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A new political movement led by South Bohemian governor Martin Kuba says it wants to rise above the traditional clash between conservative and liberal politics and focus on moving Czechia forward. Kuba unveiled the name and logo of the movement, called Naše Česko (Our Czechia), in Prague, saying it would operate nationwide after registration and target the next parliamentary elections.

Kuba, who left the Civic Democrats (ODS) last year after more than two decades, said the movement would be centre-right, support Czechia’s anchoring in Euro-Atlantic structures and stress national self-confidence. He rejected speculation about cooperation with the ANO movement led by Andrej Babiš, saying his goal was to govern independently rather than as a junior coalition partner.

Czech employees are more cautious than employers when it comes to introducing artificial intelligence in companies, and more sceptical about using it in their own work than colleagues abroad. This follows from the international Workmonitor 2026 survey by the HR company Randstad. While 47% of Czech employees believe AI will affect more than half of work tasks in the near future, the share among employers is 70%. A third of employees think AI will mainly benefit companies, not workers. Only 46% say AI helps them work more efficiently, compared with a 62% international average. The survey covered 35 countries and involved 27,000 employees.

Freezing rain and black ice have been complicating transport across several regions of Czechia, particularly in South Moravia, Vysočina, Central Bohemia and the Pardubice region. Roads are passable only with extreme caution in many areas, while some local and regional bus services have been suspended because roads are temporarily impassable. Road maintenance crews have been spreading salt and brine overnight, but freezing drizzle, fog and sub-zero temperatures continue to cause hazardous conditions. Police have reported multiple traffic accidents, mostly without injuries. Meteorologists have issued warnings for black ice and heavy icing, with risks including fallen trees, power outages and further transport disruptions in the coming days.

The Chamber of Deputies is due to begin debating  a no-confidence motion in the Babiš administration tabled by the opposition parties. The no-confidence vote, initiated just two weeks after ruling party lawmakers approved the government in a 108-91 vote, was called over mounting pressure on President Pavel from a member of the cabinet that the head of state said “amounted to blackmail”. The prime minister’s refusal to sack Foreign Minister Macinka over the incident or apologize for what the opposition described as “mafia-style practices” led the opposition to initiate the vote, although it is almost certain to fail. The opposition only has 92 seats in the 200-strong lower house and would need 101 votes to bring down the government.

Paradoxically, Foreign Minister Macinka, who is at the centre of the scandal, will not be present for the vote since he is on a working visit to the United States.