News

Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) has defended Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) in Brussels, saying the steps he took to address a potential conflict of interest “go well beyond the standard”. Havlíček was responding to a report by news website Seznam Zprávy that the European Commission had sent a letter to the Czech Republic requesting clarification on how the country was preventing a conflict of interest involving the prime minister.

Babiš insists he resolved the issue last week by transferring all Agrofert shares into a private trust fund, RSVP Trust. The Commission’s letter was sent before this step was taken and requests a reply within one month. Havlíček said he was unsure whether the issue would be discussed by the cabinet, but expects the Ministry for Regional Development, to which the letter was addressed, to prepare a response. If the EU considers the explanation insufficient, it could launch formal audit proceedings, as it did during Babiš’s previous term in office.

Prague Zoo has successfully bred the Lord Howe Island stick insect (dryococelus australis), considered the heaviest flightless insect in the world. Adults can grow up to 15 centimetres long and are nicknamed “tree lobsters” because of their size. According to the zoo, this is the first time the species has been bred from eggs laid and hatched in Czechia. The insects were once thought extinct after rats wiped them out on Australia’s Lord Howe Island in the early 20th century. A small surviving population was rediscovered in the 2000s. Prague Zoo now hopes its breeding programme will help expand international knowledge about the rare species.

The Czech government wants to open a debate in the European Union on changing the conditions of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar (ANO) said after talks in Berlin with his German counterpart Alexander Dobrindt. According to the Czech Interior Ministry, Prague believes it is necessary to consider limiting the scope of protection, for example based on geographical origin or other criteria. Nearly 398,000 Ukrainians currently hold temporary protection in Czechia, with around 6,000 more arriving each month. Metnar also discussed migration policy, calling for tougher measures against illegal migration, faster returns and the possibility of establishing return centres outside the EU. Both ministers addressed border controls within the Schengen area.

American actor Leonardo DiCaprio is expected to arrive in Prague later this week to join the cast of What Happens at Night, a new feature directed by Martin Scorsese. The 83-year-old filmmaker reportedly reached the Czech capital in mid-February. The production also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Mads Mikkelsen and Patricia Clarkson. The Apple-backed film is based on a novel by American writer Peter Cameron. It follows an American couple seeking to adopt a child in a snowy European city, where strange hotel guests blur the boundaries between reality and illusion.