Czech news in brief for September 11: Friday's top afternoon headlines recap

President Petr Pavel is gearing up for his upcoming trip to the U.S. as he prepares to fly to New York next Sunday as the head of the Czech delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In the US, Pavel is set to meet with top UN officials and other world leaders, deliver a national address on September 23 and visit the memorial to the victims of 9/11. He will conclude his trip by visiting the state of Nebraska and meet with representatives of the National Guard, which has a more than 30-year-long cooperation with the Czech army.

A survey by the Median agency found that 39 percent of Czechs support a stronger European Union, versus 29 percent who would prefer for the EU to be weaker than it is today. Meanwhile, about 16 percent would like a weaker European integration but at the same time would prefer for the EU to be stronger on the global stage. Voters of current government parties (ANO, Motorists and SPD) tend to lean towards supporting a weaker EU, according to the poll.

The overall population of the Czech Republic decreased by about 12,200 during the first six months of the year, according to the preliminary figures released today by the Czech statistical office, largely due to a negative natural balance between the number of deaths and births. There are now about 10,915.839 people living in Czechia, and less than 37,000 children were born in the first half of 2026.

The former first lady and widow of the late president Dagmar Havlová has granted another institution the right to use Václav Havel's name. "We plan to present the project ceremonially on September 21st at the christening of the Václav Havel bench on Mariánské Square," she told reporters. The announcement comes just one day after the former Václav Havel Library in Prague, having lost the right to use the former president's name, was forced to rebrand itself as the 1st Presidential Library.

After extensive renovation works totaling over CZK 3 billion, the Industrial Palace at the Prague Exhibition Grounds will open to the public between September 25 and October 11. After that date, the palace will mainly be used for hosting fairs, exhibitions and other cultural events and will not be freely accessible. One of the city's most precious architectural landmarks, the Industrial Palace was built on the occasion of the 1891 Jubilee Exhibition based on the design of Bedřich Munzberger.