• 03/28/2023

    Czechia has so far granted 502, 000 temporary protection visas to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, according to data published by the Czech Interior Ministry. Some of the refugees who were granted visas have already returned to Ukraine or left for another country. The Interior Ministry estimates there are currently about 300 000 Ukrainian refugees living in the country.

  • 03/27/2023

    A Czech volunteer fighter in Ukraine who had gone missing for six days, has been found. The volunteer who is known by the nickname Sendy Storm is reported to be unharmed. The volunteer project zdravotnizajisteni.cz, with which the volunteer cooperates, confirmed the news on Facebook. The  man was earlier reported “missing in action” on Facebook by Memorial - International Legion Defense of Ukraine, an organization that brings together foreign volunteers fighting against Russia.

  • 03/27/2023

    Tuesday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered snow showers and day temperatures between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius.

  • 03/27/2023

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský discussed security issues with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday. In response to President Putin's stated intention to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, Lipavský said Russia should respect its international obligations. He also suggested that NATO should actively look for cooperation formats to support Ukraine's accession to NATO. The two officials also discussed the situation in the Indo-Pacific, China’s growing influence and preparations for NATO’s July summit in Vilnius. Minister Lipavský offered to host an informal meeting of NATO ministers in Prague next year.

  • 03/27/2023

    The Regional Court in Plzen has sent a 36-year-old Czech man to five and a half years in prison for supporting and inciting terrorism and violence. In a post on Facebook last year the man criticized the  law on pandemics and incited viewers to take to the streets and bring down the political elite, calling for the elimination of senators, MPs and government ministers. In court, he defended himself by saying that he did not fully realise the consequences of his actions and had used vulgar and expressive words deliberately to attract attention and gain more viewers. He faced up to 15 years in prison. The sentence is not definitive.

  • 03/27/2023

    Eating disorders in teenagers increased by almost two-thirds between 2016 and 2021, according to data provided by Czech health officials. The number of teenagers between 15 and 19 suffering from an eating disorder went up from 1,450 in 2016 to 2,383 in 2021. Overall, nearly eight per cent of the young population is now affected by anorexia or bulimia. A large number of young Czechs are also overweight or obese, according to a press release on the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Eating Disorders and Obesity, which starts in Prague on Thursday.

  • 03/27/2023

    President Petr Pavel will start working from his new office at Prague Castle on Monday, his spokesperson Markéta Řeháková told the ctk news agency. Mr. Pavel, who was sworn in earlier this month, had been working from Prague’s Hrzánský Palace while his office was being inspected and prepared. The president said he had ordered a thorough inspection to make sure that there were no listening devices installed. President Pavel will be using the same office at the Castle as his predecessors Miloš Zeman, Václav Klaus and Václav Havel.

  • 03/27/2023

    The Constitutional Court has overturned a ruling for which the Supreme Administrative Court was given the Big Brother award last week. According to the invalidated verdict the tax office had the right to request data from road cameras operated by the police in a disputed case relating to suspected tax evasion.  The police system was primarily intended to help find stolen cars, investigate crimes and combat terrorism. The tax authorities requested the records as evidence when checking logbook entries for tax deductions. Jan Vobořil, director of Iuridicum Remedium which hands out the Big Brother awards, said that, by its decision, the Supreme Administrative Court had opened the way for further extensive intrusions into citizens' privacy.

  • 03/27/2023

    The Speaker of the Czech lower house of Parliament Markéta Pekarová Adamová, who is on a working visit to Taiwan, was received by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday. President Tsai welcomed the fact that the visit had gone ahead despite considerable opposition to it from China. She said Taiwan and the Czech Republic have both been through authoritarian rule and can become firm partners in upholding democracy and freedom. Pekarová Adamová said Czechia is a staunch supporter of Taiwan in Europe and expressed the hope that other European states would follow the Czech example in openly showing their support.

  • 03/27/2023

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday to discuss further military support for Ukraine and the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. Mr Lipavský will arrive at NATO headquarters a week before the meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.

    The Czech foreign minister is also scheduled to hold talks with European Commissioners Didier Reynders and Janez Lenarčič about the consequences of the Russian aggression, such as punishing war crimes, and the deliveries of humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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