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Improving the living conditions of people abroad is not only a sign of goodwill but also an investment in Czechia's own security and prosperity, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said in his opening speech on National Development Day, taking place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. Czechia has a long-standing tradition of helping abroad and plays an active role in creating stability in various regions around the world, he said, mentioning Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as examples.
President Petr Pavel, who also took part in the event, echoed Mr. Lipavský's sentiments and also said that Czechs had demonstrated through their generosity in donating to charity collections and fundraisers that they cared about helping others. He referenced the extraordinary wave of solidarity towards Ukrainian refugees in particular.
There is no point in continuing negotiations about economic and social reforms with the government, even with the mediation of President Petr Pavel, the opposition ANO party agreed at a meeting on Thursday. Karel Havlíček, first deputy leader of the party, told reporters this after the meeting, adding that Petr Fiala's cabinet had said they would not raise taxes or change pension indexation, but then did the opposite.
The latest dispute between the coalition and the opposition happened when ANO cancelled its participation at a scheduled meeting on Monday about the pension reform, mediated by President Pavel, with Labour Minister Marian Jurečka and other government representatives. ANO said it would not take responsibility for something that the government intends to push through with or without its support.
MP Helena Langšádlová has resigned from the post of Science, Research and Innovation Minister, her party TOP 09 announced in a press release on Thursday. At a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Ms. Langšádlová said she had underestimated the communication side of the role but will remain an MP for TOP 09. She will continue to work on the fight against disinformation and will join the parliamentary committee for hybrid threats.
The outgoing science minister told Czech daily Deník N in an interview earlier on Thursday that she had decided to resign because she had lost the support of her party, which didn't like the fact that she wasn't able to sell her work to the public.
The party leadership wants to discuss who will replace her as science minister with Prime Minister Petr Fiala and President Petr Pavel.
Damage to fruit harvests due to the recent overnight frosts could exceed CZK 1 billion, fruit growers estimate. The cold temperatures destroyed almost 100 percent of the harvest in Bohemia and about 50 percent of the harvest in Moravia, although the situation may worsen there as ground frosts are expected to continue in the southwestern part of the country until Friday night. The Ministry of Agriculture is planning to launch a program to help fruit growers recover some of their costs, Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný announced on Thursday.
The shooting at Charles University's Faculty of Arts in December and related events had a significant psychological impact on 9,000 people, according to police estimates. The Czech Police published a report on their website on Thursday about the psychological assistance provided to people affected by the tragedy. By mid-February, the police had recorded over 6,500 instances of individuals receiving professional psychological support or other services in the field of mental health in connection with the shooting, with hundreds of experts from the Integrated Rescue System and partner organisations providing them with support and crisis intervention.
More Czechs attribute responsibility for the current escalation of the conflict in the Middle East to Palestine (22 percent) than to Israel (6 percent), according to a survey published by the Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM). However, the largest number (40 percent) place the blame equally on both sides, the poll found. More people than in the past blame somebody for the conflict other than the main two actors involved. More than 20 percent have no opinion on the matter.
Almost half of the respondents, 47 percent, agreed that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip are justified, while 26 percent disagreed. Fewer respondents, 34 percent, rated Israel's response to the Hamas attack on their country in October as proportionate, while a slightly larger number, 37 percent, thought it was not. There was also a relatively high proportion of people, ranging from 25 to 30 percent, who were undecided on questions regarding the legitimacy and proportionateness of Israel's response.
Friday is expected to be mostly overcast but dry, with a chance of some sunshine in the morning. Daytime temperatures should range between 8 and 15 degrees Celsius.
With just over three months to go to the Summer Olympics in Paris, work on the Czech Olympics House is in full swing. Where will it be and what can visitors expect?
While the streets of Prague 1 may be breath-taking by day, they turn ugly by night for the city’s residents who are severely plagued by noisy drunk tourists wanting to make the most of their time in Prague. The locals, many of whom have lived in the city centre for generations, accuse the authorities of turning a blind eye to the problem. But the solution is not so simple. Many businesses in the city centre rely on these tourists for their survival, as Karolína Šnejdarová, spokesperson for Prague 1 explained to me.
In today's episode of our series In Franz Kafka’s Footsteps we are back in Prague to visit places where the famous writer lived, worked and wrote, and also where he spent his free time.
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