News: Sunday, June 16th, 2024

Czechia backs declaration stating that “territorial integrity” of Ukraine must be respected

Eighty countries, including Czechia, have jointly called for the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine to be the basis of any peace agreement to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. The two-day Summit on Peace in Ukraine held in Switzerland ended with a joint declaration calling for the release of war prisoners and the return of all deported and displaced Ukrainian children. It also stressed that any use of nuclear energy and nuclear installations must be safe-guarded and that food security must not be weaponized in any way.

Some participants, including Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and India, did not sign up to the final declaration of the talks. Participants in the Ukraine peace summit agreed to continue efforts in working groups to come up with "action plans for peace". According to the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Genève these plans should be ready in "months, not years". Russia, which was not invited to the talks, has played down their significance.

Thirteen Czechs injured in bus crash in Iceland

Thirteen Czechs were injured, five of them seriously, when a tourist bus crashed in Öxnadalur, in the northern part of Iceland on Saturday night, the ctk news agency reported citing the travel agency Adventura which organized the package tour. Five people were taken by helicopter to the National University Hospital in Reykjavík and are in intensive care. Two are in an induced sleep on breathing machines. The bus reportedly swerved off the road and overturned. According to local sources the coordination center for civil protection was activated because of the case and traffic across the highway was closed because of the accident.

Slovakia’s new president to visit Czechia on June 26

Slovakia’s newly-inaugurated president, Peter Pellegrini will pay a state visit to Czechia on June 26. President Pellegrini, who took office on Saturday, confirmed the planned visit in a discussion program on the Slovak public broadcaster RTVS. Mr. Pellegrini said that in an earlier conversation with the Czech head of state, President Pavel had hinted that the visit could be a symbol of reconciliation between the two countries following the Czech cabinet's decision in March to suspend intergovernmental consultations with Slovakia. The two countries, which have exceptionally close ties, disagree on the question of providing military aid to Ukraine. The Slovak government recently stopped all state-funded military aid to the country.

Pirate Party to undertake internal reforms ahead of autumn elections

The Pirate Party needs to reform the internal workings of the organization and re-think its election campaign strategy ahead of the autumn Senate and municipal elections, party leader Ivan Bartoš told reporters following a meeting of the party’s extended leadership on Saturday. He said there had been no calls for a change of leadership in response to the party’s poor showing in the European elections. The head of the party’s media department resigned in the wake of the election debacle.

Investigation underway to determine cause of train accident in Rychnov

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of a train accident in Rychnov u Jablonce nad Nisou, north of Prague, on Saturday afternoon. The train derailed but ground to a halt and remained upright. No deaths or injuries were reported. According to the Czech Railway Inspectorate the estimated damage is at around CZK 1.2 million. The route was closed until 10 pm on Saturday and a bus replacement service was provided for passengers.

Beer consumption in Czechia dropping

Beer consumption in Czechia has dropped significantly in recent years, although it is still the highest in the world, Novinky.cz reported. The average number of beers drunk per capita in the Czech Republic last year, including infants, was 256 beers per head, which is the lowest number since 1963. According to experts the decline is likely to continue. The key reasons behind it are tighter family budgets and the rising cost of draught beer. People are drinking more at home and are consuming less  beer than they would with friends at the pub. Beer consumption reached a record high in 2005 when Czechs consumed 163.5 litres, or 327 beers per head.

Weather forecast

Monday is expected to be partly cloudy and mostly dry with day temperatures between 23 and 27 degrees Celsius.