

    The Senate is due to discuss the selection of candidates for the post of Ombudsman on Wednesday. From six nominees – including Deputy Ombudsman Vít Alexandr Schorm and former government human rights commissioner Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková – senators are to propose two candidates to the Chamber of Deputies.

    Senators are also expected to approve a position on the Czech Republic’s continued participation in the Coalition of the Willing, which ensures ammunition supplies for Ukraine. According to the Senate's foreign affairs committee, the upper house should state that Russia, due to its aggression, poses the most significant threat to Czech and European security. The government should therefore continue steps to increase citizens’ security, strengthen the Czech Republic’s defence capabilities against the Russian threat, and support Ukraine’s defence capacity.

  • 01/21/2026

    The European police agency Europol announced on Wednesday that it had dismantled a gang trafficking synthetic drugs in several European countries. The agency described the year-long operation as the largest of its kind. Police officers from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain took part in the operation, according to AFP. European authorities shut down 24 chemical laboratories and seized approximately 1,000 tons of chemicals used to produce drugs such as MDMA, amphetamines and methamphetamine. Police arrested 85 people, including two Polish nationals suspected of leading the criminal organisation.

  • 01/21/2026

    The issue of the Beneš Decrees clearly belongs to the past, even though differing views on them may persist, the co-chairs of the Czech-German Discussion Forum, Rudolf Jindrák and Jörg Nürnberger, said in a joint statement on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of the signing of the Czech-German Declaration in 1997.

    According to the co-chairs, Czechs and Germans have become good neighbours and active partners in NATO and the European Union, also thanks to the declaration. History, they said, cannot be erased, but it can serve as a warning for the future.

    Today marks 29 years since the then Czech prime minister Václav Klaus and German chancellor Helmut Kohl signed the Czech-German Declaration, which became the foundation of Czech-German reconciliation. The declaration led to the creation of the Czech-German Discussion Forum and the Czech-German Future Fund, which among other things finances joint Czech-German projects.

    Under the Beneš Decrees close to 3 million Germans and tens of thousands of Hungarians were stripped of their citizenship, property and expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war. In the Czech-German Declaration, both countries apologised to each other for past injustices and pledged to respect the legal order of the other state.

  • 01/21/2026

    Kateřina Siniaková and her American partner Taylor Townsend took the first step toward defending their Australian Open title. The top-seeded pair defeated Anna Sisková and Belgium’s Magali Kempen in the opening round of the women’s doubles in Melbourne, winning 6–3, 6–4.

  • 01/21/2026

    Václav Havel Airport Prague saw more than 17.75 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 8.5 per cent compared with 2024 and almost reaching numbers seen in the pre-Covid years, the airport operator Letiště Praha said in a press release on Wednesday.

    The year-on-year growth of 8.5 per cent was well above the European average. According to Airports Council International, passenger traffic across Europe grew by an average of 4.5 per cent.

    Author: Hannah Vaughan

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