Czech news in brief for December 17: Wednesday's top morning headlines

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday congratulated Andrej Babiš on his return as Czech Prime Minister on his Truth Social on Wednesday. Trump stated that cooperation on defense, energy, and illegal immigration would resume, including on the F-35 fighter jets. Czech President Petr Pavel appointed Babiš on Monday after his ANO movement formed a government. Babiš previously led the country from 2017 to 2021 and succeeds Petr Fiala’s cabinet. He is frequently referred to as “The Czech Trump.”

Czech President Petr Pavel will attend the largest school film screening in the country’s history on Wednesday at Prague’s Congress Centre, where students will watch the documentary Change my Mind (in Czech Velký vlastenecký výlet, or The Great Patriotic Trip). The event will host nearly 3,800 students from across Czechia. The film follows skeptics traveling to war-torn Ukraine and is used in schools to address media literacy and disinformation.

Price pressure on food in Czechia is easing, while costs in the construction sector continue to rise, according to new data cited by Czech Television. Consumers are paying more for beef, eggs, and poultry but less for potatoes, fruit, and vegetables. Economists say food prices are stabilizing, while construction faces rising material, energy, and labor costs, including shortages of skilled workers.

Snowfall in Czechia before Christmas is unlikely, and the chances remain low during the holidays, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, which announced this on Tuesday. Forecasters expect dry, stable weather with temperature inversions and minimal precipitation through December 24, even in mountainous areas. A possible shift to colder air after Christmas could bring wintry conditions, but meteorologists say significant snowfall remains improbable.

Czech director Jan Saska’s animated short Hurikan was shortlisted for an Academy Award, the film academy said Monday. The black-and-white film, set in Prague’s Žižkov district, previously won the Audience Award at France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. A Czech-produced Ukrainian animated short also advanced, while no Czech films made the foreign-language feature shortlist this year.