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EU foreign ministers, including Czechia's Jan Lipavský, approved the launch of an EU military naval mission in the Red Sea at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, with the aim of helping to secure maritime trade routes currently being attacked by Yemeni rebels. The strategic command of the Aspides mission will be based in Greece, but operations will be controlled from an Italian frigate. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský previously stated that Czechia has no ships to send on the mission but could potentially send people to work in certain staff roles.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking international cargo ships linked to Israel and the West since November, in response to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip and these countries' support of the Israeli government. American and British military forces have been conducting joint air strikes against them since January with occasional help from individual EU member states.

Hundreds of Czech farmers arrived in tractors early on Monday morning to protest outside the Ministry of Agriculture in Prague against rising costs, heavy regulation, cheap goods from Ukraine and the EU's Green Deal. The protest partially blocked traffic on Prague's main thoroughfare, the "magistrála", but no major traffic jams were caused.

The protesting farmers handed over a letter to Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný shortly before noon with a list of their demands, which include Czechia withdrawing from the Green Deal. Mr. Výborný has said he will read the letter but that he does not intend to hold talks with the protest organisers, as they are pursuing their own political goals rather than truly representing the interests of Czech farmers. Other large agricultural organisations have distanced themselves from the protest.

A two-year-old Czech boy with a rare genetic disorder has returned home after undergoing gene therapy in France. The child was transported by ambulance from Prague's Václav Havel Airport to Motol Children’s Hospital where he will receive further medical care. His parents previously said that the procedure in France was successful and little Martin was already showing signs of improvement. The life-saving treatment was made possible thanks to a public collection which raised over 150 million crowns for the child.

Czechia has provided approximately CZK 16.33 billion in benefits to war refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war, the Czech Press Agency said, citing a report by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. According to Labour Minister Marian Jurečka, Ukrainian refugees have already started to pay back the aid they have received in levies on their earnings which were between CZK 12 billion and CZK 15 billion last year. Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan recently said that the amount paid this year will significantly exceed the aid provided.