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The Czech minister of foreign affairs, Petr Macinka, has apologised for what he called “unintended promotion” of a festival at which he was booed by audience members on Saturday. The previous day his Motorists party colleague, Culture Minister Ota Klempíř, had also faced catcalls at the traditional folklore festival in Strážnice.

Mr. Macinka told reporters he had not gone to the event in order to provoke people. He said the festival would pay for the incident and that was not his intention.

The coach of the Czech international football squad, Miroslav Koubek, has stood down following a disappointing showing for the country at the World Cup in North America. Koubek, who is 74, said he had resigned following what he called a media campaign against him, saying it made no sense for him to continue in the post given the present atmosphere.

Koubek’s first two games at the helm were playoff ties that the Czechs won to qualify for their first World Cup in two decades. However, in the competition they finished bottom of their group with only one point, amid widespread criticism of the team’s style of play.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) has added President Petr Pavel and his entourage to the Czech delegation for the NATO summit in Ankara. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), who will lead the Czech delegation, told reporters after the government meeting on Monday.

According to Babiš, however, the president could show goodwill by choosing not to attend this year's summit despite a ruling by the Constitutional Court allowing his participation. He suggested that Pavel could instead attend next year's summit.

Pavel has argued that the government's approach to the head of state's participation in the summit is contrary to the Constitutional Court's ruling and stated he would not follow PM's suggestion.

The government also approved the use of an aircraft for the president's trip today. The prime minister and the rest of the delegation will travel separately.

According to data from the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office (NSZ), crime in the Czech Republic remained roughly at the same level last year as in 2024. However, cases involving high levels of aggression, especially among children, are increasing.

So-called “experience-driven violence” is also beginning to appear regularly — this refers to violent behaviour among children and adolescents motivated mainly by the desire to experience something, test boundaries, or gain an adrenaline rush.

In the Czech Republic, 186,858 new criminal proceedings were initiated last year, which authorities had to address and in which prosecutors supervised compliance with legal procedures. The year before, there were 189,912 such cases.