Czech news in brief for March 16: Monday's top morning headlines

President Petr Pavel is due to meet today with Finance Minister Alena Schillerová to discuss the government's budget plans for this upcoming year. After months of debate, the 2026 budget was approved by the lower house of Parliament last week, and will need the president's signature. Although Pavel said he wouldn't veto it, he already expressed concerns about the extent of the planned deficit, and low defense spending.

The weather for this week is bound to be changing and unstable, according to the latest forecasts by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). Cloudiness, occasional showers and strong winds might start off the week, as well as snowfalls in the mountains and sub-zero temperatures at night. The sky should clear and temperatures rise on Wednesday, Thursday, and during the week-end.

Operators of gas stations across the Czech Republic have started sharing their data and pricing information with the Finance Ministry. Last week, authorities said they would monitor the price of fuel sold to make sure higher oil prices on the global markets would not be used as a cover to artificially inflate prices and increase profit margins.

The Czech-Danish co-production Mr. Nobody Against Putin, mapping Russia's pro-war propaganda in schools, won the Academy Award for best feature documentary at the Oscars ceremony held last night in Los Angeles. "In the name of our future, in the name of our children, stop all wars", co-director and protagonist Pavel Talankin said as he accepted to coveted golden statuette.

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games are officially over. Although they didn't take part in yesterday's closing ceremony in Cortina to protest against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, Czechs are ending the competition with a total of six medals in para biathlon and para cross-country skiing - one gold, four silver, and one bronze. The next winter Paralympics will take place in France in 2030.