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Summary for: Czech news in brief for November 18: Tuesday's top afternoon headlines
Cloudflare outage hits Czech online services
tech Cloudflare outage disrupts major online services used in Czechia
A global outage at internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare caused disruptions this afternoon to services widely used in Czechia, including X, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and outage-monitoring site Downdetector. Cloudflare, which protects websites from DDoS attacks, reported at around 1 p.m. that it was investigating the issue and later said it was monitoring recovery, though sites continued failing intermittently. Some pages are displaying Cloudflare domain access errors.
politics Babiš: I will resolve conflict of interest only if appointed PM
ANO leader Andrej Babiš, the likely next prime minister, said he will not take irreversible steps to resolve his conflict of interest until President Petr Pavel confirms he will appoint him. Pavel has conditioned the appointment on Babiš publicly outlining a solution linked to his ownership ties to the Agrofert holding. Babiš told followers on Instagram he would act in line with European law and Czech court rulings. ANO is forming a coalition with SPD and Motorists.
environment Czechia rises in climate index but remains in lower half
Czechia climbed seven places to 42nd in the Climate Change Performance Index, presented by international environmental groups at COP30, but still ranks in the lower tier globally. The index evaluates 60 major emitters based on emissions, renewable energy, climate policy, and energy use. Czechia scored highest in emissions trends (33rd) and lowest in climate policy (49th). Denmark, the UK, and Morocco led the rankings, while Russia, the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia were last.
Sport Czech footballers lose bonuses after refusing to greet fans
The Czech Football Association has withdrawn player bonuses for the national team’s 6–0 win over Gibraltar after players skipped the traditional post-match thanks to supporters in Olomouc. Midfielder Tomáš Souček, captain of the national team, will also not wear the armband in the next match. The money will be donated to charity. Fans from the Fanatism Czechia group had planned a protest over recent poor performances, prompting the tension visible during the match.
crime Young Czechs want to own homes, but most doubt they can afford it
Owning property is a key life goal for 83 percent of Czechs aged 18–30, but only 7 percent believe they can buy a home without outside help, according to a survey by Broker Consulting and Ipsos. One-third expect to rely on parental support. Only a third of respondents currently own property. Mojmír Hampl, head of the National Budget Council, said homeownership remains a strong cultural value. Many young people now view property primarily as a long-term investment.
📊 POLL OF THE DAY
Czechia's incoming government says it will halt the planned increase in social insurance contributions for self-employed people in 2026.
