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Analytical chemist Jiří Zima has been elected the new rector of Charles University, defeating incumbent Milena Králíčková in the second round of voting. Zima received 40 votes to Králíčková’s 27 from the university’s 70-member Academic Senate. His four-year term will begin in February 2026, pending appointment by President Petr Pavel. Zima, 69 years old, served as dean of the Faculty of Science from 2016 to 2024 and is active in several academic and professional organizations. He said he aims to be “a rector for everyone,” focusing on transparency, digitalization, infrastructure investment, and improved conditions for students and faculties.

No metro trains will run between Florenc and Vysočanská in Prague this weekend due to ongoing repairs at the Českomoravská station. Passengers can use replacement tram line XB or regular lines 3, 8 and 12. Trains will operate on a single track between Černý Most and Vysočanská, with transfers required at Hloubětín. On Sunday, November 2, surface transport will be reinforced for visitors to the ice hockey game at the O2 Arena, with trams running every three minutes and extra bus service from Vysočanská every 7.5 minutes. The station’s reconstruction has been extended due to structural issues.

The Academic Senate of Charles University elects a new rector on Friday, choosing from five candidates. Incumbent rector and chair of the Czech Rectors Conference Milena Králíčková, who has led the university since 2022, is seeking re-election. Other contenders include analytical chemist and long-time dean of the Faculty of Science Jiří Zima, current vice-rector for research and creative activities Ladislav Krištoufek, kinanthropologist František Zahálka, and geochemist Martin Mihaljevič. The election is secret, and the winner must gain a majority of the 70-member senate. If no one succeeds in the first round, additional rounds will follow. The new rector’s four-year term will begin in February 2026 after being formally appointed by President Petr Pavel. Charles University, the country’s oldest and largest institution of higher learning, has 17 faculties and over 50,000 students.

Dozens of people gathered on the terrace of Prague’s National Museum on Thursday evening, calling for the return of the Ukrainian flag to the front of its historic building.

At the event Bring the Flag Back to the Museum!, organized by the group Kaputin, activists raised a blue-and-yellow flag on a metal frame and attached another to the terrace railing.

Speakers criticized museum director Michal Lukeš and Culture Minister Martin Baxa for removing the flag.

The flag had hung on the museum’s facade since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a symbol of solidarity. It was taken down this summer to promote an exhibition, and the space now holds another banner.