• Mild weekend ahead as Velká pardubická counts down to the start
    10/10/2025

    The Velká pardubická steeplechase is counting down the hours to its 135th edition on Sunday — and the weather looks set to cooperate. The forecast for Czechia promises mild temperatures of up to 17 degrees, with cooler mornings around five to ten. While the north and northeast can expect cloudy skies and rain, the rest of the country should enjoy a mix of sunshine and only light showers. Racing fans can thus look forward to pleasant autumn conditions as horses and riders line up for one of Europe’s most demanding steeplechases. Among the top favourites are Klarc Kent, trained by Pavel Tůma, and the Irish contender Cavalry Master.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Babiš aims to finalise coalition framework with SPD and Motorists
    10/10/2025

    ANO party leader Andrej Babiš wants to finalise an agreement today on the framework of a new government with the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement and the Motorists party. After meeting President Petr Pavel on Thursday, he said coalition talks were going relatively well and the division of ministries should be settled by the end of the day. Pavel stated he would appoint a new prime minister only after the new lower house meets on 3 November. Together, ANO, SPD and the Motorists have a majority of 108 seats. The president emphasised that the future cabinet must remain firmly anchored in the EU and NATO and respect democratic principles.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Colonel Foltýn: The state must not retreat, even if part of society rejects it
    10/09/2025

    Colonel Otakar Foltýn, who has resigned as the Czech government’s coordinator for strategic communication, warned in his letter to Prime Minister Petr Fiala that the state must uphold its fundamental principles “even if they are rejected by a radicalized, but still minority part of society.” The letter, obtained by Czech Radio’s news server iROZHLAS.cz, also stresses that Czechia should have dealt with strategic communication decades ago. Foltýn, who served in the post for more than a year, is leaving following last weekend’s parliamentary elections, after frequent criticism from members of the parties that are now set to form the new majority government. He said he considered his task fulfilled, having helped lay the foundations for a unified communication approach across ministries. In closing, he paraphrased Václav Havel’s famous words, writing that “truth and love must prevail over artificially privileged lies and selfishly exploited hatred.” Foltýn has now returned to the Military Office of the President.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Babiš voices support for Ukraine in call with Zelensky
    10/09/2025

    After meeting the President, Andrej Babiš spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, expressing support for Ukraine and wishing for an early end to the war. Babiš wrote on X that he and Zelensky agreed to meet in person next year if circumstances allow. Babiš said the two had met three times before, most recently in Kyiv in 2019. While voicing support for Ukraine, Babiš reiterated that if ANO joins the next government, it would not provide direct budget funding for weapons, saying Czech aid continues through the EU and private arms exports.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Court asks parliament to lift Babiš’s immunity in a subsidies fraud case
    10/09/2025

    The Prague City Court has asked the lower house of parliament to lift the immunity of ANO party leader Andrej Babiš so he can be prosecuted again in a long-running fraud case, judge Jan Šott told news server Novinky.cz. Babiš regained parliamentary immunity after winning re-election last weekend. The Chamber of Deputies has already approved his prosecution three times in the past. Babiš has repeatedly called the case a political trial and said he will not ask to be released from immunity. The Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, with which ANO is negotiating to form a government together with the Motorists party, has said it will not support his prosecution. The three groups together would hold a majority of 108 seats in the 200-member chamber.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Rakušan says STAN will seek deputy speaker post
    10/09/2025

    Vít Rakušan, leader of the Mayors and Independents (STAN) party, said his movement will seek the post of deputy speaker in the new Chamber of Deputies, as it now holds the third-largest parliamentary group. STAN won 11.23 percent of the vote in last weekend’s election, losing a third of its seats but staying above the 10-percent threshold Rakušan had set as the line of failure. Rakušan ruled out any cooperation with election winner ANO, saying all STAN MPs understand the party will not support or join an ANO-led government. The STAN parliamentary group, which now has 22 members, is set to meet on Friday to elect its leader.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Weather
    10/09/2025

    Sky will be cloudy to overcast, with occasional morning fog. Daytime highs will range from 12 to 16 °C.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Babiš says coalition talks progressing but not finished
    10/09/2025

    Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO party and winner of the recent parliamentary elections, met President Petr Pavel again on Wednesday. After the 75-minute meeting, he said that negotiations on forming a new government with Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists party are “going relatively well,” though not yet complete. He expects the division of ministries to be finalized by Friday. Babiš said talks are moving quickly to secure basic agreements before focusing on policy details and parliamentary cooperation. If he is formally tasked with forming the government, Babiš said he would like to represent Czechia at the December European Council meeting.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Foreign Ministry and Jewish groups in Prague welcome Gaza ceasefire
    10/09/2025

    The Czech Foreign Ministry has welcomed the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The ministry said its key priorities remain the release of all hostages, a lasting ceasefire, and Israel’s security. Jewish organizations in Prague also expressed relief and hope that the ceasefire will hold. Chief Rabbi Karol Efraim Sidon said, “If people stop killing each other, that’s good.” Former Prague Jewish Community head František Bányai and writer Martin Vopěnka both voiced optimism that the deal could lead to lasting peace and the demilitarization of Gaza.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • PRO's Rajchl calls for quick action to ease living costs
    10/09/2025

    Jindřich Rajchl, newly elected MP for SPD and leader of the PRO party, told Czech Radio that many Czechs are “running out of money” and the new government must act fast to lower living costs. Rajchl said his party’s priorities include cutting energy prices, halting EU climate and migration measures, and taxing foreign corporations more effectively. He also criticized military spending as “completely unnecessary” and public funding for “political NGOs.” According to him, Czech households have been hit hard by falling real wages and rising costs, while multinational companies continue to post record profits.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

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