• Bohuslav Svoboda officially voted in as Prague Mayor
    02/16/2023

    Bohuslav Svoboda was officially voted in as the lord mayor of Prague on Thursday, replacing Zdeňek Hřib in the position. Mr Svoboda is the leader of the Together coalition, which is itself part of the grouping that is expected to administer Prague until 2026.

    In total, 50 of the 65 representatives in the Prague City Hall Assembly voted in favour of Mr Svoboda. Only the opposition Praha Sobě and SPD parties voted against approving the new lord mayor.
    Author: Thomas McEnchroe

  • Weather
    02/16/2023

    Friday is expected to see average temperatures in Czechia hover around 8 degrees Celsius, with rainfall expected across the country.
    Author: Thomas McEnchroe

  • Westinghouse securing Dukovany bid a priority for US diplomacy
    02/16/2023

    One of the main priorities of US diplomacy in Czechia is to support Westinghouse in its bid to construct a new nuclear bloc at the Dukovany power station, US Ambassador Bijan Sabet announced at a briefing on Thursday.

    Earlier this week, the American company appointed a new President for the Czech Republic, Petr Brzezina, who is responsible for leading the effort to expand Czechia’s nuclear technology.

    Westinghouse is one of the three remaining contenders for the expansion of the power plant, along with France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP. The US company is also set to supply Czechia’s other nuclear power station, Temelín, with the relevant fuel, the Czech News Agency reports.
    Author: Thomas McEnchroe

  • US to provide Czechia with further USD 200 million in military funding
    02/16/2023

    The United States will provide a further USD 200 million to Czechia as part of foreign military cooperation aimed at modernising the Czech army and as partial compensation for the equipment provided to Ukraine, US Ambassador Bijan Sabet has announced.

    The sum follows an earlier promise by the US to provide Czechia with USD 106 million.
    Author: Thomas McEnchroe

  • Czech search team in Turkey finds 76 bodies
    02/16/2023

    A Czech urban search and rescue team working in Turkey has now pulled 76 bodies out of the rubble following a devastating earthquake in the country, a spokesperson for the Czech Fire Service said on Thursday.

    The group, which numbers 68, also found two people alive under collapsed buildings and helped another team find one person. They are set to return to Czechia on Friday, after wrapping up their mission in the city of Adiyaman on Thursday afternoon.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Senate passes resolution calling Russia threat to world peace
    02/16/2023

    The Czech Senate has passed a resolution describing Russia as a threat to world security. Parliament’s upper chamber made the statement on Wednesday evening in connection with next week’s first anniversary of the launch of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Senators also expressed support for the Czech government’s efforts to help create an international tribunal to try Russian war crimes, supply of military hardware to Ukraine and moves to increase Czechia’s own defence capabilities against a threat from Russia.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • New UK and US ambassadors officially assume office
    02/15/2023

    The recently appointed UK and US ambassadors to Czechia presented their credentials to President Miloš Zeman on Wednesday and can now officially serve. US Ambassador Bijan Sabet, who arrived in Prague at the end of January, is co-founder and general partner of Spark Capital, a venture capital firm. He is the first US ambassador to Czechia after a two-year period without one.

    Matt Field, the new UK ambassador, previously served in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also worked at the British embassies in Brazil and Croatia, and was a political advisor to the EU’s special representative in Macedonia.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • New Prague government formed months after elections
    02/15/2023

    Prague representatives of the Together coalition, the Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents, signed a coalition deal on Wednesday, nearly five months after local elections were held in the city.

    Together – comprising the Civic Democrats, TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats – will hold five seats in the new administration. The Pirates will have four seats and the Mayors and Independents two.

    The new leadership will be appointed at a council meeting on Thursday. The Civic Democrats’ Bohuslav Svoboda, who is 79, is set to become Prague’s mayor.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman spokesman Ovčáček now ashamed of rhetoric

    02/15/2023

    The spokesman of the outgoing Czech president, Jiří Ovčáček, says he has sometimes used overly strong language in the post and is now ashamed of his actions. Speaking in an interview for the Spotlight series of video interviews, Mr. Ovčáček said he was aware that his language had often been inflammatory.

    The former journalist has served as spokesman for President Miloš Zeman since 2013, the year he was first inaugurated.

  • Czechia to send aid to Turkey as rescue team returns
    02/15/2023

    Czechia is set to send material aid to earthquake-hit Turkey on Friday, a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. It will supply health equipment, trauma sets and blankets for people who have lost their homes.

    A large Czech urban search and rescue team will return from Turkey on Friday. The specialised group saved two people trapped under collapsed buildings and helped another team find a survivor. They have also pulled 66 dead bodies out of the rubble.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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