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World War II veteran and retired lieutenant general Miloslav Masopust has died at the age of 101, the Defence Ministry announced. Born in 1924, Masopust fought on the eastern front as a member of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the Soviet Union. He took part in the battles of the Dukla Pass and the Slovak National Uprising. After the war, he remained in the army, serving for decades in senior artillery and missile command posts. He retired from active duty in 1980 and was later promoted to lieutenant general in retirement. In 2020, president Miloš Zeman awarded him the Order of the White Lion for exceptional service.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the ANO party leader heading a coalition with the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and the Motorists' party, said he will present the Motorists’ nominee Filip Turek for environment minister to President Petr Pavel at a meeting at Prague Castle on Wednesday. Coalition leaders agreed on the move at a meeting of the coalition council. Babiš has said Turek should be given a chance to convince the public he wants to atone for past conduct and remarks. The Motorists insist on the nomination. The president’s office reiterated that Pavel’s position remains unchanged, noting he previously expected Babiš not to submit the nomination and indicated he might refuse to appoint Turek, an exceptional step.

Cases of hepatitis A in Czechia surged last year, with 3,255 people infected – around five times more than in the previous year, according to data from the State Health Institute. Health Ministry figures show this is the highest number recorded since 1984. The institute also reported increases in other infectious diseases. Last year saw the highest figures in a decade for scabies, shingles, blood poisoning and Lyme disease. Cases of measles and tick-borne encephalitis also rose. By contrast, whooping cough dropped sharply year-on-year, falling to less than a tenth of the previous level.

Radim Fiala, a deputy leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, is standing by his remarks questioning Russia’s role in the 2014 explosions at the Vrbětice ammunition depots. He said it was up to investigators, courts and the intelligence service to convince him otherwise. Ministers from ANO disagree with Fiala’s claims. ANO party leader and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš previously said there was well-founded suspicion that Russian military intelligence was behind the attack. Education Minister Robert Plaga said the evidence presented by police and the Security Information Service had been clear. Two people were killed in the explosions at Vrbětice, which Czech authorities later linked to officers of Russia’s GRU.