News: Friday, November 22nd, 2024

Czech foreign minister visits Kyiv amid tensions over Russian missile strikes

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský is in Kyiv on his fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion nearly three years ago. His trip comes a day after Russia launched a powerful medium-range missile at Ukraine.

In Kyiv, Lipavský will meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, with a potential meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky still unconfirmed.

Mr. Lipavsky on Friday visited grounds that are being cleared of mines in Myla near Kyiv, an activity that Czechia is supporting financially and toured Ochmatdyt children's hospital, which was severely damaged by a Russian air strike in July.

Czechia has been a key ally of Ukraine, providing heavy weapons early in the war and initiating EU-wide efforts to source artillery ammunition for Kyiv. The Czech Foreign Minister has also pushed for tighter restrictions on Russian diplomats in Europe.

Opposition leader disrupts session of lower house with insults against PM

Opposition ANO party leader Andrej Babiš disrupted a session of the lower house on Friday with a spate of insults against Prime Minister Petr Fiala during which the entire government and deputies of the ruling coalition left the assembly hall. Mr. Babiš tabled a proposal for the house to discuss the prime minister’s mental health in connection with a number of his recent pronouncements, in particular his promise to raise Czech salaries to the level of those in Germany in four years’ time. Babiš said the prime minister was not fit to run the government. The session was interrupted when coalition deputies walked out. MPs were expected to vote on an amendment on the further extension of temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine.

Justice Ministry proposes special certificate to prevent child offenders from working with children

The Ministry of Justice has proposed a measure that would increase the protection of children against sexual abuse from people working in the sphere of education, sport and hobby groups. The ministry wants to introduce a special certificate, which school principals and camp leaders could request to see, that would warn them about potentially problematic candidates. Under the present legislation courts may impose a ban on activities with children and young people in addition to a prison sentence, but the maximum period for which it can be imposed under the law is now ten years. The proposed certificate would thus prevent convicted offenders from ever again working with children. There are hundreds of cases of sexual abuse of children under 15 in the Czech Republic every year.

Rail connection between Prague and Brno disrupted by accident on Friday

Rail traffic on the route from Prague to Brno was disrupted by an accident on Friday morning when a train, which was not carrying passengers, derailed during a shunting operation in the early hours of the day. The accident happened in Česká Třebová, No one was injured, but the accident damaged the track. Trains, including international fast trains between Prague and Brno, were diverted, connections between Prague and Olomouc passed through the station at reduced speed, and several regional connections had to be cancelled, according to information from Czech Railways.

Over 2,000 stores to support National Food Collection day on Saturday

Over 2,250 stores and 5,000 volunteers around Czechia will participate in the autumn National Food Ccollection day on Saturday. The collection is a bi-annual event in which people can donate non-perishable food and basic hygiene products for the needy. The goods are distributed by food banks to seniors, single mothers, disadvantaged families and children in care homes. People can also make donations online. The collection was first launched in 2013 and the number of shops supporting it has tripled over the years. More information is available on the website www.sbirkapotravin.cz. There is a map on the collection website where people can find participating stores in their area.

Czechia likely to record warmest year in history

Czechia is on track to record its highest-ever average annual temperature, likely exceeding 10°C for the first time, according to meteorologist Jáchym Brzezina from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Brzezina said on the X network that if November and December maintain average temperatures, the annual average will reach 10.3°C, which is 0.6°C higher than last year.

This year has been extreme, with every month exceeding the 1991–2020 average. February was record warm, surpassing the average by more than 6°C, while March, August, and September were at least 2°C above average.

A comparison of the averages shows how extreme the last two years have been even compared to previous warm years. 2023 was 1.4°C warmer than the 1991–2020 average, and this year’s anticipated 10.3°C average would mark a nearly 3°C increase compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.

Weather forecast

Saturday should be clear to partly cloudy and mostly dry around the country with day temperatures between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius.