News

All Czech soldiers killed in foreign missions now officially hold the status of war veterans, Czech Radio reported, citing Defense Ministry sources. Previously, about half of them lacked certification, as the title could not be granted in memoriam. The Czech Republic has lost 30 service members—29 men and one woman—during missions in the Middle East and the Balkans. Under the amended Veterans Act, effective since September, veteran status can now be awarded posthumously, with applications allowed from relatives or veteran associations.

The chemical plant Spolana Neratovice and the Počerady coal power plant have been named among the Czech Republic’s largest polluters, in an annual report published by the environmental group Arnika. The ranking, based on data from the national Integrated Pollution Register (IRZ), shows both facilities among the top emitters of hazardous substances. Company representatives maintain that their operations comply with legal and permit limits. Arnika reported that overall emissions of harmful substances in the Czech Republic are gradually declining largely thanks to tighter emission limits and stricter environmental laws.

Kateřina Konečná, leader of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), has publicly spoken for the first time about living with multiple sclerosis for twenty years. In an interview for Rytmus života she said the diagnosis came at the very start of her political career, when she was first elected to the Czech Parliament. Konečná described her condition as stabilized, but occasionally symptomatic. She went on to serve in the European Parliament and later became party leader. After the party’s defeat in October’s general elections, she offered her resignation. An election party conference will be held in December.

Czech hockey legend Jaromír Jágr, now 53, has entered his 38th professional season but says he is not yet thinking about retirement. Speaking at the launch of his autobiography Já68, the Kladno native admitted, however, that the end of his playing days is approaching. Jágr said he still loves training and the game itself, but the physical preparation and recovery take their toll. “When you look at it realistically, it doesn’t quite add up. So I go day by day,” he said. Having recently recovered from back problems, Jágr hopes to regain form and help his team, though he concedes he could “one day just say: that’s it.”