News

Some 608 new cases of whooping cough were registered in Czechia in the past week, the State Health Institute said in a press release. There have been 2,273 cases since the start of this year, mostly in the South Bohemian, Central Bohemian, and Vysočina regions. Since compulsory vaccination against it was introduced in the 1960s, the only year that has seen a larger number of whooping cough cases was 2014, when there were over 2,500 cases registered for the whole year.

The man accused of starting the largest forest fire ever seen in Czechia could soon be heading to court, Seznam Zprávy reported on Monday. The former volunteer security guard, who has been in custody since last May, could face up to 15 years in prison for general endangerment and damage to another's property. He stands accused of starting the massive forest fire which broke out in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the summer of 2022 and ravaged over 1,000 hectares, as well as setting fire to an observation tower and outside seating areas in Děčín last April.

The public prosecutor first filed charges against him last autumn, but the court returned the case to the plaintiff with a request to specify the amount of damage caused. The indictment has now been filed for a second time, with an estimated damage of CZK 350 million.

Several Czech universities received an email on Monday morning from an anonymous blackmailer who threatened another mass shooting unless he was paid a sum of money. The location where the shooting was supposed to take place was not specified. A total of 6 universities received the email.

The police have said they are looking for the perpetrator but that there is no immediate danger and the evacuation of Charles University buildings is not necessary at present.

Former US President Bill Clinton, who arrived in Prague on Saturday evening for a security conference later in the week, spent an informal evening at Reduta Jazz Club on Sunday, the same club he went to with Václav Havel in 1994 and made famous by playing an impromptu performance on the saxophone. This time he was accompanied by the current Czech president, Petr Pavel. The foreign and interior ministers, Jan Lipavský and Vít Rakušan, were also in attendance, as well as the former First Lady, Václav Havel's second wife Dagmar Havlová, and the speaker of the lower house, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

On Monday, Clinton is due to meet with Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the prime minister's official Prague residence, Kramář's Villa. On Tuesday he will be speaking at the conference 'Our Security Cannot Be Taken For Granted' at Prague Castle, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic joining NATO.