Czech news in brief for May 24: Friday's top headlines

The City of Prague has announced that people will be able to watch Sunday's World Ice Hockey Championship medal matches – the final and the match for bronze – on a large screen in Prague's Old Town Square. The bronze medal match is at 3:20 p.m., and the final is at 8:20 p.m. Refreshment sales will end at 10 p.m. to reduce noise. Czechia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada remain in the tournament; semi-final matches are played Saturday.

Railway Inspection spokesman Martin Drápal has said that a collision between a passenger train and a shunting locomotive at Prague’s main station Hlavní nádraží slightly injured three people and caused over CZK 100 million in damages. The accident significantly damaged a CityElefant commuter train. Police suspect negligent endangerment of public safety. The accident occurred near the Vinohrady tunnel when a train from Prague to Říčany passed a prohibitive signal and hit a stationary locomotive.

Czech President Petr Pavel will visit Jordan next week to meet King Abdullah II and discuss the currently volatile situation in the Middle East. He will also meet Jordan Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh and other parliamentary leaders. Pavel will bring humanitarian aid for Gaza, including supplies of powdered baby milk. He aims to enhance cooperation in health, defense, energy, and science sectors. According to the Czech Presidential Office, Pavel will speak about methods of de-escalating the Israel-Palestine war.

Former Czech member of parliament Dominik Feri has been summoned to start serving his three-year prison sentence for rape in May. He is expected to appear in a prison in Teplice, his hometown, but could be placed in any prison in the country. In April, an appeals court upheld his sentence for raping two girls, one of them a minor, and attempting to rape another. Feri, who resigned from politics, plans to file a petition for an appellate review with the Supreme Court. 

According to David Konecký, future Czech ambassador to NATO, the main topic of next week’s informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Prague will likely be the war in Ukraine. In preparation for the July NATO summit in Washington, this meeting will not yield formal conclusions but will address sensitive issues. Held at Czernin Palace, it marks the 25th anniversary of Czech NATO membership and is budgeted at CZK 100 million.

Customs officers at Prague-Ruzyne airport detained a 55-year-old Czech woman attempting to smuggle 170 grams of methamphetamine in her underwear on a flight from Bucharest in early May. During a personal search, officers found two bags of the drug sewn into her bra. The woman, a regular traveler on this airline, faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Czech Radio (CRo) and Czech Television (CT) maintained their positions as the most trusted news providers in Czechia in 2023, surpassing private media, according to annual reports noted by the Senate media commission. CRo is trusted by 59 percent of Czechs, and CT by 57 percent, up one percentage point from 2022. CNN Prima News is trusted by 52 percent ranking fifth, while Nova TV is trusted by 40 percent.

Hundreds gathered at Wenceslas Square for a rally organized by the opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement. The rally featured speeches by SPD leader Tomio Okamura and other representatives of the European Identity and Democracy faction. Okamura criticized the Czech government and the EU for supporting Ukraine and their stance on migration. The event, which included performances by the controversial Ortel group, was monitored by police and attracted supporters and opponents, leading to protests.