News

The Czech minister of the interior, Vít Rakušan, wants spot checks on the country’s border with Slovakia to be extended for another 30 days. Ministers are expected to discuss the matter at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The controls are intended to prevent illegal migration via Czech territory and were originally introduced for 10 days in October. The latest approved period is due to expire at midnight on Wednesday.

Mr. Rakušan previously said the Czech government would ease the controls as soon as possible.

The Czech government will on Wednesday discuss a bill under which all revenues from emissions allowances would in future be spent on measures that reduce or offset the impacts of climate change. At present the state is only obliged to use a portion of such revenues for those purposes.

The Czech News Agency said that the cabinet would also need to discuss who would control income from the auctioning of allowances, as a number of ministries are keen to do so.

Revenues from emissions allowances should amount to CZK 40 billion this year.

It should be mainly overcast with some rain in Czechia on Wednesday, with an average high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are expected to fall on the following days.

The Czech Philharmonic performed its first New Year’s concert in Prague's Rudolfinum on Monday evening, under the baton of conductor Jakub Hrůša. The leading Czech orchestra performed selected works by Czech composers, namely Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček and Oskar Nedbal. The head of the Czech Philharmonic David Mareček said that Monday’s concert opened the Year of Czech Music. This celebration of Czech music greats is held once a decade, on every year that ends on the number four since many anniversaries linked to Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) or Josef Suk (1874-1935) end on that number. This year marks 200 years since Smetana's birth and 140 years since his death.