• Walpurgis Night to be marked in Czech countryside
    04/30/2026

    People around Czechia will light bonfires on Thursday to mark Walpurgis Night, which is known in Czech as Pálení čarodějnic, or Witch Burning. The tradition is tied to the eve of May 1. It is referred to in ancient Czech documents and is believed to have Germanic roots.

    Czechoslovakia’s Communist regime tried to rename the event, which can mainly be seen in the Czech countryside, as “bonfires of peace”.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Defence minister discusses candidates for army chief with president
    04/30/2026

    The minister of defence, Jaromír Zůna, spoke with President Petr Pavel on Wednesday evening about potential candidates to become the next head of the Czech Army, a spokesperson for the latter said. Mr. Zůna told Czech Television there was a shortlist of four for the post, but did not reveal any names.

    The current chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Karel Řehka, was appointed in July 2022 for a four-year term.

    Mr. Zůna and Mr. Pavel also discussed the former’s preparation of a long-term concept for the Czech Army, defence spending and other issues.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • President, mayors enjoy highest trust, survey suggests
    04/29/2026

    The Czech president, Petr Pavel, enjoys the most trust among the public, suggests a survey conducted for the CVVM agency cited by the Czech News Agency on Thursday. At local level, municipal mayors also enjoy relatively strong trust, the study suggests.

    By contrast, respondents said they had least faith in the new government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the Chamber of Deputies.

    Over half of those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with the political situation in the country.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman signs letter calling on Sudeten Germans to drop Brno meeting plan
    04/29/2026

    Former Czech president Miloš Zeman has signed an open letter calling on a Sudeten German group not to hold a gathering in Brno in May, the news site Novinky.cz reported on Wednesday.

    The document was drafted by Michal Hašek, a former governor of the South Moravia region, and is addressed to Bernd Posselt, spokesperson for the Sudeten German Landsmanschaft.

    The letter states that plans for the group, which brings together people whose families were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war, to meet in Brno are a deliberate provocation that casts doubt on the country’s historical experience.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Psychiatrist Cimický gets five years for sexual assault, blackmail
    04/29/2026

    The well-known Czech psychiatrist Jan Cimický has been sentenced to five years in prison on four counts of sexual assault and 35 cases of blackmail. The 68-year-old has also been barred from practicing medicine for a period of 10 years.

    Under the verdict, which is not binding, Mr. Cimický must also pay the affected women compensation. They are seeking a total of approximately CZK 6 million in damages from the doctor.

    Wednesday’s ruling was the second in this case. The court reached the same decision in November 2024, but the verdict was overturned by the appellate court.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Pardubice win ice hockey Extraliga for first time in 14 years
    04/29/2026

    Czech domestic ice hockey’s Extraliga has been won by Dynamo Pardubice for the first time in 14 years after they beat Třinec in the sixth game of the playoff finals for an unassailable 4:2 lead.

    It is the seventh title in the history of Pardubice, who finished as runners-up in the previous two seasons.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Počerady coal-fired power plant biggest polluter of 2025
    04/29/2026

    According to European Commission data, the biggest polluter in Czechia last year was the Počerady coal-fired power plant, the Czech branches of Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace said. Počerady, which is in North Bohemia, emitted some 4.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2025.

    The environmental groups said eight of the 10 largest polluters in the Czech Republic were coal-fired power plants or heating plants; the other worst offenders in this regard were a refinery in Litvínov and a steelworks in Třinec.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    04/29/2026

    It should be mainly sunny in Czechia on Thursday, with an average high temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. The following days are expected to see temperatures of up to 22 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Lower house committee for continuation of Radio Prague International
    04/29/2026

    The Media Committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies says the stability and continuity of Czech Radio’s international broadcasting should be secured through the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    In a statement after a hearing on the matter, the committee said maintaining this funding would help preserve the country’s international communication policy.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs finances Radio Prague International and Minister Petr Macinka has reduced its budget by a quarter this year. He says it will be cut completely from next year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • President Pavel and defence minister Zůna to discuss new army chief candidates
    04/29/2026

    President Petr Pavel will meet Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna on Wednesday to discuss candidates for the next chief of the general staff. The talks will take place at Prague Castle and will also cover current defence issues, with no media briefing planned. Pavel has said he has no clear favourite and expects the government to submit nominations. Zůna has indicated there are four candidates under consideration, though he has not disclosed their names.

    The government could make its selection in May. The current chief, Karel Řehka, has held the post since 2022, with a typical term lasting four years.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

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