• Weather forecast
    02/23/2023

    It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Friday, with an average high temperature of 9 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are expected to fall in the following days.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech has most per capita Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status
    02/23/2023

    Czechia has the most per capital Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status in the whole of the European Union, the Czech Ministry of the Interior said on Thursday, citing Eurostat.

    At the end of last year there were over 3.8 million refugees from the war in Ukraine in the EU. Germany and Poland each had about a quarter of that number, while Czechia was third, with an 11-percent share.

    Temporary protection visas give the refugees access to health insurance, education and the labour market.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Political scientist Lebeda to be domestic politics chief under President Pavel
    02/23/2023

    Political scientist Tomáš Lebeda is set to become director of the domestic politics section at Prague Castle under incoming president Petr Pavel.

    Mr. Pavel, who will be inaugurated on March 9, revealed the news on Twitter on Thursday. He said Mr. Lebeda was a long-term expert on Czech politics and used high-quality research and data to explain topical issues.

    Mr. Lebeda, who is 46, heads the Department of Politics and European Affairs at Palacký University in Olomouc.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bečva by Tomáš Niesner named album of year at Vinyl awards
    02/23/2023

    The album of the year prize at Czechia’s Vinyl independent music awards has been won by Tomáš Niesner for Bečva. The record’s title refers to the river Bečva in Moravia, which was devastated by pollution.

    The best newcomer at the prize ceremony, which took place at Prague’s Lucerna Music Bar on Wednesday night, was the singer-songwriter Mat213.

    Vinyl’s endeavour of the year gong went to the Brno alternative festival Pop Messe.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Army chief: No outcome of Ukraine war will mean more security
    02/23/2023

    The head of the Czech Army, Karel Řehka, says none of the possible outcomes of the war in Ukraine will spell greater security for Czechia and NATO. Speaking at a news conference marking a year since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Major General Řehka said Russia would be more dangerous and hostile, while at the same time more unpredictable.

    The chief of the Czech Army’s general staff said that he could not at present see a realistic path to either a diplomatic solution or a military victory for either side in the near future.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bucharest Nine states urge strengthening NATO’s eastern flank
    02/23/2023

    In a joint statement following talks with US President Biden in Warsaw, nine NATO countries from Central and Eastern Europe stressed the need to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. The declaration adopted by leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine, which includes Czechia, points to Russia as the biggest threat to the allies' security and pledges continued support for Ukraine with the aim of restoring the country’s internationally recognized borders.

    US President Biden vowed on Wednesday to “defend every inch of NATO ground" and described Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear arms control treaty as a "big mistake".
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • PM Fiala: Czechia has sent 40 billion crowns worth of weapons to Ukraine
    02/23/2023

    Czechia has sent has sent 40 billion crowns worth of weapons to Ukraine since the start of the war, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after Wednesday’s meeting with US President Joe Biden and representatives of the Bucharest Nine group in Warsaw. Mr. Fiala said the Czech army had provided Ukraine with 89 tanks, 226 armoured vehicles, 39 howitzers, 1.5 million pieces of ammunition, 60,000 rockets, 33 salvo rocket launchers and 900 metres of bridge structures from its material reserves.

    According to the prime minister, the government's aid was in the range of 10 billion crowns, while the Czech defense industry sent weapons worth 30 billion crowns. The government had not previously provided details regarding the country’s military aid to Ukraine.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    02/22/2023

    Thursday should be overcast around the country with scattered showers and daytime highs between 9 and 13 degrees Celsius.

  • Regional Development Ministry to release 1.6 billion for construction of rental apartments
    02/22/2023

    The Regional Development Ministry is planning to release 1.6 billion crowns for the construction of new rental apartments, a move aiming to address the social housing shortage, the ctk news agency reported. The program will be open to municipalities, associations, charities and legal entities. The ministry will release 800 million crowns this year for the Rental Housing Program, which combines subsidies and soft loans. In addition, it plans to acquire 8 billion crowns from the National Renewal Plan for the construction of new housing and provide 1.6 billion crowns to municipalities for the preparation of projects and investments.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Amnesty and Konsent pushing to change legal definition of rape
    02/22/2023

    Amnesty International and the NGO Konsent, which are fighting to change the definition of rape in the Czech Criminal Code, in order to better protect women are holding a public happening on Prague’s Lesser Town Square on Wednesday in support of the cause. Currently the legal definition of rape is based on violence or a threat of violence, not the absence of consent from the partner, which is something the organizers are pushing to change. At Wednesday’s event people can sign a petition in support of the change and hear the stories of women who have been victims of rape and subsequently faced secondary victimization. The event is also aimed to bring politicians’ attention to the issue.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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