News

Sports Minister Boris Šťastný said he wants to establish a working group to review legislation on stadium security following violence at the close of Saturday’s Prague derby between Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague.

Šťastný said the sports sector had voiced a number of demands since the incident, including broader use of CCTV footage, tighter controls on movement inside stadiums, and a review of the role of private security services at sports venues.

Speaking to reporters before Monday’s cabinet meeting, Šťastný said he is in contact over the matter with Chamber of Deputies Vice Speaker Patrik Nacher and Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar.

Police are investigating the assault on Sparta players on suspicion of disorderly conduct, an offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

A Prague court has sentenced former abbess Taťána Hanhur to six years in prison for embezzlement. According to the judge, Hanhur caused losses of at least 73 million crowns to the Orthodox Church.

Prosecutors said that in 2022 she transferred a monastery in Loděnice from church ownership back to the Czech Association of Manufacturers and Trading Companies for Commercial Cooperation with the Russian Federation, which had donated the property to the church in 2012. The transfer was allegedly carried out without the consent of the Prague Orthodox Eparchy.

Judge Iva Říhová said the defendant had no right to treat the church property as if it were her own.

The verdict is not yet binding, with both sides reserving the right to appeal.

Restorers have removed the first four statues from Prague’s Old Town Astronomical Clock for repairs, taking them to a workshop where they will undergo restoration work over the coming weeks.

The Scribe, the Angel, the Chronicler and the Astronomer are expected to remain in the workshop for one to two months before being returned to their place. Technicians will then remove another four figures from the upper level for similar repairs.

The restoration will not affect the operation of the medieval clock, as the work concerns only the exterior. Tourists and visitors will have access to the clock as usual.

The statues require regular maintenance because of exposure to weather conditions, especially sunlight.

The restoration work is due to be completed by the end of October.

The Czech National Bank (CNB) has worsened its forecast for this year’s public finance deficit, now expecting it to reach 2.7% of GDP, up from the 2.5% estimate published in February.

According to a table of key economic indicators released by the central bank on Monday, the deficit is projected to widen further to 3.1% next year.

The CNB also said strong wage growth is set to continue this year. Nominal wages are expected to rise by 6.4% after increasing 7.2% last year. In real terms, wages should grow by 4.1%, following a 4.7% increase in 2025.

Wage growth is forecast to slow next year, with nominal wages rising 5.4% and real wages by 2.9%.

Unemployment is expected to increase by 0.4 percentage points this year to 4.8%, before edging down slightly to 4.7% in 2027.