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Fewer people will qualify for subsidies under the popular “New Green Savings” programme, the Czech News Agency reported. Direct contributions for home insulation or solar panel installations will now be available only to low-income households. Others will be able to use interest-free loans instead. Environment Minister Igor Červený (Motoristé sobě) announced the changes at a press conference on Monday.

Currently, applicants can receive subsidies covering up to 50 percent of ecological renovations. Under the new system, households will instead take out bank loans and the state will cover the interest.

The revised programme will launch at the turn of April and May. Owners of family houses used for permanent residence, housing cooperatives and homeowners’ associations will be able to apply.

Loans will be available for both complete renovations and partial reconstruction projects.

The Czech Republic recorded a foreign trade surplus of CZK 19.3 billion in January, up by CZK 1.5 billion year-on-year, the Czech Statistics Office said on its website.

The improved balance was mainly driven by a smaller deficit in trade in oil and natural gas, as well as a higher surplus in machinery and equipment.

Both imports and exports declined year-on-year in most commodity groups in January, according to the report. The value of exports of computers, electronic and optical instruments fell the most, by seven percent. By contrast, the value of their imports rose the most among all commodity groups, increasing by almost 17 percent.

The Czech government has repatriated more than 1,500 citizens stranded in the Middle East due to the ongoing armed conflict, the Foreign Ministry announced on X on Monday. Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said on Sunday that only small groups of Czech nationals remain in areas affected by the conflict. Another government repatriation flight will depart this evening, this time heading to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The largest number of travelers returning to the Czech Republic was transported by the airline Smartwings. Through scheduled flights, charter services for travel agencies, and four flights chartered by the government, the airline brought around 4,000 passengers back to Prague, company spokesperson Vladimíra Dufková told the Czech News Agency.

Czech and Ukrainian police last autumn dismantled an organised group that defrauded Czechs through fake investment schemes. Investigators have since uncovered over 460 victims, with documented damages now reaching 158 million crowns, Czech Radio reported.

The operation, code-named Octopus, involved police from several countries. During raids in Kyiv, officers detained 17 people, found 33 million crowns in various currencies during house searches and seized a large amount of electronic equipment. They also obtained personal data belonging to victims.

The group, based in Kyiv, used two main methods: fake websites resembling legitimate investment platforms, and paid advertisements combined with fabricated reviews promising high returns.