• Weather forecast
    04/02/2024

    Wednesday should be sunny in the morning, gradually getting cloudier throughout the day. There is a chance of some light showers in the afternoon and evening. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Warmest March recorded in Czechia since 1961
    04/02/2024

    This year's March was the warmest in Czechia since 1961, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute revealed on social media site X on Tuesday. The average temperature for the month was 7 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees higher than the average between 1991 and 2020. This is the second month in a row to break a temperature record; February was also unusually warm with an average temperature of 5.7 degrees Celsius, 6.1 degrees higher than the long-term average between 1991 and 2020.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Germany to provide EUR 576 million for Czech shells-for-Ukraine plan
    04/02/2024

    Germany plans to contribute EUR 576 million to the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine from outside the EU, the German Ministry of Defence told Reuters on Tuesday. German Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had previously announced that Berlin would pay for 180,000 artillery shells, but the exact amount of money was not specified at the time.

    To date, around 20 countries have joined the Czech initiative to source hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery shells from outside NATO and the EU. Germany's share will account for around 40 percent of the initiative, the ministry said.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Report: Czechia not prepared for crises, extraordinary situations
    04/02/2024

    Czechia is not sufficiently prepared for crises and other extraordinary situations, says the Supreme Audit Office in an annual report for last year published on Tuesday.

    The auditors said that the responsible institutions underestimated many events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and did not draw lessons from them; in some cases such agencies took formal steps without substantial results.

    The Supreme Audit Office also said that it was likely that the state will repeat similar mistakes at critical moments; this could lead to significant damage and wasted funding and may endanger the health of the population.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Minimum wage to pass CZK 20,000 in 2025 as overhaul planned
    04/02/2024

    The minimum monthly wage in Czechia is set to pass the CZK 20,000 (EUR 790) mark next year, Czech Television reported. The government plans to link the minimum wage to the average salary and gradually push the two closer together until the minimum wage reaches 47 percent of the average one by the end of this decade, Czech TV said.

    At the same time, guaranteed salaries, which set minimum earnings for individual professions in the private sector, are to be discontinued. Both the opposition and the trade unions are opposed to this move.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Zeman must apologise to one-time advisor after losing appeal
    04/01/2024

    Former Czech president Miloš Zeman must apologise to a former advisor of his, Zdeněk Šarapatka. The news site Seznam Zprávy reported on Monday that Mr. Zeman had failed in an appeal to the Supreme Court against an earlier judgement.

    Mr. Šarapatka had previously filed an execution petition against Mr. Zeman after he failed to follow a court order to apologise within the set time limit set for falsely claiming that he had fired his one-time adviser for the Office of the Government for incompetence.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Sahara sand smog alert removed in most parts of Czechia
    04/01/2024

    A smog alert over much of Czechia caused by sand from the Sahara desert has been ended in most places. It only remained in place in the Ústí nad Labem and Moravian Silesian regions and Brno on Monday afternoon.

    The sand, which arrived over the country on Saturday, caused a considerable rise in the concentration of dust particles in the air. Alerts were declared for the whole of Bohemia and many parts of Moravia.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Over 400 Czech artists call on government to push for Gaza ceasefire
    04/01/2024

    Over 400 Czech artists have now signed an open letter to the Czech government and president calling on them to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. The group, which includes singer Tomáš Klus, singer-actor Vojtěch Dyk and actress Tatiana Dyková, have aligned themselves with the US group Artists4Ceasefire. Members unveiled a banner reading Artists For Ceasefire at the Anděl music industry awards in Prague on Saturday night.

    Czechia has been a staunch supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas since a terror attack by the latter in early October.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Sparta stay top of football league after win at České Budějovice
    04/01/2024

    Sparta Prague continue to lead the Czech football league following the first league round after an international break.

    The defending champions beat České Budějovice 1:0 away through a goal from Veljko Birmančevič on Sunday to maintain their one-point lead over traditional rivals Slavia Prague, who had earlier defeated Slovácko 3:1 on the road.

    Three more rounds of the regular season remain before the start of the “superstructure”, a system where the league is divided into three mini-leagues for the final part of the season.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Ministry crafts plan to relieve strain on overcrowded prisons
    04/01/2024

    The Czech Ministry of Justice is working on a plan to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons and thus the state budget, Czech Television reported. The plan envisages lower sentencing rates and greater use of alternative sentences as a way to ensure fewer inmates in the national prison system.

    Most people currently locked up in the country have been found guilty of repeated theft or non-payment of alimony, Czech TV said.

    Members of the Czech judiciary and opposition leaders ANO welcome the proposals.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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