News

Czech-born German politician Petr Bystroň from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party received money from a Russian influence network in Prague, the Czech news outlet Denik N and Germany’s Der Spiegel reported.

The information came from the Czech counterintelligence service, known by the acronym BIS, which said on Wednesday that it had broken up a Russian group seeking to influence European elections and spread anti-Ukraine propaganda.

Two individuals, including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, were placed on Czechia’s sanctions list, meaning their assets were frozen.

President Petr Pavel on Thursday mediated talks between the ruling parties and the opposition on the government’s pension reform plans so as to try to pave the ground for a broad consensus. He said the talks had been constructive and the two sides were in agreement that a pension reform is inevitable and that the retirement age will have to be gradually increased. The debate on how pensions should be calculated and the possibility of early retirement for people working in hazardous professions remains open. President Pavel entered the dispute as a mediator after the opposition slammed the government’s proposals as asocial and said they would cancel some of the measures if they win the 2025 elections.

Former president Miloš Zeman (79) who is recovering at Prague’s Motol Hospital after undergoing surgery to deal with a blood clot in his leg is reported to be improving. Doctors say Mr. Zeman is recovering as well as can be expected and is rehabilitating, although his condition remains serious due to the risk of further blood clots. His condition is linked to diabetes. A hospital spokesperson said it is not clear for how long Zeman will need to be hospitalized.

Rail traffic between Prague’s main railway station and Libeň was disrupted for close to an hour late on Wednesday afternoon by a group of youngsters who were throwing stones at passing trains. Fortunately they did not cause any significant damage and fled the scene when someone alerted the police. Traffic was fully restored at 6pm. Police are still looking for the culprits. There have been previous incidents of teenagers throwing stones or objects from bridges at cars passing below them.