Today’s headlines: Daily news refresh for Czechia

A survey published today by the Center for Public Opinion Research shows that over 30 percent of Czechs live in fear of a potential war affecting them. One in five people cited a fear of currently rising prices, and a relatively low 14 percent said they were worried about their own health.

The main difference from the same, year-earlier survey is a reduction of fears about Covid-19. Then, 30 percent of respondents expressed fear about the virus. Now, this figure hovers around 1 percent. 

Over four-fifths of people generally feel “safe” living in the Czech Republic.

Border controls at the border of Czechia and Slovakia – in place since late September – are coming to an end following a ministerial meeting, Novinky.cz writes.

 “From Feb. 5, there will be no border controls,” said Interior Minister Vít Rakušan this afternoon.

Checks were originally introduced to tackle the rising number of immigrants (predominantly of Middle Eastern origin) traveling via the Western Balkans, with the intention of traveling through Czechia en route to Western Europe.

Since the introduction of controls, Rakušan says that over 3 million people were checked, with over 9,000 people detained.

British singer Ozzy Osbourne has today canceled his planned show in Prague, which was due to happen in May.

“This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to tell my loyal fans,” he said during the online announcement this afternoon. 

Osbourne has called off his whole European tour. He hinted that he would not properly tour again, writing “never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”

He blamed a long-term spinal issue for his cancelation. The rock star had a serious accident four years ago, which damaged his spine.

Former Prime Minister Petr Nečas has been handed a CZK 100,000 fine for perjury by the District Court of Prague 1. He was also handed a one-year probationary sentence.

Nečas was charged for knowingly giving false information in the well-known “Nagyová affair,” of 10 years ago, in which his then-girlfriend Jana Nagyová was accused of using military intelligence to spy on Nečas’s wife at the time. Prosecutors say he lied to protect Nagyová. 

Nečas is also facing a bribery case; court proceedings will continue.

The state postal service, Česká pošta, will from now increase the prices of several of its services, according to its new price sheet found online.

For example, the cost of sending an ordinary letter will rise by CZK 2, to CZK 23. Similarly, priority delivery will go up from CZK 28 to CZK 30. Sending a registered letter will now cost CZK 62, instead of CZK 52 – a sizable 20-percent increase.

This is the third time in a matter of months that Česká pošta has upped its prices, with increases taking place in November and December, too.

Some school canteens around the country will from today raise the prices of their school lunches, Seznam Zprávy writes.

 A new government decree that comes into force Feb. 1 allows schools to increase the prices of their main meals – up to a maximum of 20 percent. Breakfasts and snacks are set to rise by up to 30 percent.

Charity Women for Women, which helps parents in tricky financial situations, estimates that this year every sixth child will be unable to eat lunch in school canteens.

Owing to strong gusts and continuing snowfall, the avalanche-danger level of the Krkonoše mountains has increased to level three on the five-point scale (five being the most dangerous). This means that the current situation is “very treacherous,” according to the Krkonoše Mountain Service.

Earlier this morning the Sněžka mountain was hit by hurricane-force winds of over 159 kilometers per hour. At present, there are about 100 centimeters of snow on the ridges of the Krkonoše mountains. More hurricane-level winds gusts and snowfall are expected today in the region.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has today rejected China’s criticism of President-elect Petr Pavel calling the Taiwanese president, Novinky.cz writes.

According to Fiala, Czechia is a sovereign state, and therefore is able to choose freely with which countries it communicates. Similar to other Western countries, Czechia observes the “One China” policy, which is a diplomatic acknowledgment that there is only one Chinese government, which also rules over Taiwan.

Earlier today, China officials issued a statement sharply condemning Pavel’s phone call. They accuse Pavel of leading Czechia away from the One China principle.

Interior Minister Vít Rakušan has today repeated his view that current security checks upon people’s entrance to Prague Castle can – and should – be changed, ČTK writes.

Prior to a meeting with President-elect Petr Pavel this afternoon, Rakušan informed journalists that he believed more lenient and friendlier measures could be introduced at Prague Castle.

At present, visitors to Prague Castle’s grounds need to go through a police-involved security check, which includes walking through airport-style body and item scanners. It can also include a body search.

Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Lipavský has today said that “the main task” in supporting Ukraine is maintaining Western unity in the fight against Russia, ČTK quotes Lipavský as telling journalists today.

Lipavský mentioned that the war will likely drag on for a while; it would last for as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin kept his colonial dreams of extending Russian territory.” 

Lipavský criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s oft-obstructionist stances and called for greater collaboration in supporting Ukraine.

