• Czech billionaire Křetínský set to become West Ham’s largest shareholder
    09/04/2026

    Czech billionaire and Sparta Prague owner Daniel Křetínský is set to become the largest shareholder in English football club West Ham United, according to British media. The Times reports that a new agreement would increase his stake from 27 to 46 percent, ahead of current largest shareholder David Sullivan, who would hold 40 percent. Křetínský has been a co-owner of West Ham since 2021 and reportedly aims to help the London club return quickly to the Premier League after its relegation last season. The transaction is expected to be completed in September, with changes also planned to the club’s management.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Volkswagen restructuring plan will not directly affect Škoda Auto
    09/04/2026

    Volkswagen’s new restructuring plan will have no direct impact on its Czech subsidiary Škoda Auto, the carmaker said on Friday. Volkswagen has approved a transformation programme through 2030 aimed at cutting costs and boosting competitiveness, including plans to eliminate up to 100,000 jobs worldwide by the end of the decade. Škoda, which employs around 36,500 people in Czechia, is pursuing its own efficiency measures. These include reducing its non-production workforce by 15 percent by 2028 through natural turnover. The Czech carmaker is also investing in electric mobility, including a new battery systems production facility in Mladá Boleslav.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Czech canoeist Chaloupka claims first World Cup victory
    09/04/2026

    Czech canoeist Václav Chaloupka has claimed his first career victory in the Canoe Slalom World Cup. The 28-year-old won on the Olympic course at Vaires-sur-Marne near Paris, beating World Cup leader Žiga Lin Hočevar of Slovenia by 0.16 seconds. Chaloupka’s breakthrough victory comes five years after he won the world championship title. His previous best World Cup results were second places in Pau in 2020 and Tacen earlier this year. The victory moves Chaloupka into second place in the overall standings, 44 points behind Hočevar, ahead of next week’s World Cup finale in Seu d’Urgell.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Czech cybersecurity agency warns of Russian-linked attacks on Signal accounts
    09/04/2026

    Czechia’s National Cyber and Information Security Agency has warned of attempts to gain access to accounts on the encrypted messaging app Signal. According to the agency, the attacks are primarily associated with actors linked to Russia and mainly target politicians, government officials and security experts, although any user could become a victim. Attackers do not try to break Signal’s encryption but use social engineering to persuade users to link an unknown device to their account or reveal their PIN. Methods include fake Signal support messages, malicious links and fraudulent QR codes disguised as invitations to groups.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Czech inflation accelerates to 1.9 percent in August
    09/04/2026

    Consumer prices in Czechia rose by 1.9 percent year-on-year in August, up from 1.7 percent in July, according to a preliminary estimate from the Czech Statistical Office. Prices increased by 0.3 percent month-on-month. Higher fuel prices contributed to inflation, while falling food prices helped offset the increase. Food and non-alcoholic beverages were 4.3 percent cheaper than a year earlier, while services rose by 4.5 percent. Analysts expect inflation to climb above two percent by the end of the year and warn it could approach three percent in early 2027.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Weather
    09/04/2026

    It will be overcast to cloudy with rain or showers across most of the country, gradually becoming more changeable from the northwest and clearing towards the evening. Daytime highs will range between 19 and 24 degrees Celsius, reaching up to 26 degrees in the southeast.

  • Czechia plans CZK 100 billion AI Gigafactory for Central and Eastern Europe
    09/04/2026

    Czechia plans to build an AI Gigafactory worth around CZK 100 billion, Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) told Czech Radio’s Radiožurnál. The facility would provide large-scale computing capacity for artificial intelligence, with the Czech government and European Commission each expected to cover about 15 percent of the investment and private investors most of the remainder. Havlíček said the capacity could also be offered commercially to neighbouring countries. Nine Central and Eastern European states, including Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, signed the Prague Declaration on AI cooperation on Thursday. The Czech project still requires EU approval.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Czech opposition challenges budget responsibility law at Constitutional Court
    09/04/2026

    Czech opposition parties have asked the Constitutional Court to strike down parts of the country’s budget responsibility law. The complaint, signed by 74 MPs from five opposition parties, targets changes pushed through parliament by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s (ANO) government despite a veto by President Petr Pavel. The opposition argues that the amendments threaten the long-term sustainability of public finances and weaken parliamentary oversight in favour of the government. The cabinet says the new rules allow it to draw up a responsible and realistic state budget. Opposition politicians have also accused the government of undermining the separation of powers.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Czech retail sales growth accelerates to 4.8 percent in July
    09/04/2026

    Retail sales in Czechia accelerated in July, rising by 4.8 percent year-on-year, according to the Czech Statistical Office. That compares with revised growth of 3.4 percent in June. Sales also increased by 0.6 percent compared with the previous month. Online and mail-order retailers contributed most to the July increase. Sales of non-food goods rose by 6.6 percent year-on-year, while food sales increased by 2.7 percent and fuel sales by 4 percent. Adjusted for price changes, Czech retail sales have now risen year-on-year for 32 consecutive months.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

  • Experts warn of instability, inequality and teacher shortages in Czech schools
    09/04/2026

    A lack of long-term planning, unequal quality between schools and shortages of teachers are among the biggest problems facing Czech education, according to ten experts surveyed by iROZHLAS.cz, the news website of Czech Radio. Several criticised frequent changes in government priorities and unpredictable funding. Experts also highlighted large differences in pupils’ results: more than 20 percent struggle with reading comprehension, while disadvantaged pupils tend to be concentrated in particular schools and regions. Another concern is staffing. Around a third of Czech teachers are over 55, and some estimates suggest the country could be short of up to 10,000 teachers within a decade.
    Author: Vít Pohanka

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