• Metro line B closed between Florenc and Vysočanská this weekend
    01/17/2026

    Metro services on Line B will be suspended in both directions between Florenc and Vysočanská from Saturday to Sunday due to renovation works at Českomoravská station.

    Prague’s public transport operator (DPP) will run replacement tram service XB during the closure. Passengers can also use regular tram lines 3, 8 and 12 as alternative routes.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • Czech passport ranks 6th for travel freedom
    01/17/2026

    The Czech passport allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 183 countries, placing it joint sixth in this year’s Henley & Partners ranking. It shares the position with Croatia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand and Poland.

    Although the number of destinations accessible without a visa has fallen by four compared with last year, the Czech Republic has moved up two places. Slovakia ranks joint fifth, alongside Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • Civic Democrats elect new leader
    01/17/2026

    The Civic Democrats (ODS) have elected a new leader on Saturday, bringing to an end Petr Fiala’s 12-year tenure. Around 550 delegates attended the party congress in Prague. Former deputy leader Martin Kupka, backed by 11 regional nominations, has won the vote, beating Radim Ivan, deputy mayor of the Ostrava-Jih district.

    Kupka, the former Minister of Transport, wants to build on Fiala’s work and today thanked Fiala for his service to the ODS. According to Kupka, the party must now focus on its role in opposition. Within the next few weeks, he will introduce a shadow cabinet following the Spolu coalition’s defeat in October’s parliamentary elections. ODS holds 27 seats in the new lower house.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • Czech Pirate Party re-elects Hřib as its leader

    01/17/2026

    The Czech Pirate Party has opened its national forum in Prachatice, bringing together members from across the country to elect a new leadership. Party leader and MP Zdeněk Hřib has won the vote, beating David Witosz, deputy mayor of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz.

    Hřib told the Czech News Agency that he aims to make the Pirates the main opposition force and a key part of the next government. He took over the leadership from Ivan Bartoš in November 2023.

    The party is also voting for deputy leaders, with MPs Olga Richterová and Martin Šmída defending their posts.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • STAN leader Rakušan fails in first round of vote for Chamber deputy speaker
    01/16/2026

    Opposition STAN (Mayors and Independents) leader Vít Rakušan was not elected deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in Friday's first round of the secret vote. Rakušan needed at least 92 votes to be elected but received 83, the Chair of the Parliamentary Electoral Commission, Marting Kolovratník (ANO), announced. One of the four deputy speaker positions in the Czech Lower House therefore remains unfilled. Rakušan, the former interior minister, remains the sole candidate and will take part in the second round, which could be held on Wednesday, January 28.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • Weather forecast

    01/16/2026

    Saturday will be overcast with low cloud and patches of fog, with occasional drizzle or light snow. Daytime highs will range from 0 °C to 5 °C.

  • Fernstädtová finishes Skeleton World Cup season in fourth place
    01/16/2026

    Czech skeleton racer Anna Fernstädtová ended the World Cup season with a seventh-place finish in Altenberg, Germany. She secured fourth overall in the standings, a personal best for the 29-year-old.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • Russian military intelligence GRU allegedly behind planned arson attacks in Czechia
    01/16/2026

    Lithuanian officials have linked the 2024 attempted arson of a company supplying radio scanners to the Ukrainian army to Russia’s military intelligence, GRU, Reuters reports. The same GRU-linked group is said to have attempted similar attacks in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Poland. In the Czech Republic, the group, made up of various nationals with ties to Russia, reportedly targeted buses, a post office, and a cinema. Moscow denies the allegations.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • President Pavel receives Ukraine’s top state honour from Zelensky
    01/16/2026

    Czech President Petr Pavel has been awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, first class, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Czech News Agency reports. The honour is usually given to Ukrainians and foreign nationals for outstanding service to Ukraine and its people. Pavel received it for personal contributions to cooperation and for defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

    Pavel said after his meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv that the Czech munitions initiative provides half of Ukraine’s large-calibre ammunition supplies. He also added that Zelensky welcomed that support will continue under the new Czech government coalition.

    Pavel began his visit to Ukraine on Thursday in Lviv and travelled to Kyiv on Friday morning. This marks his third trip to Ukraine as head of state.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

  • MPs urge president to appoint ministers immediately without assessment
    01/16/2026

    The Czech Chamber of Deputies, through the governing coalition, has urged President Petr Pavel to appoint ministers proposed by the prime minister without delay or assessment of their suitability. The call concerns Filip Turek, honorary president of the Motorists’ Party, whom Pavel has refused to appoint as environment minister due to his controversial views and statements.

    The opposition dismissed the motion as meaningless, noting the president is not accountable to parliament. Pavel acknowledged the resolution but said that he will continue to discuss government appointments only with the prime minister, and that his position on Turek remains unchanged.

    While the Chamber has the inalienable right to express its views on ministerial appointments, it cannot impose obligations on the president or dictate how he should act, the Presidential office said in a press release.
    Author: Hannah Vaughan

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