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President Petr Pavel discussed primarily economic cooperation with his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei. They also talked about the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Pavel told Czech journalists. Earlier today in Buenos Aires, representatives of both countries signed an agreement to avoid double taxation, which, according to Pavel, will significantly facilitate the operations of Czech companies in Argentina and vice versa.

According to Pavel, despite the geographical distance, the Czech Republic and Argentina have very similar positions in assessing the international situation, whether it concerns their alliance with the United States or the condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine and support for the attacked country.

In the economic sphere, the presidents mainly discussed cooperation between specific companies.

Czech Television (ČT) will not be able to meet its obligations next year if its budget is set at the level presented today by Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř (Motorists party). This was stated by its director, Hynek Chudárek. He expects that the broadcaster will have to reduce original production and also lay off employees. Next year, Czech Television is expected to receive 5.74 billion CZK from the state budget, while this year it expects to collect 6.73 billion CZK from licence fee payers.

Chudárek emphasized that the proposed budget does not correspond to what was discussed with Klempíř at Friday’s meeting. “The agreement was that a working group would be created, including experts from Czech Television, Czech Radio, and the Ministry of Culture, and that we would jointly review and address the entire proposal,” he said.

Petr Macinka would like to reopen the discussion on moving the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Czech foreign minister said this at a press conference following today’s meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar. However, Macinka also noted that the decision does not depend solely on him, but on the entire government and governing coalition.

Macinka said he regrets that the discussion on the topic has faded. “We should reopen this issue,” he said, adding that he will try to do so. “If you are asking me about a date, I cannot tell you that,” he added. “It does not depend only on me, I am just the foreign minister,” he said, stressing that the government must make the decision.

According to Macinka, the move would not be purely symbolic, but would also have a practical advantage. The Israeli government, parliament, and president are all based in Jerusalem.

The number of cybercrime cases increased by 37% year-on-year in March. Investigators recorded a record 2,533 cases for the month, Police Presidium spokesperson Ondřej Moravčík told ČTK today.

For internet users, the highest risk comes from scammers posing as bank employees or police officers. Since the beginning of the year, they have caused damage amounting to 322 million CZK. The most frequent victims are women, with an average age of 46. Perpetrators most often target victims via mobile phones, the police said on the social network X.

“We are facing a grim record. This March is the worst month in history in terms of cybercrime,” the presidium said. “At this pace, we will reach last year’s figures already by mid-October,” police added on X.