• 05/30/2024

    Germany plans to abolish the fee it charges some EU countries, including Czechia, for the transit of natural gas through its territory, State Secretary for Economic Affairs Sven Giegold said on Thursday. He also said the earliest possible date for abolishing the fee is the beginning of 2025, as it requires a change in the legislation.

    Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela has praised the decision, adding that it will contribute to strengthening the energy security of Central Europe. Earlier this year, Mr. Síkela filed a protest at the European Commission against the German transit fee on behalf of Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary, arguing that it undermined efforts to cut Europe’s dependency on Russian gas.

    The fee was introduced by Germany in autumn 2022 and is intended to cover the cost of storing gas in storage facilities.

    Author: Ruth Fraňková
  • 05/30/2024

    The Czech Senate has approved a legislative change under which rape will be defined as non-consensual sex, rather than the current forcible sex. Sixty-three of 68 lawmakers present in the upper house voted for the bill enshrining a “no means no” definition of rape, which was passed by MPs in April, in a session on Wednesday evening.

    The amendment also has another plank: Sexual acts with minors under the age of 12 will now carry an automatic charge of rape or sexual assault, instead of the hitherto charge of sexual abuse.

    The legislation will come into effect after being signed by the president.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/30/2024

    A two-day informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers is taking place in Prague on Thursday and Friday. The main focus of the gathering, which comes ahead of a NATO summit in Washington in July, is the war in Ukraine.

    A number of bilateral meetings are taking place on the sidelines of the event, including talks between senior Czech politicians and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken.

    The biggest NATO event in Czechia in over two decades is taking place on the 25th anniversary of Czech accession and the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the alliance.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    Some 44 percent of Czechs have made payments using a mobile phone, according to a survey carried out by Mastercard and cited by the Czech News Agency. Five years ago less than half that number, 19 percent, had experience of paying with their phones.

    Smart watches are also being used more to make purchases, with 15 percent of respondents in the study saying they had done so.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    Prime Minister Petr Fiala has presented the Czech national hockey team with the Karel Kramář Commemorative Medal, days after they won the Ice Hockey World Championships in Prague. In a short address at a ceremony on Wednesday at his official residence, the Kramář Villa, Mr. Fiala told the players that they had boosted national pride and brought hope and pleasure to the country.

    The squad presented the PM with a jersey of Czech team captain Roman Červenka signed by all of them.

    The Karel Kramář Commemorative Medal is named after the country’s first prime minister and is the highest honour the Czech PM can bestow.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    The Czech Senate has approved a bill making it easier for dentists from non-EU states to work in Czechia. Under the legislation, which was fast-tracked through the lower house, dentists from outside the bloc will be allowed to work under the supervision of another dentist who meets certain criteria.

    The move comes in response to a shortage of professionals in the field, though the Czech Chamber of Dentists has questioned the scheme.

    The bill will now go to the president for signature.

    The director of one hospital told the Czech News Agency that 1.8 million people in Czechia, which has a population of 10.7 million, do not have access to a dentist at present.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    Security staff at the Czech Chamber of Deputies found traces of cocaine in the men’s toilets at the lower house in January of last year, the news outlet Seznam Zprávy reported on Wednesday.

    No action was taken in view of the fact the amount of the drug discovered was very small, a spokesperson for the security service said.

    The cocaine was discovered after a session of the lower house that ran late due to filibustering by opposition politicians.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    The owner of Britain’s Royal Mail has agreed to a GBP 3.57 billion takeover by the Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský, it said on Wednesday. The Royal Mail is one of the oldest postal services in the world.

    The deal still has to be approved by shareholders of parent company International Distribution Services in September and could still be blocked by the UK government.

    Mr. Křetínský is the owner of energy company EPH and Czech News Center, publisher of the tabloid Blesk. He also owns Sparta Prague football club and is major shareholder of English club West Ham United.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Thursday, with an average high temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Rain is expected on the following days.

    Author: Ian Willoughby
  • 05/29/2024

    Teaching about the history and nature of the LGBT+ community will not be compulsory for schools in Czechia, although it has been recommended by the Ministry of Education, the Association for the Didactics of History said in reaction to a heated public debate on the issue among parents. Education Minister Mikuláš Bek advised schools to include it in the curriculum as an essential part of the development of human rights. There has been some controversy as to whether the topic should be covered in history classes. The head of the Association of Primary School Principals, Luboš Zajic, said the topic should appear in the curriculum, but admitted that it would be a challenge for teachers.

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