News

The Czech Republic’s draft state budget for 2027 does not include any funding for Radio Prague International, the news outlet Seznam Zprávy reported on Tuesday. In a chapter outlining the specific budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which funds the station, no money is allocated for international radio broadcasting.

The minister of foreign affairs, Petr Macinka, cut Radio Prague International’s budget by one-quarter this year and had said it would not receive any state backing in 2027.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later told Seznam Zprávy that it had based its calculations on an expected change in the law – and if this legislation was not enacted by the end of 2026 it would cover expenditures for international broadcasting. The legal change evidently refers to an overhaul of the financing of public broadcasters.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Czech Radio, of which RPI is part, said that the station was confident it would be able to reverse the plan to cut funding, and that talks on the matter were at an early stage.

Coalition member Freedom and Direct Democracy did not commit incitement to hatred or any other offence with controversial pre-election posters, the Prague Municipal Court ruled on Tuesday. The verdict upholds an appeal by the party and overturns a previous verdict, under which it was ordered to pay a fine of CZK 3 million.

The case centred on two 2024 Freedom and Direct Democracy election posters, one depicting a Black man holding a bloodied knife and the line “Shortages in healthcare will not be solved by ‘surgeons’ imported from abroad”.

The other proclaimed that only families who sent their children to school would receive state support – and suggested Roma families did not do so.

The party’s leader, Tomio Okamura, also faces charges in connection with the matter. However, MPs refused to lift his parliamentary immunity, meaning the justice system will deal with the cases separately.

Jakub Menšík, Dalibor Svrčina and Kateřina Siniaková became the latest Czech players to advance to the second round of tennis’s US Open. Menšík, who is seeded 17th, overcame Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1 6-4 7-5. Svrčina beat France’s Valentin Royer 6-4 6-3 5-7 5-7 6-2 in a match lasting over four hours. And Siniaková defeated Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 6-2.

Wimbledon winner Linda Nosková had earlier reached the second round at Flushing Meadows after fighting back from 2-5 down in the first set to beat Katie Volynets of the US in two sets.

Motorists chairman and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said on Tuesday morning that his party is unhappy with the proposed CZK 389 billion state budget deficit for next year. The Motorists will discuss the issue with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Thursday.

Speaking ahead of his departure for Slovakia for a meeting of the Visegrad Four foreign ministers, Macinka said he believes the final deficit will be lower than the proposed figure, which he described as very high. The government is due to approve the final budget at the end of September.

The proposed deficit would be the second-largest in Czech history. The CZK 389 billion figure is the maximum allowed under EU budget rules, while this year’s planned deficit is CZK 310 billion.