News in brief for June 4: Czechia to issue more work visas for Philippines, Mongolia

The last two Czech citizens stranded in war-torn Sudan have been evacuated from the country and are now safe thanks to help from Turkey, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský tweeted on Saturday. Fighting between the Sudanese army and rebels from the paramilitary Rapid Support Force began in mid-April.

Three citizens had already been evacuated to the Czech Republic earlier with the help of Germany. The two other Czechs had been in Nyala in southern Sudan with a group of Turkish citizens. "The difficult logistical operation is successfully completed. The last two Czech citizens have been evacuated from Sudan and are safe. I thank the Turkish side and all my colleagues for the organization," Lipavský wrote.

The Czech government is planning to change the quotas for admitting applications for work visas, and wants to offer jobs to more people from embassies in Manila and Ulaanbaatar, based on a proposal by the Interior Ministry. From the Philippines, it will offer 3,000 more work visas than the current 2,500 per year, and from Mongolia it will offer 2,000 more work visas from the current 1,230.

The government does not intend to increase the volume of labor migration from third countries, therefore it will simultaneously reduce the quota of work visas from the embassy in Lviv, Ukraine, from the current 38,000 to 33,000.

Russian insurgents aligned with Ukraine have reportedly used weapons from Belgium and the Czech Republic during clashes in Belgorod, Russia, reports The Washington Post. Belgium and the Czech Republic provided weapons to Ukraine and that's mot likely where these rifles came from, the Post writes, citing Andrew Galer from defense and security intelligence agency Janes.

The weapons in question were specifically Czech BREN rifles and Belgian FN SCARs. The Czech Ministry of Defence has refused to comment on the matter so far, reports Aktuálně.cz. The news comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to rise across recent weeks.

Czech tennis star Karolína Muchová will compete to make the quarterfinals at this year's French Open after defeating Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. Muchová will next play Russia's Elina Avanesyan on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. from the Suzanne Lenglen court in Paris.

The last Czech representative in singles play, Muchová will try to improve on her previous best at the French Open. After her victory in the first round over the eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari from Greece, the world number 43 defeated Argentina's Nadia Podoroska before topping Begu on Friday.

Olympic champion Jiří Prskavec has won a bronze medal at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Augsburg, Germany this weekend. The win is especially impressive since Prskavec won his Olympic gold in kayaking, and has only recently began competing in canoe events. Václav Chaloupka, who won a gold medal in 2021, came in fifth this year.

German athlete Sideris Tasiadis won the gold medal at this year's Canoe World Cup. The World Cup in Augsburg is one of the most prestigious events in the sport of canoe slalom, attracting the best athletes from around the world. The competition takes place on an artificial whitewater course which was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Two people died in a car accident on Saturday on the I/35 road near the village of Konecchlumí between Hořice and Jičín. Additionally, the I/3 road near Olbramovice in Benešov was closed on Saturday morning due to an accident in which the driver of a car died. He collided head-on with a truck.

The identities of the deceased have not been released. The police are investigating the causes of both accidents and the roads will remain closed until further notice. Drivers are advised to find alternative routes.