News: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024

Czechia wants action against Russian spies posing as diplomats, says minister

The Czech minister of foreign affairs, Jan Lipavský, says European states need to take stronger action against Russian spies posing as diplomats. In an interview with news outlet iRozhlas.cz, Mr. Lipavský said there were a number of reasons to believe that Moscow’s diplomatic network was serving other interests than diplomacy, adding that reducing the number of Russian diplomats in the Schengen zone was one possibility open to the EU. Czechia does not welcome spies pretending to be diplomats, he said.

The minister reiterated his view that there is an asymmetrical relationship between Europe and Russia as a Russian diplomat who gets accreditation in any EU country automatically gets a Schengen visa for the whole bloc.

Council of Europe calls on Czechia to better protect minority languages

The Council of Europe has called on Czechia to improve its protection of minority languages. According to the report, published on Wednesday, the country has taken steps in a positive direction toward the expansion of German, but has shortcomings in other minority languages.

The report points out that so far, pre-school, primary and secondary education in regional and minority languages has only been available in Polish. German is taught as a foreign language, and Moravian Croatian, Romani and Slovak are not taught in mainstream education at all.

Regarding judicial matters, the Committee of Experts suggested that the legislation should also enable the use of regional and minority languages in court.

PM Fiala: No point in recognizing Palestine if it is not clear who represents it

It makes no sense to recognize Palestine as a state if it is not clear who represents it and on what territory, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday in an interview for the website Blesk.cz. Mr Fiala reacted to the announcement that Norway, Ireland and Spain will formally recognise Palestine as a state.

The Czech head of government described the concept of two states, Israeli and Palestinian, as a good goal, but he said it was necessary to create conditions for that.

Check Point: Number of cyberattacks on Czech companies up by a third in April

Czech companies faced a record 2,000 cyberattacks per week in April, a third more than in the first three months of the year, according to a report released by the security consulting agency Check Point on Wednesday.

The number of extortion attacks, where hackers demand ransom from companies, was twice as high as the European average. During April, one in 20 Czech organisations was the target of extortion threats, compared to 43 in Europe.

The Czech government and military organisations were even more vulnerable to cyberattacks, with one in nine facing ransomware threats in April.

Czechia sees record car production in first four months of 2024

Production of passenger cars in Czechia increased by 14.4 percent year-on-year to a record 531,355 vehicles in the first four months of this year, the Czech Automobile Industry Association announced on Thursday.

The country’s biggest exporter, Škoda Auto, produced 330,175 cars in its domestic plants in the first four months, an increase of 11.2 percent.

Electric car production in Czechia fell by 29 percent to 39,600 between the beginning of January and the end of April.

Writer's final letter among attractions at new Prague Kafka exhibition

A new exhibition dedicated to Prague German-language author Franz Kafka opened at the city’s Museum of Literature on Wednesday, around a fortnight before the centenary of his death. The organisers say the show aims to overturn stereotypes about the German-language writer, with one section – in the style of a small gym – presenting Kafka as an athlete.

The author’s last letter, written at a sanatorium in Austria on June 2, 1924, is among the items on display.

Polar bear from Prague Zoo dies in Almaty following relocation

A polar bear from Prague Zoo called Tom, who was relocated to Almaty Zoo in Kazakhstan this spring, has died, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday.

According to the zoo in Almaty, the reason was intoxication of the organism due to a long-term illness, but according to the head of Prague Zoo, Pavel Bobek, the bear left without any symptoms.

The relocation of the bear was recommended by the coordinator of the European breeding programme, following the death of female Berta last September, which left Tom as the only polar bear in Prague.

Prague Zoo wants to examine the cause of the death with the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Czechs lose to Canada in final group game at hockey worlds

Czechia lost 4:3 to Canada in overtime in the country’s final game at the World Ice Hockey Championship in Prague on Tuesday.

The result left the Czechs second in their group behind Canada. They will now face the USA in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Weather forecast

Thursday will be mostly overcast with rain and day temperatures ranging between 19 and 23 degrees Celsius.