News

Demand for fuel in the Czech Republic has increased despite a sharp rise in prices, according to preliminary estimates from the Czech Association of Petroleum Industry and Trade (ČAPPO).

Consumption of diesel rose by roughly 25 percent during March compared to usual levels, while petrol demand increased by up to 15 percent, ČAPPO spokesperson Václav Loula said on Monday.

He stressed that there is no risk of fuel shortages.

Analysts attribute the surge in demand to motorists stocking up in advance, as well as increased interest from drivers in neighboring countries, where fuel prices are higher.

The Czech Republic is struggling to stabilize its public finances, with government debt continuing to grow at an accelerating pace, the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) warned in its annual report for 2025, released on Monday. Despite an economic recovery last year, state expenditures are increasing faster than revenues, pushing the national debt close to 3.7 trillion crowns, the report said.

The Office says that due to a high share of mandatory spending, the government will have limited ability to respond to future crises. According to statistics mandatory and quasi-mandatory expenditures accounted for an alarming 86.3 percent of total budget revenues last year. At the same time, the state paid 98 billion crowns in debt servicing costs -a figure expected to rise further as deficit spending continues.

A Czech businessman has been found dead in Paraguay, in what authorities believe to be a murder case. A fellow Czech national is on the run, local outlet ABC reported.

The incident occurred in the southern department of Itapúa, where police are still investigating the circumstances and motive.

According to preliminary findings, the two men had been drinking together before an argument escalated into violence. The victim was later found dead in his home.

A 60-year-old Czech climber died after a fall on the Greek island of Kalymnos, the website Kairn.com reported. The accident happened on Friday on a climbing route known as Jurassic Park.

According to the report, the climber was descending when bolts at a fixed anchor broke, causing him to fall. He landed on a rocky ledge and initially remained conscious.

Rescue efforts were complicated by bad weather and difficult terrain. The man was later transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident has raised concerns about the condition of older fixed anchors on the island’s climbing routes. Local authorities said they plan to check routes established before 2005 and advised climbers to avoid them unless they have been recently renewed.