• 05/19/2023

    The Czech Ministry of Defense has contacted the Ukrainian embassy to protest against the practice of spray-painting crosses similar to those used by the Wehrmacht on Czech Dana howitzers donated to the Ukrainian army. Deputy Defense Minister Jan Jireš pointed out that photographs of these crosses have appeared in the international media and argued that the practice is damaging Ukraine's reputation. Ukrainian and Russian troops frequently mark their vehicles to distinguish them from the enemy since they both use the same types of Soviet-era vehicles.

  • 05/19/2023

    The government will propose upping license fees for the country’s public broadcasters, Czech Television and Czech Radio, Culture Minister Martin Baxa told the news site Novinky. The ministry also wants to amend the existing legislation so as to make license fees compulsory for people who own a smart phone or tablet, on which TV and radio programs can also be accessed. This would increase the number of households paying license fees by around 600,000. Czech Radio, which celebrated its centenary on May 18, would like the current monthly license fee of 45 crowns increased to 60. The monthly license fee for Czech Television is presently 135 crowns.

  • 05/19/2023

    The forest fire that started in the Bohemian Switzerland national on Thursday afternoon has been brought under control. Nine firefighter units and a helicopter were called to the blaze, which broke out between the Pravčická brána rock formation and the German border. Police have detained one person in connection with the fire, which is believed to have been caused by fireworks.

    Last July, the Bohemian national park was ravaged by the largest forest fire in Czechia to date, which destroyed an area of over 1,000 hectares.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/19/2023

    Czechia had to come from two goals down to beat Slovenia 6-2 in the 2023 men’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga on Thursday evening. Dominik Kubalík led the Czech rally with a hat trick and an assist and currently leads the tournament scoring table with six goals.

    The national team, which is now in second place in Group B with 10 points, is scheduled to play Norway on May 20 and Canada on May 23.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    Friday is expected to be mostly overcast with occasional rain and day temperatures ranging between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will visit Saudi Arabia and Iraq next week along with a delegation of Czech businessmen.

    Mr. Lipavský will meet with the countries’ top officials to discuss the development of bilateral relations as well as the current political and security development in the Middle East region, in which both countries play a key role.

    The Czech foreign minister is also scheduled to meet with representatives of allied military missions in Iraq in which Czech experts are deployed.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    The former governor of Central Bohemia David Rath was released from prison in Brno on Thursday after serving the remainder of his prison sentence for corruption.

    The regional court in Prague sentenced the former health minister and governor of Central Bohemia to 7 years in jail for corruption in June of 2018. The sentence was later extended by one year.

    Rath was arrested with seven million crowns on his person in 2012 and accused of taking bribes to rig public contracts. He has appealed the verdict several times to no avail.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    Two falcons and their three chicks nesting in the Broumov Protected Landscape Area were confirmed to have been killed by bird flu. According to a spokesman for the Czech Nature and Landscape Protection Agency, the result of the death was confirmed by an autopsy carried out by the State Veterinary Institute.

    Last year, four pairs of falcons in the Broumov region managed to raise their young, which was the highest number in the last 70 years. Falcons disappeared from Czechia in the middle of the last century due to pesticides and only repopulated the Broumov region at the turn of the millennium.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    A Czech volunteer was injured in an accident in Ukraine, the Health Reinsurance Association announced on Thursday. The man, who was helping out in local children’s homes near Zaporozhye in southeast Ukraine, is reported to have undergone surgery and is no longer in critical condition.

    The organisation is now raising money to cover the cost of his treatment.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/18/2023

    Czech Radio is celebrating its centenary this Thursday. To mark the occasion, many Prague trams are flying Czech flags and the logo of the public radio broadcaster. An open-air concert marking the 100th anniversary is scheduled to take place in the evening in Riegrovy Sady in Prague.

    Among other events marking the centenary of Czech Radio is an exhibition called One Hundred Years is Just the Beginning, which got underway on Thursday at the National Technical Museum in Prague. On Saturday, May 20, Czech Radio will open its doors to the public, both at its Prague headquarters and its regional studios.

    Regular public radio broadcasting in Czechoslovakia began May 18, 1923 from a canvas tent in Kbely on the outskirts of Prague.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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