• 12/21/2023

    People have been laying flowers and lighting candles outside Carolinum, the seat of Charles University in Prague, in memory of the 14 people killed in Thursday’s shooting incident at the Faculty of Arts. Rector Milena Králíčková said the university has launched a crisis chat service for students and academics to help them come to terms with the tragedy and is doing its utmost to support the families of the victims. She thanked other institutions of higher learning which she said had immediately responded with offers of help and established a collection in aid of the victim’s families. Overnight people contributed 2.5 million crowns to the account.

  • 12/21/2023

    The police have now identified all fourteen victims of Thursday’s shooting and all of the 25 people injured. According to Interior Minister Vít Rakušan three foreign students are among the injured. Security has been tightened around the country.

    The police have set up a special crisis line for the public where they can get more information ( 974 823 158). It has asked the public not to call the 158 emergency line in connection with the case.

  • 12/21/2023

    The government has declared December 23 a day of mourning for the victims of Thursday's tragic shooting incident at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. Bells will toll around the country at midday on Saturday and a minute of silence will be held in memory of the victims.

    Following a late-night government session on Thursday, Prime Minister Petr Fiala emphasized that the shooting incident, in which 14 people were killed and 25 injured, was the work of a deranged individual and was not linked to international terrorism.

    The late-night cabinet session was attended by President Petr Pavel who expressed condolences to the families of the victims and thanked the emergency forces for their good work in responding to the crisis. The president appealed to people not to abuse the tragic incident for political goals, to attack the police or to spread misinformation. “What we need in the face of this tragedy is piety, restraint and solidarity,” the president said.

  • 12/21/2023

    The shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague could be related to the brutal murder of a father and his two-month-old daughter in Klánovice on the eastern edge of Prague on Friday, Police President Martin Vondrášek said at a press conference on Thursday.  According to Mr. Vondrášek, police are working with the version that the shooter was also responsible for the killing.

    He also said there was a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition in the faculty’s building on Jan Palach square, where the mass shooting took place. Had it not been for the quick action of the police, the casualties would have been much higher, he said.

    Speaking at the press conference, Interior Minister Vít Rakušan praised the work of the police and called on people to share only verified information.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 12/21/2023

    Thursday’s shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University was neither international terrorism nor the act of an organised group, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters on Thursday. At the moment, it appears that was the act of a lone gunman, he said.

    The Czech Prime Minister said the security forces have assured him that they have the situation fully under control and that there is no danger to citizens. He also asked everyone to cooperate with the police and follow their instruction.

    In reaction to the fatal shooting, Mr Fiala  has called an emergency meeting of the government on Thursday evening.

  • 12/21/2023

    Condolences have been pouring in from EU leaders and foreign heads of state and government in reaction to the tragic shooting incident in Prague.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked by the senseless violence of the shooting and expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Czech people. European Council President Charles Michel wrote on X that such violence should have no place in our society.

    Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruttte or Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed sympathies.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 12/21/2023

    Fourteen people were killed and 25 injured, ten of them seriously, in a shooting at Charles University's Faculty of Arts in Prague on Thursday afternoon.

    The incident happened at around three o’clock at the faculty’s main building on Jan Palach Square in the city centre. The gunman, who began shooting on the fourth floor of the building, later committed suicide.

    The identity of the shooter has not yet been confirmed, but the suspect is a 24-year-old student of the faculty from the village of Hostouň in central Bohemia, whose father was found dead earlier on Thursday.  According to the police, he was inspired by a similar case abroad.

    Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said that a large number of weapons had been found at the faculty and the number of victims could have been much higher without a quick police response.

    The wounded were transported to several Prague hospitals, which activated a special emergency plan to be able to deal with the large number of patients.

    The incident was the worst fatal shooting in the country’s modern history.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 12/21/2023

    The Board of the Czech National Bank on Thursday cut the base interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 6.75 percent. It is the first change in the interest rate since June 2022 and the first change the CNB has made under the leadership of Governor Aleš Michl. According to analysts, the development of the economy, which is stagnating, speaks in favour of such move.T

    hursday‘s decision by the Czech National Bank’s Board marks the end of the longest period without an interest rate change since 2017, the year which saw the end of an almost five-year period when the base rate remained unchanged at 0.05 percent. Since 2017, the Board has changed rates at least once a year.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 12/21/2023

    Friday will be mostly cloudy with rain and snow showers and day temperatures expected to range between 1 and 5 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 12/21/2023

    Czechia has seen one of the steepest increases in card payments in Europe, according to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group.

    With 235 card payments per capita in 2023, Czechia has reached Europe’s average, while ten years ago, it was one of the countries with the lowest number of such payments.

    According to the analysis, Czechs will make an average 560 payments per capita in 2030, making Czechia one of the top ten countries in Europe in terms of card payments per person.

    Over the past ten years, the number of card payments in Czechia has grown at the sixth fastest rate in Europe and according to predictions, in the next seven years, the growth will be the fifth fastest.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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