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Although harmful emissions from road transport in the Czech Republic are above the European average, the number of inspections targeting visibly smoking vehicles has declined. The Road Transport Inspection Authority carried out 165 emissions measurements between last July and this March, compared with more than 500 in the previous year.

“The inspection authority cannot replace the role of emissions testing stations, which provide broad and regular vehicle checks. Our task is to strengthen safety and fair conditions in road transport,” said the head of the inspection division, Pavel Bergman.

He emphasized that inspectors still check vehicles that draw attention, for example due to visible smoke emissions. “However, this is not a substitute for regular technical inspections,” he added.

Out of the 165 measurements conducted, the inspection authority found violations in 38 vehicles — nearly one quarter of the total.

The President of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, Josef Baxa, warned today against signs of authoritarianism during a memorial ceremony in Terezín. He compared the current atmosphere in society to the period before the rise of Nazism. He urged people not to remain indifferent and to defend fundamental values and institutions. The commemorative event marking the 81st anniversary of the end of the Second World War was also attended by President Petr Pavel, politicians, diplomats, and scouts.

“Today’s era painfully resembles the world ninety years ago. Gathering clouds,” Baxa said.

He called on the public to listen carefully to the statements of liars. According to him, they appear less obvious today than in the past: while they promise to establish order that will protect society, hidden between the lines of their statements is an attack on the fundamental values and institutions that safeguard it.

The coalition council will discuss the draft law on public service media on May 25. After reaching agreement within the coalition, the proposal will then be submitted to the government for consideration. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) announced this today in his Sunday video on social media. According to him, a public debate will also take place with the directors-general of Czech Television and Czech Radio about the planned changes.

Under the proposal, Czech Radio and Czech Television would no longer receive funding through licence fees paid by households and companies, but instead through a fixed amount from the state budget. According to the plan, Czech Television would operate next year with a budget of 5.74 billion Czech crowns, compared with 8.5 billion crowns this year. Czech Radio would receive 2.07 billion crowns from the state, around 400 million less than it currently receives from licence fees.

The proposal has been criticized by experts, the opposition, and the management of both media organizations. Critics describe it as a nationalization of public media and warn that it could limit their independence while further increasing state debt. Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio entered a state of strike alert on April 22, demanding that the government abandon the plan.

The success and advancement of the Czech national football team has increased demand for flight tickets to the host cities of the FIFA World Cup, namely Atlanta, Mexico City, and Guadalajara. There is also growing interest in special football travel packages. This follows statements from travel agencies and airlines contacted by ČTK.

According to them, fans are most frequently requesting trips to Mexico. The tournament will be hosted from June 11 by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Czech players will play their group stage matches in Guadalajara against South Korea, in Atlanta against South Africa, and in Mexico City against the home national team.

The rising demand is also reflected in increasing ticket prices. The Czech national team will appear at the World Cup for the first time in 20 years.