Prague

Photo of Pope John Paul II was projected onto the façade of the presidential palace in Warsaw. Photo: Office of the President

Thousands took to the streets of Prague to protest the Czech government, high inflation and demand an end to the country's military support for Ukraine.

While that may have attracted some additional support from a sizable but fragmented anti-establishment and extremist minority that has emerged in the country, it also appeared to help mobilise the liberal democratic part of the electorate. The resulting turnout of over 70 per cent was a record for the second round of the election.

BELGRADE - Czech President Milos Zeman said on Monday in Belgrade he had tried to get his country to derecognise Kosovo and that the attempt had been unsuccessful, but that neither he nor his predecessor had consented to Prague sending an ambassador to Pristina.

PRAGUE - Czech President Milos Zeman will visit Serbia on Monday, January 30, it was announced in Prague on Friday.

The trip to Belgrade will be Zeman's farewell visit at the end of his five-year presidential term.

He is scheduled to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, with whom he will also open the renovated Czech House.

A referendum will take place in Slovakia on Saturday, as citizens vote on a constitutional change that would make it possible to shorten parliament's term through a referendum or by a majority vote in the parliament. The referendum, the first in seven years, was initiated by the opposition Smer party back in 2021.

The Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) will delight film lovers for the 33rd time between 9 and 20 November, this time with 90 feature-length and some 30 short films.

The next steps of EU member states to deal with high energy prices was at the focus of the meeting of the informal Council of European Energy Ministers held in Prague.

World leaders are very much concerned with the energy and food supplies following the Ukraine-Russia war but Türkiye does not face such a problem, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Oct. 10.

By Alexandra Fotaki