Czech news in brief for October 7: Tuesday's top headlines

The District Court for Prague 1 sent a renewed extradition request Tuesday to the Chamber of Deputies for SPD Chairman Tomio Okamura over last year’s racist posters. The request was received by outgoing Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová. Okamura faces charges of inciting hatred, with potential sentences of six months to three years. He and the SPD deny wrongdoing and call the case politically motivated. MPs must vote again on extradition, as Okamura’s full parliamentary immunity was restored post-election.

Motorists' politician Filip Turek indicated Tuesday that he could become Czech foreign minister but would not confirm it until negotiations with the ANO movement and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) conclude. Motorists chairman Petr Macinka said his party is working on a stable agreement with ANO and SPD for the four-year term of the new lower house, but declined to comment on ministerial posts. Turek, the honorary president of Motorists, said he would not join a government including SPD members and opposes Tomio Okamura as defense minister.

Czech citizen Šárka Přikrylová, who took part in the Gaza flotilla, was deported from Israel with Swiss nationals Tuesday morning and is now in Jordan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Wernerová told Czech media. The flotilla, organized by the Global Sumud Flotilla project, aimed to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. Israeli forces halted the ships last week and detained over 400 activists. Přikrylová is receiving consular assistance in Amman and is expected to return home shortly. Today marks two years since terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel.

Doctors have reported 1,776 cases of hepatitis A this year, nearly triple last year’s total, according to the State Institute of Health (SZÚ). Almost 40 percent of cases are in Prague, where Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda last week called the situation a local epidemic. Twenty-one people have died, most with other chronic liver conditions or risky behavior, said SZÚ’s Kateřina Fabiánová. Chief hygienist Barbora Macková said infections are spreading among homeless people and in hostels; vaccination and public transport cleaning have been intensified in Prague.

Motorists party honorary president Filip Turek said Tuesday it seems likely he will become Czech foreign minister, but would not confirm it before talks conclude with ANO and the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party. Party chairman Petr Macinka said the three parties are negotiating a stable four-year pact. He refused to discuss portfolios but said SPD leader Tomio Okamura could head the lower house. President Petr Pavel said Monday the three parties could form a government with a comfortable majority.

Although satisfaction among Czech teachers has risen, fewer young people are choosing the profession, according to the TALIS 2024 survey released Tuesday by chief school inspector Tomáš Zatloukal. Eighty-four percent of teachers are satisfied with their working conditions, up 10 percent since 2018, and nearly half with their salaries. Yet only 46 percent of aspiring teachers see teaching as their first career choice, down from 53 percent. One in five teachers under 30 plans to leave the field within five years, posing a risk to long-term quality, Zatloukal said.

Several Czech parliamentary groups are holding their first meetings since this year’s elections Monday. Newcomers include the Motorists, with 13 seats, and the SPD, which has 15 deputies including members from allied parties. The People’s Party, TOP 09, and KDU-ČSL are also meeting, while ODS leadership convenes in the evening. The ruling ANO movement plans its group meeting Wednesday. The Pirate Party chose Olga Richterová to lead its parliamentary group.

University students across the Czech Republic hung banners in support of Palestine and its academic community Monday, organizers said. Participants from 28 faculties at 14 universities, including Charles University in Prague and Masaryk University in Brno, called on their institutions to take a clear stance on the Gaza conflict and end cooperation with Israeli academic and research organizations. Organizers rejected claims that universities should remain neutral.

The Czech State Security Council has formed a working group to modernize the country’s anti-drone systems, officials said. The group, involving the police, army, and security agencies, will assess domestic companies’ proposals and consider foreign expertise used to protect airports and nuclear plants. Authorities overseeing critical infrastructure may soon be authorized to neutralize drones. Industry experts say Czechia still lacks a comprehensive security strategy, citing Poland as a model.

Czech inflation eased to 2.3 percent year-on-year in September, down from 2.5 percent in August, according to a preliminary estimate by the Czech Statistical Office. Month-on-month, consumer prices fell 0.6 percent. Lower food and fuel prices drove the slowdown, while service prices continued to rise 4.7 percent. Analysts said the decline was stronger than expected but unlikely to prompt the Czech National Bank to cut its key interest rate from 3.5 percent.

British guitarist and singer Eric Clapton will perform in Prague on May 4, 2026, at the O2 Arena as part of his European tour, which also includes Poland and Hungary. The concert follows the upcoming release of a remastered deluxe edition of his 1989 album Journeyman with four previously unreleased tracks. Clapton, 80, has performed in Prague three times before, including a 2022 show featuring his hit Tears in Heaven.