Czech news in brief for December 8: Monday's top afternoon headlines

President Petr Pavel completed consultations with candidates from the Motorists party, including Culture Minister nominee Ota Klempíř and incoming Minister of Sports, Prevention, and Health Minister Boris Staštný. Discussions focused on support for cultural institutions, the independence of public media, and funding. Klempíř confirmed the Motorists support maintaining public media license fees and noted differences with coalition partners ANO and SPD on certain issues.

Filip Turek, Motorists MP and honorary chairman, remains hospitalized in Prague with a herniated disc and on strong pain medication, Boris Staštný said. Turek sent President Pavel a letter of apology and hopes to meet him soon to present his plans for the Environment Ministry. Staštný noted Turek’s intensive therapy and mobility limitations. Turek emphasized his proposed Green Deal policies aim to support industry, households, and living standards in Czechia and Europe.

Czech Chief Hygienist Barbora Macková warns the country is on the verge of a flu epidemic. Data show a 16 percent weekly rise in respiratory infections, with flu cases increasing by nearly a third, especially among school-age children and young adults. Overall morbidity remains typical for the season, while Covid-19 and rhinovirus infections decline. Authorities say there are no significant differences in morbidity between regions.

Czechia will not contribute to the EU solidarity pool for 2026 due to the high number of Ukrainian refugees in the country, the Permanent Representation to the EU said. The bloc's interior ministers agreed on the annual mechanism today. While countries not under migration pressure must provide financial, logistical, or relocation support, Czechia, classified as facing significant migration, requested and received an exemption for next year.

American musician David Byrne, founder of Talking Heads and recipient of a Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe, will perform his new album Who Is the Sky? at O2 Universum in Prague on June 17, 2026. The concert will feature Byrne’s work alongside the orchestral sound of New York’s Ghost Train Orchestra. Tickets start at 1,600 CZK. Pre-sales for fan club members, O2, and Live Nation begin Dec. 9, 10, and 11, with general sales starting Dec. 12.

The Prague Appeals High Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence and 10-year expulsion for a Belarusian driver whose truck caused the death of a Syrian migrant on Czech soil. The court rejected his claim of ignorance, citing his control of ventilation and stops during transport. Thirty migrants were in the truck, including two children. The driver knowingly continued the journey despite poor conditions, the court said, describing the circumstances as cruel and inhuman.