Czech President-elect Petr Pavel told Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen via phone call that Taiwan and Czechia share the values of freedom, democracy and human rights, and will further enhance mutual partnership, according to a Monday tweet. Pavel previously said that assuring the country’s security was one of his priorities.

According to Deník N, China contacted the Czech embassy in Beijing after the phone call to voice its displeasure. Czechia presently recognizes the “One China” policy, which states that there is only one sovereign state under the name China and Taiwan is a part of it, but is open to friendly co-operation with Taiwan.

China views Taiwan as its own province. Outgoing President Miloš Zeman has been accused by critics of having overly China-friendly views. 

Employees of a Korean tire company have this morning started a strike near Žatec, Ústí nad Labem. They are demanding an 8.3-percent pay rise as well as arranged overtime pay from their employer, Nexen.

The strike got underway at about 8 a.m. this morning and will last indefinitely. The workers – about 200 employees – will travel to Prague today to continue their strike, iDnes writes.

A last-minute meeting between the representative trade union and Nexen’s management offered temporary hope that the strike would be averted, but no deal materialized.

Vice-chairman of the ANO movement Ivo Vondrák has publicly apologized on behalf of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš for calling on people to bet on him prior to the second round of the presidential election.

On Jan. 26, Babiš tweeted: “The odds [of my victory] are 12:1. Bet CZK 1,000, and everyone come and vote – you will win CZK 12,000.”

Vondrák criticized former Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček during Babiš’s for staying silent over the matter during a television appearance on ČT24 Monday, Novinky.cz writes.

An incident in Prague 6 this afternoon killed one 23-year-old woman, Czech police report on Twitter. The victim, who was a passer-by, was crushed by a car against a wall and tragically succumbed to her injuries after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation. She was trapped between the car and a shop, which also suffered damage.

The car is reported to have been unmanned upon the collision, iDnes writes. The full circumstances of the incident are being investigated by police.

Czechia’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaroslav Šedivý passed away on Saturday, Jan. 28, Seznam Zprávy writes. He was 93 years old. 

Šedivý was suspended from the Czech Communist Party after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 due to his airing of anti-communist views. He spent six years in custody thereafter.

He served as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1997 to 1998. He was an independent Czech Republic’s first-ever ambassador to France, a position he held until 1994. He later was the Czech ambassador to Luxembourg and Belgium.

Outgoing President Miloš Zeman met with Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić in Belgarde to discuss “private matters,” ČTK reports.

Zeman told Vucic that Serbia is one of his favorite countries because it had the courage to “face any enemy.”

The Czech president has repeatedly criticized the independence of Kosovo, thereby putting him in a good light in most Serbians’ eyes. 

The Czech House – a building built a century ago by the Czech expat community in the area – was also officially opened in Serbia’s capital earlier today. It will predominantly be used by Czech organizations. 

This is Zeman’s penultimate planned diplomatic visit before the expiry of his mandate in March. He is due to visit Slovakia next.

A man in possession of a firearm in an office building in Brno this morning has been detained by police, ČTK writes.

According to police spokesperson David Chaloupka, the man had been threatening others. The office is located on Holandská street, a large road in the city frequented by hundreds of people daily.

“We need to check the premises, why the person was there, what he was doing there, and if he was with anyone. The intervention is still ongoing,” Chaloupka said.

It will rain on most days in the Czech Republic during this week, including in Prague, according to the forecast of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMÚ). Strong wind is expected across the country also, especially in the north.

This week will see milder weather in the capital, with maximum daytime temperatures reaching about 4 degrees Celsius today and Tuesday. Maximum temperatures in Prague will climb to about 6 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

The CHMÚ has issued a wind warning for the entirety of the Czech Republic for early Tuesday morning. Winds will be particularly strong in the mountains.

A mixture of rain and small snow showers is forecast in Prague for almost every day of this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Twitter Sunday invited Czech president-elect Petr Pavel to Ukraine and congratulated him on his victory.

Pavel announced soon after his victory that he would make assistance to Ukraine as one of his near-term priorities, declaring total support for the attacked country. He said that he could continue to drive forward arms donations and financial aid to Ukraine.

Pavel announced Sunday that he, along with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, intends to visit Kyiv in the spring.

The winner of the 2023 presidential election Petr Pavel told reporters yesterday that he has not yet spoken with outgoing President Miloš Zeman, ČTK reports.

Zeman told journalists over the weekend that Pavel had not yet reached out to Zeman, but that he would be glad to meet if an offer were made. He publicly congratulated Pavel for his victory on Saturday.

Zeman endorsed former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš for the election. Pavel disagrees with Zeman’s recent decision to name the new head of the Czech Constituional Court, and will ask the incumbent president to reconsider his choice.