• 06/11/2024

    People who still have banknotes in the denominations of CZK 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 issued between 1995 and 1999, which expired in June 2022, only have until the end of the month to get them exchanged at the cash desks of any bank in the country, the central bank said. The banknotes, which are recognizable by their narrow silver stripe, were taken out of circulation two years ago. From July 1, 2024, only central bank cash desks will accept them.

  • 06/11/2024

    Members of the Pirate Party, a junior party in the ruling coalition, are calling for an extraordinary conference to analyze the reasons behind the party’s poor showing in the European elections. Party chief Ivan Bartoš said he was open to debate on the matter. According to MEP Markéta Gregorová, who was the only party member to defend her mandate, the party needs internal reform. The Pirate Party gained only 6.2 percent of the vote in the elections and will only have one seat in the new European Parliament.

  • 06/11/2024

    Czech President Petr Pavel is attending a summit of the eastern wing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in the Latvian capital Riga. The meeting is to align national positions on security and defense issues ahead of NATO’s July summit in Washington. Participants are discussing continued support for Ukraine and better coordination of aid to the country, NATO’s partnership with countries of the Indo-Pacific region and NATO's future relationship with Russia, among others. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is present at the talks.

  • 06/11/2024

    The South American man arrested on Saturday evening for attempted arson has been remanded in custody, police chief Martin Vondrášek said on Monday afternoon following a State Security Council meeting. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that it is not only possible, but indeed very likely that Russia was behind the attack. The 26-year-old could get a sentence of up to life in prison.

    The unsuccessful arson attack occurred on Wednesday night in the Prague 9 district, when the suspect poured gasoline on some buses in garages owned by the city's public transport company DPP and attempted to set them on fire.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/11/2024

    Year-on-year inflation in Czechia decreased from 2.9 percent in April to 2.6 percent in May, according to the latest figures from the Czech Statistics Office. Grocery prices were the main contributing factor, with the price of flour and eggs, for example, dropping significantly (by 23.5 percent) compared to last May. Fruit and meat also got cheaper, 6.7 and 5.8 percent respectively. However, the month-on-month inflation rate did not change.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/10/2024

    Firefighters were called to the scene as smoke started emanating from a building near Prague's historic Old Town Square on Monday afternoon. The Prague fire service wrote on social media site X that the fire had started in the roof of the building in Celetná Street. No one was injured but about twenty people were evacuated.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/10/2024

    Tuesday should be overcast but dry, with daytime temperatures ranging between 14 and 19 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/10/2024

    There were 1,205 new registered cases of whooping cough in Czechia last week, the lowest weekly number in almost two months, according to the latest figures from the State Health Institute. Experts say that the spread of the infection among the Czech population is waning.

    So far this year there have been 18,960 registered cases of whooping cough in Czechia, the most in 65 years. There were only a mere 18 more cases in 1959, the year after the vaccination programme against the disease began, but that was over the course of the entire calendar year.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/10/2024

    The last two people injured in the train collision in Pardubice late on Wednesday evening have now been discharged from hospital, news site Deník N reports. Most of the 27 passengers who were injured in the wreck were discharged on Thursday, with several more being released on Friday and only two remaining in hospital over the weekend. The most common injuries were to the head and cervical spinal cord.

    Police are investigating the cause of the train crash in which four women died, but the investigation is expected to take several months.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/10/2024

    A new Czech Centre will be opening in Taiwan from Thursday, June 14, the head of the network Jitka Pánek Jurková announced on Monday at a directors' meeting presenting the organisation's strategy for 2024 - 2027.

    She also said that the Czech Centres' new strategy foresees tension in international relations in the coming years and therefore as a platform strengthening public and cultural diplomacy, it wants to contribute to creating an open dialogue and presenting democratic values ​​through artistic creation.

    The Czech Centres network is made up of 28 branches designed to promote the Czech Republic abroad and is subsidised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Author: Anna Fodor

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