• Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala awarded Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
    10/10/2023

    The eleventh Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights, has been awarded to the imprisoned Turkish human rights defender, philanthropist and civil society activist Osman Kavala. The 60,000 euro prize was presented at a special ceremony on the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Mr Kavala, a supporter of numerous civil society organizations in Türkiye for many years, has been in prison continuously since 2017 following his arrest for his alleged links to the Gezi Park protests.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Minister Lipavský: Conditions not in place to relocate Czech Embassy to Jerusalem
    10/10/2023

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has said the time is not right to move the Czech Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Responding to calls from some politicians and members of the public for the embassy to be relocated as a symbolic gesture of support for Israel, Mr. Lipavsaký said the basic conditions for such a move are not in place. He said the embassy’s relocation would be in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and such a move would not be in line with the unified position of the European Union. He also added that, in the present circumstances, he does not consider it prudent for Czechia to take a unilateral step on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Monday that he personally would be in favour of moving the Czech Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr. FiaIa wrote on the X platform that in the context of the latest developments such a move was desirable and he planned to discuss the idea with the other members of the ruling coalition.

    The Czech prime minister said he was disappointed with the European Union’s decision not to freeze payments of development aid to Palestinians, but merely to review the payments to ensure they are not being misused.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Police detain 41 illegal migrants in Liberec Region
    10/09/2023

    Police in the Liberec Region detained 41 illegal migrants from Syria on Sunday, a police spokesperson confirmed. The group was crammed into a delivery van which broke down due to severe overload. Although the migrants immediately scattered, the police managed to secure 41 persons who are now being questioned. It is not clear if the driver was apprehended.

    The stream of illegal migrants on the Wester Balkans route has once again increased and, in a coordinated move, Czechia, Austria, Poland and Slovakia all reintroduced random border checks last week.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Government’s austerity package goes into final reading
    10/09/2023

    The government's austerity package will go into its third and final reading in the Chamber of Deputies this week. Despite fierce opposition to the proposed measures, the Fiala administration is determined to force a vote on it on Friday, September, 13, Czech Television reported. A total of 54 speakers, mainly from the opposition benches, are expected to address the house. The austerity package, which includes tax hikes, aims to lower the deficit in state spending by 97 billion crowns next year and by a total of 150 billion crowns by 2025.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • ANO party would win elections by landslide
    10/09/2023

    The ANO party would win general elections by a landslide if they were held today, according to the outcome of a September poll conducted by the Kantar agency for Czech Television. The results suggest that ANO would get 33.5 percent of the vote, far ahead of the ruling Civic Democrats who would place second with 12 percent of the vote. The anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy Party would claim third place with 9.5 percent of the vote, the Pirate Party would get 8.5 percent, the Mayors and Independents 7.5 and TOP 09 would only just cross the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in the lower house.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Asian hornets’ nest found and destroyed so as to protect local bees
    10/09/2023

    Nature conservationists have found and destroyed an Asian hornets’ nest near Plzen, in West Bohemia, the ctk news agency reported. Asian hornets are an invasive insect species that preys on honeybees and it is believed that a number of these insects were accidentally transported to Czechia on a truck from Spain. Members of the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency mapped the area at night using thermal cameras to detect the nest. They say no other nests of this species were found. Had it gone undetected the Asian hornets would have been a serious threat to the local bee population.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Weather forecast
    10/09/2023

    Tuesday should be partly cloudy to overcast with scattered showers and day temperatures between 17 and 21 degrees Celsius.

  • Concert in support of Czech culture at Prague’s Main Railway Station
    10/09/2023

    Some 150 musicians from various orchestras gathered at Prague’s Main Railway Station for a concert in support of Czech culture on Sunday evening. The event held under the slogan “Playing forte!” aimed to draw attention to the lack of funds for Czech culture. In a petition signed at the event they called on the government to keep its promise to invest 1 percent of state budget spending into culture next year. According to the draft budget for 2024, the cultural sphere is to be allotted 16.5 billion crowns, compared to the 18.5 billion this year.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Czechia expressing support for Israel
    10/09/2023

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has reiterated Czech solidarity and support for Israel as the country defends itself against attacks by Palestinian radicals. Speaking shortly before his departure for Oman, where he is to attend a meeting of EU ministers and Gulf Cooperation Council officials, Mr. Lipavsky said that Czechia is ready to help Israel to the best of its ability, both directly and on international platforms.

    Ordinary Czechs have also been expressing their support for Israel, in the wake of the terrorist attacks by Hamas. Messages of sympathy and support are filling the social media and people have been laying flowers and lighting candles in spots close to the Israeli Embassy in Letná. Prague's Petřín Lookout Tower also lit up in the colors of Israel on Sunday night.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Sacamiro wins Grand Pardubice Steeplechase
    10/08/2023

    The 10-year-old chestnut Sacamiro with jockey Jan Faltejsk won the Grand Pardubice Steeplechase on Sunday. The forty-year-old jockey won the famous steeplechase for the sixth time and consolidated his second place in the rankings behind the legendary eight-time winner Josef Váňa. Only eight of the 18 contestants finished the race, with many failing to clear the Taxis ditch and sustaining dangerous falls. One of the horses was killed on impact.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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