• 07/11/2024

    The Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Amir Ohana, came to Prague on Thursday to discuss the current situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip with some of Czechia's top politicians, including the prime minister. Meanwhile, several activist groups, including the Jewish Voice of Solidarity, protested against Ohana's visit, saying in an open letter that by receiving the speaker of the Israeli parliament, the Czech state was expressing support for Israel's war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

    Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who met with Mr Ohana in the late afternoon, wrote on social media site X afterwards that they talked about the need to remove Hamas as the ruling force in Gaza. Mr Fiala expressed the opinion that peace could only be achieved without the presence of terrorists. The government office added that the pair also discussed defence and industry cooperation between their two countries.

    The Speaker of the lower house Markéta Pekarová Adamová said after her morning meeting with Ohana that it was important to keep reminding people of what Hamas did last October because it seems people are starting to forget the "barbaric and brutal" origins of the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

    The Speaker of the upper house Miloš Vystrčil, who met with Mr Ohana in the Senate in the early afternoon, said afterwards that assurances were given that Israel is doing everything possible to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and that the country is complying with international law. When asked about some other countries' reservations regarding Israel's actions, Mr Vystrčil said they talked both about the fact that Czechia will continue supporting Israel and also, "as true friends", about what actions could potentially weaken that support. They also discussed Israel's plans in the Gaza Strip, but according to the house speaker, it is impossible to say how long it will take to find a way out of the conflict as the mood in the region is not conducive to finding a solution soon.

    Ohana praised Czechia's unconditional support for Israel and said the country was standing "on the right side of history." He added that Czechia had shown what real friendship between countries looked like through its words and actions.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 07/11/2024

    Czechia experienced the hottest day of the year on Wednesday. A third of the measuring stations that have been keeping records for more than 30 years saw their warmest temperatures for the day. The highest temperature, 36.1 degrees Celsius, was measured in the South Moravian town of Strážnice.

    The heat was replaced by strong thunderstorms with hail in the afternoon, which caused flash floods and complicated traffic around the country.  By Thursday morning, fire officers have responded to around 950 calls, clearing roads, removing fallen trees and pumping water from cellars.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/11/2024

    Czech President Petr Pavel held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday. They discussed, among other things, the implementation of President Zelensky's peace plan, the current situation on the battlefield, the Czech munitions initiative, as well as the launch of accession negotiations on EU accession.

    The meeting was also attended by other members of the Czech delegation, including Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Defence Minister Jana Černochová and Chief of General Staff Karel Řehka.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    Czech tennis player Barbora Krejčíková has reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon after overcoming Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the round of 6-4, 7-6 on Wednesday. The Czech, ranked 31st, will now face Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan for a place in Saturday’s finals.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    Thursday will be mostly overcast with rain and storms. Day temperatures are expected to range between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius.

  • 07/10/2024

    Czech car-maker Škoda increased its global sales by 2.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of this year to 228,100 vehicles, the parent company Volkswagen announced on Wednesday. Sales for the entire Volkswagen Group fell 3.8 percent year-on-year to 2.243 million vehicles in the second quarter.

    Škoda’s best-selling battery electric car was the Enyaq. The carmaker delivered 29,400 units of this model globally. It is also the fourth best-selling electric vehicle in the entire Volkswagen Group.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    Air traffic over Czech territory still hasn’t reached pre-Covid levels, according to newly published figures by the Czech Air Traffic Control services provider. The number of take-offs, landings, and flyover flights currently reaches 93 percent of the figure recorded in 2019, while the European average is 99 percent.

    According to a spokesperson for Czech Air Traffic Control, the intensity of Czech air traffic is not expected to increase significantly in the near future due to the lack of aircraft. He also says Czechia is lagging behind due to changes in aircraft routes in connection with the war in Ukraine.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    The Senate on Wednesady approved an amendment to the act on social and legal protection of children that should increase the number of foster parents in Czechia.

    The new legislation simplifies the process of assessing those interested in fostering and increases the state contribution for organisations that help foster parents.

    The bill, which is linked to the imminent abolition of infant care facilities for children under the age of three, will still need to be signed by the president before coming into law.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    Year-on-year inflation in Czechia slowed to two percent in June, down from 2.6 percent in May, according to figures released by the Czech Statistics Office on Wednesday. Month-on-month, prices fell by 0.3 percent. June's development was mainly influenced by lower growth in fuel prices and cheaper holidays and food.

    Czechia improved significantly in the European inflation rankings in June. It had the 11th lowest inflation of the 41 countries surveyed, while in May it had the 23rd highest inflation, according to an analysis by investment platform Portu.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 07/10/2024

    A new opinion poll by the Median agency suggests that ANO would receive 33 percent of the votes in a general election held in May. The Civic Democrats would come second with 14.5 percent, and the Pirates would be third with 10 percent voter support, the survey indicates.

    Some 8.5 percent of respondents in the Median poll said they would back the Mayors and Independents and 7.5 percent would support the anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy party, a month-on-month drop by 2.5 percent. The TOP 09 party placed fifth on 5.5 percent.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková

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