Czech weekend news in brief: top stories for July 18, 2021

Dozens protest Covid-19 vaccination of children in Prague

About a hundred people, some with Czech flags, gathered outside the seat of the Czech Health Ministry in Prague on Saturday to protest against the vaccination of children against Covid-19. Speakers at the demonstration challenged the pandemic and called for the cabinet's resignation.

"The anti-Covid vaccines protect no one against any disease, they are a tool to reduce the human population, they reduce fertility along with people's life expectancy," said one of the speakers, Jiří Machač. He said the vaccines are vaccines of death, and the vaccinated people are victims of fraud, pressure, and extortion. One of the organizers of the protest said this is the last demonstration they will hold at a neutral location. "Next time, protests will be held near the places of residence of the 'mental cripples', i.e. members of the government," he added.

Member of Czech Olympic group management team tests positive for Covid-19

An unspecified member of the Czech Olympic group's managerial team tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Czech Olympic Committee announced in a press release. Coronavirus was detected in one of the passengers aboard a charter flight from Prague. The result of an antigen test performed at Tokyo airport was later confirmed by a more reliable PCR test.

"Unfortunately, we have not been spared of this situation despite having taken all measures that are normal these days. In any case, all the remaining members of the team have tested negative and all [Czech] athletes are in order in the Olympic village," said Martin Doktor, head of the Czech group's management team. The Covid-positive member of the management team is in isolation, as are several of his possible close contacts from the plane.

Former Czech culture minister receives top Sudeten German award

Former Czech culture minister Daniel Herman received the top Sudeten German award, the European Charles IV Prize, at the Sudeten German congress in Munich on Saturday. In his acceptance speech, he described the award as a gesture of support for building friendship between Germans and Czechs, and removing mutual prejudices. Herman warned against putting short-term national goals above freedom all over Europe.

"I highly appreciate the award and I understand it as great support for my contribution to German-Czech understanding and friendship between Germans and Czechs, to the elimination of prejudices and the deepening of further cooperation," Herman said at the award ceremony.

Experts praise new Czech law on waste, slam government steps in landscape care

The new law on waste, national park zone systems, and the opening of the coal exit debate are positive achievements from the current Czech government in the area of environment protection, scientists and experts from the Friends of the Earth organization have told CTK. On the contrary, the wording of a new anti-erosion directive and construction law, as well as poor steps in the are of landscape care, are government failures, the experts said.

"In our view, a positive result is the passage of the new law on waste, which imposes fines for waste dumps and requires sorting of waste, though it simultaneously seeks ways to support waste incineration," Jiří Koželouh, from Friends of the Earth, told CTK.

Czech Republic to provide another 40 million crowns in aid to Afghanistan

The Czech Republic should provide another 40 million crowns for Afghanistan this year in support of its defense and security forces, as well as sustainable development, the Foreign Ministry suggests in a document the cabinet will soon discuss. The Czech Republic provided the same amount in aid annually from 2018-2020 based on a cabinet decision in 2016.

The ministry wants Czech support for the development and stabilization of Afghanistan to be prolonged until 2024, with the height of the sum to be decided ad hoc every year based on an analysis of the political and security developments in the country.