News

Tighter conditions for aid to Ukrainian refugees in Czechia have come into effect as of July 1. In line with an amendment to the law, Ukrainian refugees who have been in the country for longer than 5 months will no longer get accommodation for free. The state will continue to cover housing for all vulnerable groups of refugees – i.e. minors under 18, students of Czech universities, seniors over 65, people with disabilities and their care givers, as well as pregnant women and people caring for children under six.

Czech President Petr Pavel has received high marks from the public after his first 100 days in office, according to a survey conducted by the Median agency for Czech Radio. Of the 1,000 respondents polled, who were asked to grade the president on a five point scale, 54 percent gave him an “A” or “B” for overall performance. 19 percent of respondents gave him a “C”, 10 percent a “D” and 9 percent an “F” grade. 7 percent of respondents said they had no opinion on the matter.

During his first 100 days in office, President Pavel visited all the neighbour countries and three Czech regions, organized a meeting between the prime minister and the leader of the strongest opposition party, and appointed three constitutional judges. He has also taken steps to open Prague Castle to the public and reorganize the Office of the President.

The 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival opened with a gala ceremony in the West Bohemian spa town on Sunday night. Hollywood actor Russell Crowe was presented with the Crystal Globe for his contribution to world cinema and Swedish actress and producer Alicia Vikander received the Festival President's Award. Among the VIP guests present on the opening night was American actress Patricia Clarkson, who is on the main jury this year. In the course of the next seven days visitors to the festival will be able to see close to 150 feature films and documentaries. Among the highlights of the opening night was a concert featuring Russell Crowe with his band Indoor Garden Party and the British electronic music band Morcheeba.

President Petr Pavel, who is the chief commander of the Czech Armed Forces, Defence Minister Jana Černochová and Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka on Friday laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Vítkov and honoured the memory of soldiers killed in foreign operations to mark Armed Forces Day. In a short statement the defense minister emphasized the growing importance of the armed forces. The world is not a safe place and Czechia must be prepared for the security threats that we face, she said. She said she was happy to see that the Czech armed forces enjoy an exceptionally high level of public trust.