• 10/21/2024

    The Czech government has so far provided 400 million crowns in aid to households affected by September’s floods, Minister Marian Jurečka (Christian Democrats) announced. Plans for temporary housing support, ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 crowns monthly, are being developed. Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (Civic Democratic Party) estimated state property damages at 25-30 billion crowns and emphasized the lengthy recovery process ahead. The government has allocated 3 billion crowns for flood recovery, including 2 billion for water infrastructure restoration. Support for businesses is also being prepared, with discussions on investment in innovation underway.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    The supervisory board of the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) removed its CEO in response to new corruption charges that surfaced last week. The DPP, the largest company operated by the City of Prague, with a budget in the tens of billions of crowns, has been repeatedly plagued by corruption allegations and legal actions in the past. The supervisory board voted to remove Petr Witowski from the board of directors, which also means his automatic departure as the company’s CEO.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    Slovakia's Interior Ministry has acknowledged that former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, now the leader of the main Czech opposition party ANO, was wrongly listed as an agent of the former Czechoslovak communist secret police (StB). The ministry now states that he did not knowingly collaborate with the StB. A settlement was reached between the ministry and Babiš in his lawsuit regarding his wrongful registration in the StB files, which was approved by the court. The case has been dragging on for over 12 years at different courts on various levels reaching different verdicts. In reaction, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party) labeled the announcement as a simple political deal rather than a decision of an independent court, pointing out that Babiš is close to the Slovak politicians who are now in power.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    Clear to partly cloudy, with occasional rain or showers to some areas in Bohemia. High temperatures between 12 and 17°C.

  • 10/21/2024

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (formerly Pirate Party) discussed economic projects, anti-Russian sanctions, and the defense of the international order during talks with his Kazakh counterpart, Murat Nurtleu. Lipavský, currently visiting Kazakhstan as part of a regional trip that also includes Uzbekistan, highlighted Kazakhstan's importance as a supplier of oil and potentially also uranium to the Czech Republic. He emphasized the need for further cooperation in energy, defense, and aviation industries. In a comment published in The Astana Times, Lipavský also praised Kazakhstan’s role in innovation and expressed support for its stance on international law amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    The Olomouc High Court has sentenced former regional police deputy chief Karel Kadlec to 3.5 years in prison in connection with the so-called "Vidkun" case, reversing his previous suspended sentence. The case which was closely observed by Czech national media involved the leaking of information from police files and the influencing of investigations, charges which the accused denied. A prominent regional businessman Ivan Kyselý received a confirmed suspended sentence but had his financial penalty significantly increased from 346,000 CZK to over 1.8 million CZK. The court also upheld a two-year suspended sentence for former regional governor Jiří Rozbořil (formerly SOCDEM), along with a fine of 182,000 CZK.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    Six Czech cabinet ministers meet in the town of Krnov with local politicians to discuss the recovery of areas hit by recent floods. Tomáš Hradil, the independent mayor of Krnov, told Czech Radio that state assistance needs to be faster and more effective now. Czech government has allocated a total of 40 billion CZK from the state budget to aid the regions affected. Non-profit organizations are also providing assistance in the impacted areas.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    Representatives of labor unions are scheduled to meet with the Minister of the Interior this afternoon to discuss wages for police officers, firefighters, and customs officers. The Security Forces Union is demanding a minimum wage increase of 6.9%, matching the planned salary hikes for politicians and judges next year. Vít Rakušan (Mayors and Independents Party) previously stated that the salary budget for police officers and firefighters would increase by 5% starting in January, with additional raises promised for the following two years.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    Irish businessman William James Harkin's company, Qucomhaps Holdings, has initiated arbitration proceedings against the Czech Republic. In the early 2000s, Harkin's firm purchased Moravan Aviation, an aircraft manufacturer based in Otrokovice. The company later went bankrupt, and Harkin was accused by the police of embezzling funds and causing damages of 19 million CZK. While a regional court sentenced Harkin to six years for fraud, the verdict was overturned by a higher court.

    Now, Harkin and his company are seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars" in compensation, claiming misconduct by law enforcement, insolvency courts, and administrators. According to the Czech Ministry of Finance, the arbitration could potentially cost the state billions of crowns. The arbitration process, which began in August, stems from Harkin's claim of a thwarted investment. However, the exact amount being sought remains unclear.

    Author: Vít Pohanka
  • 10/21/2024

    The Prague Municipal Court will deliver its verdict today in the case concerning the allocation of sports subsidies by the city's magistrate. Nine individuals, including former minister Karel Březina (formerly Social Democrats) and current city council members Jan Wolf (Christian Democrats) and Stanislav Nekolný (ANO Party), face charges. The prosecutor alleges that the evaluation committee and two sports department officials favored certain projects due to personal or influential interests. The accused deny any wrongdoing. The case involves the alleged misallocation of CZK 32.8 million in subsidies, with CZK 17.8 million actually disbursed.

    Author: Vít Pohanka

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