• 01/20/2024

    A new mobile application (eDoklady) which enables users to create an electronic version of their ID card and other documents is now in operation. People can download it from the official Google Play and App Stores. As of today the electronic ID card should be accepted by all state administration bodies and some municipalities. However the authorities have warned that there may be teething problems with the system at the outset, especially in smaller municipalities. There were also problems in the first hours of operation due to server overload.  The plastic cards will remain as an alternative option even after the digital app is accepted across the board.

  • 01/19/2024

    The Czech Foreign Ministry has distanced itself from the controversial event held at the Bohemian National Hall in New York on Thursday and said measures would be taken to prevent such a thing happening in the future. Dozens of people gathered outside the building to protest against a gathering  organized by the parental rights group Moms for Liberty, which is regarded as extremist and intolerant of sexual minorities.

    Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský emphasized that the controversial event did not reflect Czech foreign policy and had the ministry known about it sooner it would never have taken place there. He said Moms for Liberty had leased the premises from the expat organization Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association without the knowledge of the Czech Consulate General. Joseph Balaz, chairman of the BBLA, said the organisation would have to change the way in which it rents out space in the building in the future and be more careful about who it rents it out to.

  • 01/19/2024

    Martin Macík has won the truck category at the Dakar Rally in what is the first Czech triumph since 2001, when six-time winner Karel Loprais last dominated the race. Second place in the 46th edition of the legendary race went Karel Loprais' nephew Aleš Loprais. Both Czech riders set personal records, Macík was second last year and Loprais third in 2007.

  • 01/19/2024

    Saturday should be bright and clear and mostly dry with day temperatures between -3 and 1 degrees Celsius.

  • 01/19/2024

    The baby lowland gorilla, which was born two weeks ago in Prague's zoo, is a female, the zoo's director Miroslav Bobek told reporters on Friday. The sex was confirmed with the help of an umbilical cord blood test. People can now vote for the name of the young female from a dozen names the zoo has pre-selected on the basis of suggestions from children in Cameroon, Africa.

  • 01/19/2024

    The ANO party would presently win general elections by a landslide, with 35 percent of the votes, according to the outcome of a poll conducted by the Median agency. The ruling Civic Democratic Party would place second, with 13 percent of the vote, the Pirate Party of the ruling coalition would get 10.5 percent and the opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy Party would get 9 percent of the vote. The Mayors and Independents,also of the ruling coalition, would get 6.5 percent and TOP 09 would get 6 percent. No other party would cross the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in the lower house.

  • 01/19/2024

    A number of Czech media outlets say they have received an anonymous e-mail containing the names and photographs of the alleged victims of the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. The authors of the e-mail, who signed themselves as "grieving students", asked the media to publish the names and stories of the alleged victims as a tribute to their memory. Neither the faculty nor the Charles University administration are aware of such an initiative and do not support this course of action. The police have warned that publishing the list of names is highly problematic from a legal point of view.

  • 01/19/2024

    The case of a man who was found guilty of repeatedly raping his underage stepdaughter and received a three year suspended sentence and a fine for the criminal offense has evoked public outrage in Czechia. The Ministry of Justice has said it is looking into the case to examine whether or not  the law was violated and if so it would file a complaint with the Supreme Court. Justice Minister Pavel Blažek said that the Regional Court in Brno would provide the public with the reasons for its decision in the coming days. According to Seznam Zpravy, which covered the case, a district court originally sentenced the girl's stepfather to three years in prison for rape and child porn, as well as CZK 300, 000 in compensation for the victim. However, a court of appeal lowered the punishment to a suspended sentence. According to an expert assessment, the offense did not have a "significant negative impact" on the victim.

  • 01/19/2024

    Dozens of people protested in front of the Bohemian National Hall in New York City on Thursday night against an event hosted in the building by controversial parental rights group Moms for Liberty, which is regarded as extremist and intolerant of sexual minorities.

    Several US politicians had criticised the event, with Democratic Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal calling on Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to ban it.

    Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said that while he disagreed with the debate, it was too late to be cancelled. He also said the activities of the organisation did not correspond to the interests of Czech foreign policy.

    The organisation Moms for Liberty leased the premises of the Bohemian National Hall from the expat organization Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association without the knowledge of the Czech Consulate General.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 01/19/2024

    A debate on introducing postal voting for Czechs in the Chamber of Deputies entered its third day on Friday morning. The debate, which started on Wednesday morning, has so far lasted for over 25 hours.

    However, MPs are not expected to reach any conclusion on Friday, given filibustering from the opposition ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy parties, which are vehemently opposed to the bill on the grounds that it could be abused.

    The debate on the matter may resume on Tuesday morning. Czechia is one of the few states in the EU that do not to allow postal voting.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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