News

The Chamber of Deputies voted to reject any questioning of Israel's right to exist and defend itself on Wednesday. The stance was proposed after an article written by Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček and two of his predecessors, Lubomír Zaorálek and Karel Schwarzenberg, criticised Israel’s plans to annex Jewish settlements on the West Bank of the river Jordan, something that drew rebukes from both the Czech prime minister and president who said it did not represent the government’s view.

The right of Israel to exist and defend itself was supported by all parties except the Communists, with the Pirate Party choosing not to vote in favour of a further passage which called the current US peace initiative towards Israel and Palestine “a concrete proposal that has the potential to introduce a new dynamic into the peace process and will lead to renewed direct talks between both parties”.

The lower-house also called on the government to ensure a meeting is held soon with the new Israeli government. Furthermore, the Chamber of Deputies voted in support of the ongoing strategic partnership between the Czech Republic and Israel, which is “based on mutual respect, shared values and interests, with the aim of ensuring security and prosperity in both countries”.

Interest in taking part in a business mission to Taiwan headed by the Speaker of the Czech Senate Miloš Vystrčil is so high that the number of applications already exceeds the capacity of the allocated plane, Mr Vystrčil said on Wednesday.

Applications, often spontaneous, have been sent not only by companies already operating in Taiwan, but also starting entrepreneurs and representatives of companies outside the manufacturing sector. A process of selection will therefore have to take place, says Mr Vystrčil. He is also to be accompanied by seven other senators, as well as a delegation of scientists.

Many leading state officials, including the president and foreign minister, have spoken against the visit taking place, as China has already threatened retaliation for what it views as a breach of the One China policy. However, Mr Vystčil says that the trip will be beneficial both in the business, scientific and cultural sectors, as well as in upholding a moral principle in Czech foreign relations.

Meanwhile, the president of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Yu Shyi-kun said the visit will deepen an alliance of shared values and mark a new beginning for the diplomacy of the Taiwanese parliament, the daily Hospodářské Noviny wrote on Tuesday.

Around 20 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been discovered in the Wolf Poppy home for retired veterans and seniors in Prague, Jitka Zinke, the spokeswoman for the Military University Hospital which owns the centre, told the Czech News Agency. The outbreak was registered during a round of preventative testing.

The infected clients are currently in isolation at the hospital, while employees who tested positive have been quarantined at home. Visits to the pavilion where the outbreak took place have also been cancelled.

Up to 160 people have been tested thus far, with 11 percent testing positive for COVID-19. All the patients who have had a positive diagnosis are not yet showing any symptoms, the spokeswoman said.

One of the country’s largest telecom operators, O2, has launched the next generation 5G network in parts of Prague and the Central Bohemian town of Kolín, O2 company representatives announced on Wednesday. O2 has thus become the first major mobile network provider in the country to offer 5G to its clients.

The network should be available to around 15 percent of Prague residents during the summer, specifically in the Old and New Towns, Vinohrady, Nusle, Dejvice and Bubeneč.

Long lauded as a revolutionary advance, 5G can transfer data up to ten times faster than current cellular networks with a download speed of up to 10 Gigabits per second.