• 03/21/2023

    Retired Czech tennis legend Martina Navrátilová has been cured of cancer, the Czech News Agency announced on Tuesday. Navrátilová, who lives in the US, was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer of the larynx last November as well as breast cancer, which had returned after 13 years in remission.

    During a long and successful career, Navrátilová won a total of 59 Grand Slam titles and was one of only three players in history to win in all three categories: singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She spent a total of 332 weeks at the top of the world rankings and in 2006, she became the oldest Grand Slam winner in history when she won her last major title, the mixed doubles crown at the US Open, shortly before her 50th birthday.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    Tuesday is expected to be overcast with some chance of rain in the morning and day temperatures ranging between 6 and 13 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    Russian oligarch Mikhail Arustamov is no longer the owner of the Prague Communication and Social Centre, which rents the cultural and commercial building Slovanský dům from the City of Prague, Czech Radio reported on Monday. The new owner, Jean-Gabriel Arqueros, a French businessman who previously worked for banks in Switzerland and focused on Russian clientele, has also replaced Arustamov as the owner of companies that manage other properties in Prague, such as the Albatros office building on Národní třída or the First Republic Palace in Spálená Street. Like Arustamov, he is registered as living in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Arustamov started getting rid of lucrative real estate that he owned in Czechia last autumn. In the following months, his daughter Polina was registered as the owner instead of him. Now she has been replaced by the former banker, but according to analyst Marek Chromý from the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, Arqueros could just be the owner on paper.

    Mikhail Arustamov is a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is the former vice president of the Russian state oil company Transneft, where he began his career alongside Nikolai Tokarev, one of the most influential Russian oligarchs, a close associate of Putin and a former KGB agent. However, unlike Tokarev, Arustamov is not yet on any sanctions lists.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    Covid-19 could be removed from the list of infectious diseases which it is a crime to spread in the Czech Republic even earlier than July 1, which was the original date proposed for the amendment to come into effect. This would mean that there would no longer be a mandatory isolation period for people infected with the disease.

    The date of 1 July 2023 was originally proposed by the Ministry of Justice as legal regulations usually come into effect on January 1 or July 1 of a given calendar year. However, the ministry has now accepted the Ministry of Health's argument that relaxing the rules on mandatory isolation could be considered a matter of urgent public interest, which would allow an earlier date to be set.

    The ministry said that it was no longer justifiable from the point of view of public health protection to maintain the current status until July, given that covid-19 no longer represents as great a level of danger to the public as the other diseases on the list, as it is now possible to treat the disease effectively and prevent it from turning into a serious life-threatening condition.

    Covid-19 has been on the list of contagious diseases which it is illegal to spread in the country since the spring of 2020.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    A Czech volunteer fighting on the Ukrainian side against the Russian army was killed over the weekend, the spokesman for the Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday. This is the second such case in the last year. The news comes just one day after it was reported that a Czech volunteer medic was seriously injured in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    The civil society group A Million Moments for Democracy has been fined CZK 40,000 by the supervisory authority that oversees political parties and movements for leading a presidential election campaign while not registering as a so-called "third party". Last autumn, the group launched the "Democrat for the Castle" campaign, which called for the election of a democratic candidate as president.

    The association disputes the decision, arguing that they are being fined for an activity that is part of the purpose for which their association was established and that this interpretation of the law goes beyond the original intention of the legislator. Nevertheless, the association has paid the fine.

    The matter is being resolved in court. However, proceedings have been suspended for the time being, as the Supreme Administrative Court is awaiting the Constitutional Court's decision regarding the annulment of some parts of the election law.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 03/20/2023

    The Czech minister of justice, Pavel Blažek, has spoken openly about how outgoing president Miloš Zeman and his team sought the government’s help in halting investigations related to Prague Castle. In an interview for Seznam Zprávy on Monday, Mr. Blažek says the now former head of state discussed a pardon for the company Metrostav, which has been prohibited from taking part in public tenders over a bribery scandal. Mr. Zeman’s officials said this would mean a large number of layoffs at the firm.

    The ex-president also pushed for the halting of an investigation into his head of office, Vratislav Mynář, on suspicion of subsidy fraud, saying he was only under scrutiny because of his closeness to Mr. Zeman, according to Mr. Blažek.

    The government decided not to accede to the then head of state’s wishes, the minister said.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 03/20/2023

    The Czech national football squad is gathering in Prague on Monday ahead of their first two games in the qualifying process for next year’s European Championship in Germany.

    Their opening game will be at home to Poland on Friday, before they take on Moldova away three days later.

    Coach Jaroslav Šilhavý has called up six uncapped players for the two matches: David Douděra, Martin Vitík, Lukáš Sadílek, Tomáš Čvančara and David and Matěj Jurásek.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 03/19/2023

    The introduction of Euro 7 standards, which would reduce emission limits for motor vehicles, would have an adverse effect on Škoda Auto, the carmaker’s board member for sales and marketing, Martin Jahn, said on Czech Television on Sunday.

    The European Commission-proposed standards would mean Škoda Auto could no longer produce Fabia, Scala or Kamiq cars, Mr. Jahn said. This would mean the closure of one production hall and around 3,000 layoffs, he said.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 03/19/2023

    Radek Vondráček of ANO says a proposal to remove Markéta Pekarová Adamová of TOP 09 as speaker of the lower house is a political gesture.

    Speaking on Czech Television on Sunday Mr. Vondráček, who preceded her in the post, said that he was aware that the move from ANO and fellow opposition party Freedom and Direct Democracy would fail, given the government’s solid majority.

    MPs are due to discuss a motion to remove Ms. Pekarová Adamová in a Chamber of Deputies session that will start on April 4. The opposition say she favoured the government parties in her handling of a recent debate on cutting pension indexation.

    Author: Ian Willoughby

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