• Babiš: Czechs could provide medical care to injured Belarusians
    08/20/2020

    The Czech Republic could provide humanitarian aid to Belarus, for instance in the form of medical care for people who have suffered injuries, the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, said after a meeting with Kryścina Šyjanoková from the organisation Belarusians in the CR. Ms. Šyjanoková said her community called on the Czech Republic not to recognise the official results of recent presidential elections and not to deal with Alexander Lukashenko as a legitimate head of state. Police in Belarus responded with a violent crackdown against protestors questioning the results of the elections.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech WWII veteran Viktor Wellemín dies at 97
    08/19/2020

    Viktor Wellemín, a Czech soldier who fought at Tobruk on the Western Front during WWII, has died at the age of 97, the Czech minister of defence, Lubomír Metnar, announced on Wednesday. Born into a Jewish family in Prague in 1923, he escaped to Palestine at the start of the war before later joining the exile Czechoslovak army. He also fought at Dunkirk in 1944, where he was lucky to survive after stepping on a mine.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Visegrad Four presidents express disquiet over Belarus elections
    08/19/2020

    The presidents of the Visegrad Four states have issued a joint statement expressing disquiet over the recent presidential elections in Belarus. The heads of state of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland called on Wednesday for Belarusian forces not to employ violence and appealed to other countries not to take action that would undermine the independence and sovereignty of Belarus.

    The statement was provided to the Czech media by a spokesperson for this country’s head of state, Miloš Zeman.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Man gets suspended sentence for praising Christchurch attack online
    08/19/2020

    A 36-year-old Czech man has received a suspended sentence for praising a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand in internet comments. A court found Ondřej Pudil from Žďár nad Sázavou guilty of supporting terrorism after he approved of the caliber of weapons used by the killer and regretted that he had not had more rounds when he attacked two mosques in 2019, leaving 51 people dead.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Facemasks to be compulsory at hair salons, polling stations
    08/19/2020

    Facemasks will be compulsory at hairdressers and manicure and pedicure shops in the Czech Republic from September 1, according to regulations issued by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. They will also be required at polling stations during elections in October. Patrons will have to keep their mouths and noses covered in restaurants except for when they are consuming their meals.

    Earlier this week the government announced that facemasks would be returning from September 1 in shops, public buildings, on public transport and in other enclosed spaces, including at arts events. The provision is timed to coincide with the return of children to school.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • MPs approve legal changes linked to Covid-19 in special session
    08/19/2020

    Czech MPs approved two legal changes related to the coronavirus situation in a special session of the lower house on Wednesday. They gave their backing to new rules for distance learning for school pupils as well as forms of voting for people in quarantine in Senate and regional elections in October.

    The bills were sped through the Chamber of Deputies under what is called a state of legislative emergency and should go before the Senate on Thursday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Weather forecast
    08/19/2020

    It should be largely overcast in the Czech Republic on Thursday, with temperatures of up to 26 degrees Celsius. The following days are expected to be sunny, with daytime highs of up to 29 degrees Celsius.

  • Czech average mortgage rate at lowest level since 2017
    08/19/2020

    The average mortgage rate in the Czech Republic fell to its lowest rate in two and a half years in July. According to a regular index published by financial advisors Fincentrum, the average interest rate last month was 2.15 percent, down from 2.21 percent in June. The last time it was that low was in November 2017.

    Mortgage rates have fallen in the Czech Republic for four months in succession.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Highest number of serious Covid-19 cases seen since late March
    08/19/2020

    The number of patients with serious cases of Covid-19 in the Czech Republic now stands at 29, which is the highest figure seen since March 21. There are currently almost 5,000 known cases of the coronavirus in the country, with 122 patients with the virus requiring hospital care, according to official Ministry of Health data released on Wednesday.

    After a rise of 282 on Tuesday, the total number of registered cases of Covid-19 is 20,483.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Over 400 deaths with Covid-19 now recorded in Czech Republic
    08/18/2020

    The number of deaths in the Czech Republic with Covid-19 has climbed to over 400. According to official data released by the country’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday evening some 401 deaths with the coronavirus had occurred. Since the first cases were detected at the start of March there have been over 20,000 known cases.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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