Czech Republic

Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (center) and Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek (left) speak to the media after a mass shooting in downtown Prague on Thursday.

World News

At least 14 people are dead after a mass shooting at a Prague university

5:39pm December 21, 2023

by The Associated Press

A student opened fire Thursday in a university building in downtown Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic's worst mass shooting, officials said.

Signs promoting 5G wireless technology from Chinese technology firm Huawei are displayed at the PT Expo in Beijing in 2018. Germany is reviewing the presence of Huawei and ZTE components in its telecommunications.

Germany moves toward restrictions on Huawei, as Europe sours on China

10:24am March 08, 2023

by Rob Schmitz

Germany said Tuesday it is reviewing tech suppliers such as China's Huawei and ZTE, whose equipment is used in Germany's 5G networks. Europeans are starting to favor a tougher stance on China.

World News

Poland Accidentally Invades Czech Republic In 'Minor Misunderstanding'

6:44pm June 13, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Their foreign ministries confirmed the mix-up, in which Polish soldiers mistakenly crossed the border and stopped people on the wrong side. Both countries seem to have taken it all in stride, though.

Milan Kundera is seen with his wife Vera Hrabankov in Prague in 1973, two years before they emigrated.

Milan Kundera's Czech Citizenship Is Restored After 40 Years

4:02pm December 03, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being saw his books banned and citizenship revoked in 1979. Exiled in Paris, Kundera began writing his novels in French.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Czech Republic President Milos Zeman shake hands in Prague in March 2016. For years, the Czech Republic kept its distance from Beijing. But this changed when Zeman, a populist, took office in 2013.

World News

Czech-Chinese Ties Strained As Prague Stands Up To Beijing

11:29am October 30, 2019

by Rob Schmitz

Beijing recently canceled a sister-city agreement with Prague, whose mayor opposed inclusion of a "One China" provision that Taiwan is part of China. Beijing also canceled a Prague Philharmonic tour.

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Czech President Milos Zeman (back row, second from left) looks on with glee Thursday as firefighters burn a large piece of red textile representing the red underwear his political opponents have used to mock him.

World News

The Czech President Invites You To Watch Him Burn Some Huge Red Underpants

1:34pm June 15, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Milos Zeman has some history with Goliath-sized boxers. Bad history. So he had the media gather Thursday for a ritual bonfire. "The time of underwear in politics is over," he boldly declared.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, seen here in 2015, ruled Thursday that psychological tests of sexual orientation may not be used to rule on asylum applications.

EU Court Rejects 'Gay Tests' For Asylum Seekers

5:52pm January 25, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

The court said that Hungarian officials should not have administered psychological tests to try to determine the sexual orientation of a Nigerian man seeking refugee status.

Potato Research Institute geneticist Jaroslava Domkářová says that while potatoes are a staple crop in the Czech Republic, the recent blue "specialty varieties" are harder to market.

Czech Republic Creates Tuber For Health-Conscious Purple-Potato Eaters

3:26pm November 16, 2017

by Morgan Childs

"Val Blue" is the first new variety bred at the Potato Research Institute since 2005. And though vibrant, unique types are popular elsewhere, they're still a hard sell in this potato-loving nation.

Europe's top court has dismissed a legal action by Hungary and Slovakia, which challenged a system that required them to take in refugees. Above, migrants wait to be rescued by a ship in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast last month.

EU Court Rejects Bid By Hungary And Slovakia To Avoid Taking Migrants

5:15pm September 06, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The countries challenged a quota system adopted by the EU to help Italy and Greece during the 2015 migration crisis. Hungary's foreign minister vowed to fight any imposed relocation of refugees.

On the weekend of April 8, the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., made mazanec as part of an Easter celebration.

Mazanec: A Czech Easter Tradition Fighting To Survive In The U.S.

10:00am April 15, 2017

by Cecilia Mazanec

In the Czech Republic, mazanec, a Czech Easter bread, is like the turkey to America's Thanksgiving. But in the U.S., those who make this bread are struggling to keep the raisin-filled tradition alive.