Czech news in brief for March 13: Thursday's top headlines

Linda Noskova will lead the Czech women’s tennis team in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Ostrava from April 10-12, captain Petr Pala announced Wednesday. The team also includes Marie Bouzkova, Sara Bejlek, Dominika Salkova, and Tereza Valentova, with Karolina Muchova and Katerina Siniakova possibly joining. The Czechs will face Brazil and Spain, with only the winner advancing to the finals in China.

 Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura proposed allowing defense spending to exceed 2% of GDP, bypassing budget limits, in the 2026-2033 budgets. The plan, debated in parliament Wednesday, aims to modernize the military and meet NATO commitments. Prime Minister Petr Fiala supports raising defense spending to 3% by 2030. Opposition leaders stress the need for efficient spending before further increases.

President Petr Pavel appointed physicist Radomir Panek as chairman of the Czech Academy of Sciences on Wednesday. Elected in December, Panek succeeds Eva Zazimalova and will serve until 2029. His priorities include boosting funding, raising salaries, and improving internal operations. Previously, Panek led the Institute of Plasma Physics. The academy oversees 54 research institutes across various disciplines.

The Czech state should build 20,000 flats annually, investing 1 percent of GDP, or about 80 billion crowns, in housing, Social Democrats (SOCDEM) leader Jana Malacova said Wednesday. Funding would come from housing benefit savings, foreign real estate taxes, and corporate levies. If reelected, SOCDEM plans to reintroduce a public housing bill, citing Vienna as a model. 

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala again called on opposition leader Andrej Babis to attend security talks on defense spending, criticizing his absence as unjustified. Babis argued the meeting was unnecessary since key decisions were already made. The SPD also declined to join. Fiala stressed the importance of political unity on national security amid global tensions, urging Babis to reconsider his refusal.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský expressed doubts about U.S. diplomats’ trip to Moscow, saying he does not expect much progress in ceasefire talks with Russia. While U.S. officials push for a 30-day ceasefire, Lipavský said Russia remains committed to destroying Ukraine. However, he acknowledged the U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia as a positive step for European security.

A Ryanair flight from Krakow to Bristol made an emergency landing at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport on Wednesday evening after the crew reported smoke on board. The Boeing 737 landed safely around 7:30 p.m., briefly halting airport operations. A flight from Liverpool to Prague was diverted to Dresden due to the incident. Firefighters responded immediately, and no injuries were reported.

Former Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová opened the 27th One World Human Rights Film Festival in Prague, presenting two Homo Homini awards to Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji and late Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna. The festival, organized by People in Need, features over 100 documentaries on war, migration, and human rights. It runs in Prague until March 20 and across the Czech Republic until April 27.

A survey by Median and Scio found that 89 percent of Czech and 86 percent of Slovak secondary school students plan to pursue higher education. In 2023, 27 percent of Czechs aged 25-64 held university degrees, below the OECD average of 41 percent. Those opting out cited school fatigue or a desire to work, while financial and logistical concerns were less common reasons.