News: Friday, May 3rd, 2024

Foreign Ministry:  Czech institutions targeted by GRU cyber-attacks

Czechia, along with Germany, the European Union, NATO and international partners, has strongly condemned activities of the Russian state-controlled actor APT28, who has been conducting a long-term cyber espionage campaign in European countries.

According to the ministry’s statement, published on Friday, Czech institutions have been the target of attacks exploiting a previously unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook since last year. The method and the focus of the attacks matched the profile of the activities of the APT28 group, linked to the Russian military secret service GRU.

“We are determined to respond strongly to this unacceptable behaviour together with European and international partners," the ministry said, calling on the Russian Federation to cease these activities.

President criticises Together coalition's EP election campaign portraying ANO as pro-Russian

Czech President Petr Pavel has criticised the Together coalition's European Parliament election campaign, which portrays opposition party ANO as supporting Russian interests. The president wrote on social media site X that the campaign is just as unfair and dangerous as ANO leader Andrej Babiš's statements stirring up anti-Ukrainian sentiments, and that neither will improve the country's political culture or increase citizens' trust in politicians.

On Thursday the Together coalition made up of the Civic Democrats (ODS), the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL), and TOP 09 launched a website with a domain name that uses ANO's campaign slogan for the EP elections, which the opposition party had failed to register. The coalition seized the opportunity to register the domain name themselves and changed the slogan on the website from "Česko, pro tebe všecko" (Czechia, Everything For You) to "Rusko, pro tebe všecko" (Russia, Everything For You).

Prime Minister Petr Fiala dismissed the view that the coalition had launched a smear campaign and said the idea was to alert voters to the dangers of electing ANO to the EP.

Eurostat: Unemployment in Czechia and Poland lowest in EU

Czechia, along with Poland, had the lowest rate of unemployment in the European Union in March, according to the latest data by the European statistics agency Eurostat published on Friday.

The general level of unemployment in the EU lay at 6 percent in March, a decrease by 0.1 percent when compared to February. In Czechia unemployment rose to 2.9 percent from 2.7 percent in February.

Freedom Celebrations kick off in Plzeň

The traditional Freedom Celebrations in Plzeň, marking the liberation of the city by US troops at the end of World War II, kicked off on Friday with wreath-laying ceremonies at local WWII memorials and reenactment camps featuring period military vehicles and equipment. This is the second year in a row that no veterans are attending the festivities, as most of the American and Belgian veterans who liberated the city in May 1945 have already died or are too old and frail to make the trip. However, around 30 of their descendants are coming to Plzeň in their place.

The Freedom Celebrations will continue over the weekend with a historical, military and cultural program including outdoor gatherings, concerts, guided tours and exhibitions, and will culminate on May 6 with commemorative ceremonies at monuments to the soldiers.

Four women among 12 newly appointed colonels of Czech Army

The Czech army has 12 new colonels, including four women. The officers were raised to the rank by Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka at the Victory Day ceremony on Prague’s Vítkov Memorial on Friday.

He also awarded nearly 30 servicemen and women with badges of honour for merit. Among the recipients is also a member of the US Army Joshua Hull, who was awarded for his significant personal contribution to the development of cooperation with the Czech Army in the field of cyber protection.

Tennis: Lehečka reaches first Masters semi-final after Medvedev retires

Czech tennis player Jiří Lehečka has advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Madrid, after Daniil Medvedev retired from the couple’s last-eight clash on Thursday evening due to groin injury.

The quarter-final match ended after won the opening set 6-4. The 30th-seeded Czech, who previously knocked out Rafael Nadal, will face unseeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals on Friday.

Weather forecast

Saturday will be partly cloudy with rain showers towards the evening. Day temperatures are expected to range between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius.