Unemployment in Czechia fell to 3.3 percent in April

The Prague City Council voted to strip Marshal Ivan Konev of his honorary citizenship of the city. Konev led the Soviet forces into Prague in May 1945, and the city leadership at the end of World War II gave him the honor. The current administration says that his later activities are in conflict with the qualities that are expected of honorary citizens of Prague. The proposal to remove the honor still has to approved by the full 65-member Prague City Assembly.

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib said Konev was responsible for the bombardment of Mladá Boleslav on May 9, 1945, which killed over 150 civilians including children. Konev was also involved in the arrest and deportation of Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian opponents to the Stalinist regime who had sought refuge in Prague, and other repressive actions throughout his career. A statue of Konev was removed from Prague 6 in 2020 and there is a movement to rename Koněvova Street in Prague’s Žižkov district.

Commenting on Putin's speech at the miliary parade in Moscow, PM Petr Fiala said Russian President Vladimir Putin continues in his expedient distortion of history intending to justify the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putin's address confirms the importance of the West's united and resolute steps against the aggressor, Fiala added. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said Russians have lost the moral right to celebrate the end of WWII.

Unemployment in the Czech Republic fell by a tenth of a percentage point to 3.3 percent in April. There were 243,658 people without a job, about nine thousand less than in March. The number of vacancies decreased by approximately 16,000, with employers offering 344,350. This follows from data published today by the Labor Office of the Czech Republic. Last April, unemployment in the Czech Republic was 4.1 percent.

If the elections to the Chamber of Deputies took place in April, they would be dominated by the Together coalition now polling 33.5 percent ahead of the ANO party (which would take 28.5 percent of the vote) according to the latest Kantar figures. The Pirates coalition and the Mayors, at 11.5 percent of the vote, would finish third, and the SPD with 11 percent would come in fourth. The ODS party of Petr Fiala has enjoyed improved popularity among the public since its response in February to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. The Kantar survey also indicated that dissatisfaction with President Zeman is at an all-time high:  78 percent of respondents said they were unhappy with Zeman's work.

Czech president Miloš Zeman paid tribute to the memory of fallen Ukrainian Red Army soldiers Sunday at Prague's Olšany cemetery. "Many Ukrainians also fought in the Red Army during the liberation of former Czechoslovakia, and the Czech Republic is now paying off their debt by supporting Ukraine and accepting refugees from the Russian invasion," said the president. Demonstraters were among the dozens of people attending the memorial event. At the Red Army's honorary burial site protestors held signs saying reading "Stop war," and "Glory to Ukraine." Several banners also accused the president of being implicit in the war. One read: "Glory to Ukraine (I don't mean it) Your Miloš Zeman."

Czech developers are seeing a decline in the sales of new apartments, reports ČT24. While apartments are out of reach for many prospective buyers due to rising inflation, there are still fewer flats for sale than there are buyers. The server reports that more and more clients are turning to their own savings and purchasing apartments as an investment. "Many people just can't get a mortgage. On the other hand, the number of people buying an apartment as an investment has increased significantly,” Evžen Korec, CEO of Ekospol, told the server. 

The 1951 painting "Je m'apercois que ma page blanche est devenue verte" by Czech surrealist Toyen was sold for CZK 28.5 million at an auction in Prague's Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery on Sunday, the highest price paid for her post-war work in Czechia. Also up for auction, was the only known painting by Czech President Václav Havel, an acrylic on a wooden panel. The 1982 painting "The White Horse in Space" sold for over CZK three million crowns. It was sold with a certificate of authenticity written by Havel and dated March 3, 2011, almost 30 years after the work was created and several months before the death of the former president and dissident.

The Czech national hockey team has announced its roster for the upcoming World Championship in Finland. The lineup will feature a number of NHL pros. Coach Kari Jalonen and General Manager Petr Nedvěd announced the lineup on Sunday. The Czech team for the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Tampere and Helsinki to be held May 13 to 29 will include goalkeepers Lukáš Dostál (Anaheim/San Diego) and Karel Vejmelka (Arizona/NHL), defenders Radim Šimek (San Jose), and forwards Tomáš Hertl (San Jose), Dominik Simon (Anaheim), and Jakub Vrána (Detroit) among others.