• 07/08/2024

    The Czech Republic plans to significantly speed up rail transport from Prague via Plzeň and Domažlice to the border with Germany, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on a working visit to Bavaria on Monday. The Czech head of government said the modernisation of the Plzeň-Domažlice line would start next year, when the line will be gradually electrified, with the aim to increase the speed on this important transport artery to 200 kilometers per hour by 2030.

    Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder said he would urge the federal government to earmark money for the German section of the rail route Schwandorf- Nuremberg-Munich for a high-quality electrified and double-track cross-border East-West link, rather than focusing only on the north-south rail line that leads to Italy.

    The two sides signed agreements on cross-border cooperation in the field of tourism, emergency services and health.

  • 07/08/2024

    Czech politicians have expressed mixed feelings regarding the outcome of the French elections. The  Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, said he was not happy either about the success of the far-right or that of the far-left. On a working visit to Bavaria on Monday, Fiala stressed that France played an important role in Europe and it was important for the country to form a stable government with which it would be possible to cooperate effectively. Mr. Fiala expressed the hope that this would happen in the not-too-distant future. Meanwhile, MEP Alexander Vondra of the Civic Democrats said that by his rash decision to dissolve parliament and call snap elections the French president has paved the way for communists and anti-Semitic forces to gain political influence in the country.

  • 07/08/2024

    Czech politicians have strongly condemned Monday’s attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv. President Pavel said the strike against innocent children was proof that Putin would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. “This attack on the most vulnerable members of society is inexcusable” Pavel wrote on the network X,  adding “ I am on my way to a NATO summit, where I expect members to reach a consensus that we all see Russia as the greatest threat to our security, for which we must be thoroughly prepared."

    Strong words of condemnation also came from Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, who said that while “useful idiots are raving about peace with Putin, he is sending missiles at a children’s hospital.”  Other members of cabinet described the attack as ruthless and inhumane.

    Widespread Russian airstrikes on Monday hit over 50 civilian targets in different cities leaving at least 36 dead and 125 wounded. Among the targets hit were residential buildings, a commercial center and two medical facilities in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. More than 40 missiles of different types were reportedly used in the attack.

  • 07/08/2024

    The Czech Ministry of Health has proposed making it compulsory for companies to take an interest in protecting the health of their employees and offering them welfare and prevention programs, the news site Novinky.cz reported. The aim is to reduce the incidence of civilisation diseases and extend the period during which people are fit and able to work. The measures would involve providing various examinations, paid vaccinations and prevention programs depending on the type of occupation, its demands and potential health risks. Employers and doctors are opposed to the idea arguing that the current number of physicians will not cover the needs of companies.

  • 07/08/2024

    Meteorologists have warned that the coming days will bring extremely high temperatures and heavy storms in places. Tuesday and Wednesday, should be the hottest days of the week, when particularly on Wednesday temperatures may reach 36 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. People are being advised to stay out of the sun, avoid exerting themselves in the heat and increase their intake of liquids.

  • 07/08/2024

    Tuesday should be bright and clear with day temperatures between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius.

  • 07/08/2024

    Police are investigating an incident in which 17 people were injured at the Jihlava music festival over the weekend as a case of negligence, a police spokeswoman told the ctk news agency. The incident was triggered by a heavy storm which made lots of people seek cover in the inflatable festival tent. When the roof began to buckle there was a panic and over a dozen people were injured in the stampede to get out. The organisers insist that all the necessary safety precautions were taken. Two of the injured are reported to be in a serious condition.

  • 07/08/2024

    Czech President Petr Pavel leaves on Monday for a week-long visit to the United States, where he will attend the NATO summit in Washington together with Defence Minister Jana Černochová, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Army Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka. President Pavel will also meet with members of the US Congress and representatives of leading American institutes as well as holding a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. According to Mr. Pavel, the NATO summit should address three main areas: strengthening the alliance and fair burden-sharing, long-term support for Ukraine and strengthening cooperation with other allies.

  • 07/08/2024

    MEPs from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally are set to join the Patriots for Europe faction, making the new far-right group the third-largest in the European Parliament, several people involved in the discussions told POLITICO. The new right-wing alliance Patriots for Europe, formed at the end of June by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Czech opposition leader Andrej Babiš and Herbert Kickl head of the Free Party of Austria (FPÖ) has already met the basic conditions to become a faction in the European Parliament. The grouping will be joined by the Danish People's Party and the Belgian party Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest), the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders, the Portuguese party Chega and the Spanish party Vox . European Parliament rules require official grouping to have 23 MEPs from seven countries. The faction will focus on greater sovereignty for EU member states, stronger measures against illegal migration and a revision of the Green Deal.

  • 07/08/2024

    Prague Castle’s Gate of the Giants closed on Monday for the next seven weeks so that the bollards between the entrance posts, which the Castle says are nearing the end of their useful life, can be replaced. The main entrance to Prague Castle, which is recognisable for its pillars with statues of fighting giants on top, will re-open in the last week of August. In the meantime, visitors can exit the Castle via the southern side gate in the first courtyard to get to Hradčanské náměstí, the main square in front of the Castle grounds.

    The Castle Guard will also temporarily not be posted at the Gate of the Giants during this time nor will the changing of the guard ceremony take place in the first castle courtyard. Instead, every day from 12:00 to 12:15, members of the Castle Guard Orchestra will perform.

    Author: Anna Fodor

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