News: Saturday, June 22nd, 2024

Lipavský: Candidate states should join EU on one-by-one basis

The Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, says candidates to join the European Union should be accepted as members on a one-by-one basis. While at the annual Europa-Forum Wachau at Göttweig Abbey in Lower Austria, Mr. Lipavský told the APA news agency that he was in favour of an approach where candidate states competed with one another in terms of meeting accession criteria.

The Czech foreign policy chief said simultaneous accession would put a break on the most ready candidates.

He said Ukraine was a special case, having been attacked by Russia. The country has decided for democracy and a European style of life and therefore merits all support from EU members, he said.

Vasyl Zvarych named Ukrainian ambassador to Czechia

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has appointed Vasyl Zvarych as his country’s ambassador to Czechia. It is not clear from the official statement issued by the Ukrainian Office of the President when the diplomat will take up the post.

The post of ambassador to Prague was vacant for almost two years after Yevhen Perebyinis was recalled and made deputy minister of foreign affairs in Kyiv.

Mr. Zvarych previously served as Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland.

Heavy thunderstorms bring large hailstones, rail disruptions to Czechia

Heavy thunderstorms hit many parts of Czechia on Friday and early Saturday, passing across the country from west to east. The storms brought hailstones of up to eight centimetres in diameter and winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

Around a dozen railway lines were left impassable, most often due to fallen trees or damaged overhead lines, and fire brigades around the country were called out several hundred times. As of 10 am on Saturday around 30,000 households were without power.

South Bohemia’s Frymburk gets spa town status

People will now be able to visit Frymburk in South Bohemia for spa treatments after the town, which is on the banks of Lipno dam, was granted permission by the Ministry of Health to provide such services, Novinky.cz reported on Saturday. The procedures will be covered by health insurance if ordered by a doctor, the news site said.

A local official said they hoped spa care facilities would be in operation by the second half of next year.

Frymburk is the 37th place in Czechia that has been granted official spa town status.

Czechs with one point in two games at Euro 2024 after draw with Georgia

Czechia drew 1:1 with Georgia in the group stage of the European Football Championship in Germany on Saturday afternoon. Georgia opened the scoring with a penalty late in the first half before Czech striker Patrik Schick bundled the ball into the net after the break, before being forced off with injury.

The result leaves the Czechs with one point from two outings and needing a win against Turkey in their final group game next Wednesday if they are to progress.

Horská wins 200m breaststroke for third Czech European gold

Kristýna Horská has taken gold in the 200m breaststroke at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade. It is the third first place for Czechia in the tournament, following gold medals for Barbora Seemanová in the 100m and 200m freestyle and the fifth medal in total for the Czech team.

Horská came first in Friday evening’s final in a time of 2:23:60, which means she has also qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris. In addition the 26-year-old broke her own Czech record by 68 hundreds of a second.

Weather forecast

It should be mainly bright in Czechia on Sunday, with an average high temperature of around 23 degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures are expected on the following days.