• 06/09/2024

    The Prague police have stepped up security after detaining a South American man on Saturday evening who is suspected of having been hired by Russia to carry out an arson attack on Czech territory.

    Police had been looking for the man since Thursday after he poured gasoline on some buses in the Prague 9 district and attempted unsuccessfully to set them on fire. The man fled the scene and the police spent two days searching for him, even calling on the public on Friday to help with the search. They eventually found and arrested the suspect on Saturday.

    According to news site Deník N, security forces were already on high alert due to a series of mysterious arson attacks on infrastructure in Germany and the Baltic states that have occurred in recent months and therefore immediately suspected that this attack could be linked to these other similar cases. After checking the suspect's mobile phone, they discovered the man was a member of a Telegram group in which arson attacks were being discussed. The Czech secret service suspects Russia of being behind the attempted attack and are now investigating the case.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/09/2024

    Several infectious diseases, including diphtheria, measles, and mpox, have increased year-on-year in Czechia, the State Health Institute reports. Tick-borne diseases and whooping cough also saw an increase in the first five months of this year compared to last. Conversely, there were fewer cases of scabies and salmonella.

    The Ministry of Health plans to comment on the spread of measles at a press conference on Monday. Czechia lost the status of a measles-free country in 2019 after the number of annual cases rose to almost 600. The target for vaccination against measles to prevent it from spreading within a population is 95 percent - a target that Czechia has not achieved in several years, despite vaccination against the disease being mandatory for children.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/09/2024

    Czech tennis player Kateřina Siniaková won her eighth Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open on Sunday afternoon. She and her doubles partner, the US player Cori "Coco" Gauff, beat the Italian duo Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 7:6, 6:3 on clay in the Roland-Garros final in Paris.

    This is the third time Siniaková has won a doubles title at the French Open, previously winning with her usual doubles partner and fellow Czech, Barbora Krejčíková, in 2018 and 2021.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/09/2024

    The Czech Philharmonic opened the 66th edition of the Smetana Litomyšl classical music festival on Saturday evening in front of a packed festival hall with an excerpt of music from Smetana's opera Libuše and the Czech national anthem. Several other compositions by Bedřich Smetana were also performed during the course of the evening, including the overture to the opera The Bartered Bride, the Festive Overture in D major, and the symphonic poem Hakon Jarl. The concert ended with the symphonic poem Vltava from the cycle Má vlast (My Homeland). Violinist Jan Mráček and pianist Ivo Kahánek performed with the orchestra, which was conducted by Jakub Hrůš. Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife were among the audience.

    The festival proper started on Sunday morning and will continue until July 7. The 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth passed this year.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    The National Heritage Institute concluded the first stage of its restoration of Litomyšl Castle on Saturday, which included repairing roofs, chimneys and windows and restoring some of the original historical interiors on the second and third floors of the castle. The extensive building works lasted about a year and a half and cost 265 million crowns.

    This stage of the renovation works was partially paid for with an EU subsidy of CZK 207 million. The next stage, which will involve restoring other castle interiors, facades and the nearby Manor House, will be paid for with national funds. The castle will now remain open all year round.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    Sunday is expected to be overcast and rainy, with daytime temperatures ranging between 17 and 22 degrees Celsius.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    Fierce storms are predicted to hit most of Czechia on Saturday evening and night, with strong winds, hail, and, in Moravia and Silesia, torrential rainfall. The only exception is the northwestern part of the country, which should escape the bad weather.

    The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has issued a warning, to remain in force until 3 am on Sunday morning, that the storms may uproot trees and cause flooding, property damage, power outages and traffic jams. The institute recommends securing windows and doors and driving with caution.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    Polling stations at around 14,800 locations across Czechia closed at 2 pm on Saturday after two days of voting in the European Parliament elections. The official results will be announced on Sunday night, June 9, after voting ends in all EU member states. Czechs were able to cast their ballots either on Friday between 2 pm and 10 pm or on Saturday between 8 am and 2 pm. Czechia is the only EU country where voting is possible over the course of two days.

    Some 674 candidates from 30 parties and coalitions ran for the country’s 21 seats in the assembly. Voter turnout was higher than usual for Czechia in European elections, and higher than it was at the last Euro elections five years ago. At many polling stations, turnout exceeded 30 percent, and at some locations in Prague, it even exceeded 40 percent.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    Czechia could train as many as 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory this year, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said in an interview with the Czech News Agency. Unlike some countries which, according to media reports, are considering sending instructors to train soldiers directly in Ukraine as part of an approach initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, Czechia does not plan to do the same, she said, given the geographical proximity of the military training area in Libavá near Olomouc to Ukraine itself.

    In the same interview, she also said that more countries are continuing to express interest in the Czech munitions initiative for Ukraine, in addition to the 15 EU and NATO countries that have so far contributed over 1.6 billion euros, and that she expects the NATO summit in Washington in July to be dominated by the topics of member states' obligations towards the alliance, such as spending at least two percent of GDP on defence, as well as the upcoming US presidential election.

    Author: Anna Fodor
  • 06/08/2024

    The second day of voting in the European Parliament elections began at around 14,800 locations across Czechia on Saturday. Polling stations opened again at 8 am after closing overnight on Friday at 10 pm. They will remain open until 2 pm, the same time that they opened on Friday. Czechia is the only EU country where voting is possible over the course of two days.

    Some 674 candidates from 30 parties and coalitions are running for the country’s 21 seats in the assembly. The official results will be announced on Sunday night, June 9, after voting ends in all EU member states.

    Author: Anna Fodor

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