Czech news in brief for January 26: Sunday's top headlines

Jiří Mádl’s film Waves won the Satellite Award for Best International Film, beating five other nominees. The award is presented annually by the International Press Academy, which selects nominees from global festival submissions. Waves previously earned the Audience Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2024, and was Czechia's official submission to the Academy Awards.

Ivan Bartoš, former Pirate Party leader, said Pirates might rejoin a coalition with SPOLU if they secure a double-digit result in upcoming elections. Speaking on CNN Prima News, Bartoš noted their current 6.7 percent polling limits influence. In 2021, Pirates won just four seats due to preferential voting despite 15.6 percent overall support. Recent polls show Pirates losing young voters to STAN, while ANO remains the election favorite with over 33 percent.

A January election poll shows ANO leading with 34.9 percent of the vote, far ahead of the second-place SPOLU coalition at 18.2 percent. Third place belongs to STAN with 11.1 percent, while SPD, the Pirate Party, and the new Stačilo! party would also enter the Chamber of Deputies with more than the required five percent of the vote. The 2025 Czech parliamentary election will be held in October.

Czech basketball player Vít Krejčí set a new personal record with 20 points in the Atlanta Hawks' 117-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday evening. The Czech player also matched career highs with six three-pointers and seven assists. Despite Krejčí's performance, the injury-depleted Hawks suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, dropping to 22-23 and 9th in the Eastern Conference.

Record high temperatures for Jan. 25 were measured across the Czech Republic, with 29 weather stations reporting new maximums, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute announced. Pohorská Ves in the Novohradské Mountains recorded 17.8 degrees Celsius, though it wasn’t included in official records due to local anomalies. Primda, with 12.9 degrees Celsius, marked the highest January temperature in its 64-year history. Other areas, such as Jesenice and Kašperské Hory, also saw unseasonably warm temperatures exceeding 14 degrees Celsius.

Next week, the Czech government will attempt to pass a controversial bill increasing TV and radio fees, extending charges to more devices. The bill aims to stabilize public media funding, but critics, including ANO and SPD, call it an unfair burden on citizens. It proposes a CZK 15 increase for Czech Television to CZK 150 CZK and a CZK 10 rise for Czech Radio to CZK 55. The government also plans to simplify divorce proceedings in a separate bill.

Kateřina Siniaková secured her third Australian Open doubles title and 10th career Grand Slam win, partnering with Taylor Townsend to defeat Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in Melbourne. The Czech-American duo, seeded first, triumphed in a two-hour, 29-minute final. Siniaková, 28, previously won the Australian Open doubles titles in 2022 and 2023 alongside Barbora Krejčíková.

Older flats and houses saw price increases across most Czech regions in 2024, driven by renewed demand and falling interest rates, according to EHS Group analysis. Prices for older flats rose 9 percent, averaging CZK 100,941 per square meter, while family houses increased 7 percent to CZK 57,902 per square meter. In Prague, flat prices grew 8 percent year-on-year to CZK 134,696 per square meter, with strong demand tripling buyers. Rental prices also rose nationwide, with Prague averaging CZK 401 per square meter by December.

U.S. President Donald Trump has revitalized transatlantic cooperation, Czech Ambassador to France Jaroslav Kurfurst said Friday. He emphasized Europe's need to increase defense spending and readiness, aligning with Trump’s call for greater European responsibility. Kurfurst highlighted unprecedented Czech-French alignment on Ukraine and Russian aggression, stating that lasting peace depends on Russia’s willingness to halt the war. “Putin alone can stop this war; it is his choice,” he added.

At the end of 2024, 2.96 billion banknotes and coins were in circulation in Czechia, marking a 3.2 percent increase from 2023, according to the Czech National Bank. The total value of cash rose by CZK 22 billion to CZK 727.6 billion. Banknotes accounted for 550.7 million pieces, with the CZK 2,000 bill being the most used, representing over a third of all banknotes in circulation. Coins totaled 2.4 billion pieces, with CZK 1 coins being the most numerous.

Two people died in a house fire in Halenkov, in Czechia's Zlín Region, late Saturday night. Eight firefighting units extinguished the blaze, which engulfed the wooden house and caused damages estimated at CZK 5 million, according to fire brigade spokesperson Pavel Řezníček. The victims were found inside the home. Investigators and police are working to determine the cause. This marks the first fatal fire in Zlín Region since one on Christmas Eve in Zlín-Štípa.