News

The Czech Republic reinstated random border checks with Slovakia on Friday morning after Slovak veterinary authorities confirmed the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease at three farms in the southern parts of the country. As of Friday, there is a ban on the import of sheep, goat, pig and cattle products from Slovakia and Czech farms have been ordered to implement emergency veterinary measures to prevent the possible spread of the disease to this country. The first outbreak appeared in Hungary some time ago and has now spread to Slovakia.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease that is not transmissible to humans but is very dangerous for livestock farms. If the disease does occur, all animals in the holdings must be culled. The disease last occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1975.

Saturday’s weather will be clear or partly cloudy, with isolated light rain or showers in the afternoon in the southwest and east. Highest temperatures will be between 13 and 18 °C.

Charles University’s Vice-Rector for External Relations Martin Vlach is resigning from his position as of April 30th, having on Friday sent his resignation letter to the university's rector, Milena Králíčková. Dr. Vlach expressed his long-term dissatisfaction with the way he was communicated with, and he does not wish to be part of the rector's next election campaign. Prof. Králíčková has been leading the university since February 2022, and her four-year term ends in 2026.

Dr. Vlach has held the vice-rector position since 2022. From 2012 to 2022, he was the vice-dean for promotion of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. According to him, a lot of good work has been done at the university over the past three years, but recent issues (such as recent criticism over bonuses received by the university management) have so tarnished the university’s reputation that reflection is needed. He added that there are conflicts of interest that need to be resolved.

The opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) will run in the autumn parliamentary elections together with the Svoboda, Trikolora and Právo Respekt Odbornost parties. The leaders of the four parties today presented a memorandum of cooperation on the roof of Hotel Rott in central Prague. In their view, the alliance will prevent the threat of losing votes and ensure stronger representation in the Chamber of Deputies.

According to the agreement, representatives of the smaller parties will be on the SPD candidate lists, and they plan to establish a joint parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies. In the memorandum, the parties commit to asking public opinion research agencies to add up the preferences for all four parties together from now on. Furthermore, the grouping should also not organise a campaign to gain preferential votes at the expense of its partners.