• Intelligence chief Koudelka to be promoted in May
    04/19/2023

    The director of the Czech counterintelligence organisation, Security Information Service (BIS), Michal Koudelka, is expected to be promoted to the rank of general in May. The government on Wednesday approved a proposal for President Petr Pavel make the promotion, Labour Minister Marian Jurečka told reporters after the meeting.

    Former president Miloš Zeman repeatedly criticised BIS and refused a similar cabinet proposal seven times. However, his successor Mr. Pavel reiterated on Monday that he would appoint Mr. Koudelka.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Beer production, per capita consumption rise year-on-year
    04/19/2023

    Czech breweries made 20.55 million hectolitres of beer in 2022, a rise of 950,000 hectolitres on the previous year. Per head consumption of beer also increased, from 129 litres in 2021 to 136 litres last year, according to data from the national brewers association.

    Although production increased after two years of decline, 2022 output was still around 1 million hectolitres below the amount seen in 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic reached Czechia.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Jourová: Russian deportation of Ukrainian children on massive scale
    04/19/2023

    The Czech deputy chairwoman of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, said on Wednesday that the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children by Russians was on a massive scale. In a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg she said at least 16,000 children had been taken in this way since February last year, according to Ukrainian government figures.

    Ms. Jourová said such forced deportations were a crime and would not be tolerated by the European Union.

    She said the EU supported Ukraine’s efforts to investigate the matter and was committed to ensuring those responsible were held accountable.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman appears in public after month at opening of new office
    04/19/2023

    Former president Miloš Zeman opened a new office in Prague on Wednesday morning. Mr. Zeman, whose second term as head of state ended last month, was seen in public for the first time in a month as he arrived at the office.

    Located in Prague 6, the property has been rented from the Prague Archbishopric and the rent is being covered by a group of friends of the former president.

    The 78-year-old is expected to welcome visitors at the office once a week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Vysoké Mýto named Historical Town of the Year 2022
    04/19/2023

    Vysoké Mýto in the Pardubice Region has been named Czechia’s Historical Town of the Year 2022. The award recognises the best use of funding to renovate historical landmarks provided by the Ministry of Culture. It comes with a financial reward f of CZK 1 million, to be used for further monument care.

    The mayor of Vysoké Mýto, which has a population of around 12,500, was presented with the award at a ceremony in Prague
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    04/19/2023

    It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Thursday, with an average high temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. The following days are expected to see clear skies and temperatures of up to 17 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Covid seven-day isolation requirement ending Thursday
    04/19/2023

    From Thursday it will no longer be compulsory for people in Czechia to spend seven days in isolation if they test positive for Covid-19. A Ministry of Health edict ending that requirement has just entered the country’s statute books. However, doctors and hygiene station staff will be able to order seven-day isolation in individual cases.

    Around 1,300 people tested positive for the coronavirus in Czechia in the last week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • President Pavel begins three-day visit to Brussels
    04/19/2023

    Czech President Petr Pavel will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of his three-day official visit to Brussels on Wednesday. The Czech head of state will return to NATO headquarters after serving as Chairman of the Military Committee from 2015 to 2018.

    Mr. Pavel, who is accompanied by his wife Eva, will also meet with leaders of EU institutions in Brussels Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel and Roberta Metsola, and with members of the Czech community.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • CVVM poll: Petr Fiala’s government receives worst rating since 2013
    04/19/2023

    The ruling government of Petr Fiala has received the worst rating from the public since the cabinet of Petr Nečas in 2013, suggests a new survey conducted by the CVVM polling agency.

    Sixty-nine percent of people said they were dissatisfied with the activities of the ruling coalition, while 63 percent rated Prime Minister Fiala negatively.

    Most people were dissatisfied with the government’s programme, activities and composition, as well as with the way it communicates with the public.

    The cabinet earned worse ratings than the previous two governments of Andrej Babiš, the cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka as well as the caretaker government of Jiří Rusnok.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

  • Czechs mark Holocaust Remembrance Day by public reading of victims’ names
    04/18/2023

    Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished during the Second World War, is being marked around Czechia on Tuesday.

    The annual public reading of names of both Jewish and Romani victims of the Holocaust is taking place in 24 cities across the country, starting at 2 p.m. In Prague the event is traditionally held on Náměstí Míru square in the city centre.

    The event, which is held on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, is organised by the Terezín Initiative Institute.
    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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