News

As Czech Radio reported, police in Rokycany (West Bohemia) are investigating two 17-year-old students who wore Ku Klux Klan costumes at a school Halloween event, raising questions about whether the incident was an innocent  prank or a criminal offence. The students won first prize in a costume contest, with neither teachers nor classmates initially objecting. The case is being examined as a possible display of sympathy for a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years. Experts say the key issue will be whether the students understood the meaning of the symbols they used, while guidelines suggest such situations should primarily be addressed through education.

Prague, Calgary and Edmonton will be the host cities for the 2028 Hockey World Cup, which will take place after a 12-year break, the NHL, which organizes the competition, announced on its website.

Prague’s O2 Arena will host six group-stage games and one playoff match.

Tomáš Petera, owner of the Perinvest group that will organize the event in the Czech Republic for the first time ever, welcomed the news, saying that he sees the tournament as an opportunity to confirm the Czech Republic’s position as one of Europe’s centers for hosting major sporting events.

“We expect strong international interest, high attendance and a significant economic impact on the Czech Republic,” he said.

Petera has previously been involved in organizing NHL games in Prague.

President Petr Pavel will neither veto nor delay signing this year’s state budget, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO) told journalists after meeting with the head of state on Monday.

She said the exact date of the signing is expected to be announced after Tuesday’s meeting between the president and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO).

The government has proposed a budget with a deficit of 310 billion crowns for this year.

Schillerová said the discussion with the president focused laregely on defence spending, which President Pavel considers insufficient.

According to the draft budget, defence spending should reach 2.1 percent of GDP. The National Budget Council has warned, however, that spending by the Defence Ministry will amount to 1.73 percent of GDP, with the remainder included in other budget chapters. The government counts some transport infrastructure spending among defence expenditures. According to the council, it is not certain whether the North Atlantic Alliance will recognize those expenditures as defence spending.

The Czech Republic plans to support an Italian proposal to suspend the application of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS 1) covering energy, heavy industry and aviation, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said after a government meeting on Monday. The issue is expected to dominate a meeting of the European Council, due to take place in Brussels on March 19–20.

Babiš also wants to propose a price cap and the exclusion of energy-intensive sectors from the system. He added that the Czech Republic would work with other countries to push through what he described as the only effective way to help European industry, especially in view of the impacts of the ongoing Middle East crisis.