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Summary for: Czech news in brief for April 20: Monday's top afternoon headlines
Czechia mulls involvement in nuclear umbrella
Czechia mulls involvement in nuclear umbrella
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says the Czech Republic was still assessing whether to participate in a French-led, pan-European nuclear deterrence initiative that would extend France's nuclear capabilities, the only in the EU, to other European partners. With the project still in its early stages, Babiš said Czechia could possibly play a role in such an initiative, however adding that this would not change its policy towards the U.S as a key ally.
Czech Republic protests against Russia's threats
The Czech Foreign Ministry summoned this morning Russian ambassador in Prague Alexander Zmejevsky and issued a "strong protest" against Moscow's threats describing Czech companies involved in military production for Ukraine as "legitimate targets." "All forms of assistance that the Czech Republic provides to Ukraine are firmly anchored in international law," the ministry said in a statement after the meeting.
Young Czech pianist in the running for BBC award
20-year-old Czech pianist and virtuoso Jan Schulmeister could receive a prestigious BBC Music Magazine Award after being nominated in the Newcomer category as one of the three finalists, Seznam Zpravy reports. A student of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, Schulmeister came into public view in 2023 after winning third prize at the Young Pianists Competition in Dallas. Winners of the BBC Music Awards will be announced on Wednesday.
Nusle street closed after mine found in apartment
Part of the Pod Vilami street in Prague's Nusle district was closed this afternoon after a mine was found in an apartment being cleared out following the death of its former resident, iDnes.cz reported. Bomb disposal teams were on site to defuse the mine, and no one was reported injured at the time of publication.
Small tornado is first of the year in Czechia
A small and weak tornado spotted on Sunday near Jičín, in the Hradec Králové region, was the country's first documented tornado of 2026, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) announced today. There has not been any reported damage, and local mayor Zdeňka Stříbrná admitted that "I did not even notice the tornado myself." Apart from the 2021 occurrence in South Moravia, when six people were killed, tornadoes in Czechia are usually mild.
POLL RESULTS: We asked readers if they used this weekend's Open Day at Prague Castle to visit the historic halls and gardens. Just 6 percent of you braved the crowds to attend, and about half of respondents said they tend to avoid free days such as those. An additional 43 percent didn't visit the castle's premises, either because they didn't know about the open doors day or were not in Prague at the time.
