Latest news with #CTK
Mint
04-07-2025
- Mint
Czech Republic Recovering From Blackout After Grid Issue
(Bloomberg) -- The Czech Republic is slowly recovering from widespread power outages that halted public transport and businesses in several parts of the country after a fault on the transmission grid. Underground trains and some tram lines in Prague have resumed service after central and northern areas were without electricity on Friday morning, CTK news service reported. Electricity distributor PRE Group said it expected to reconnect supplies to affected parts of the city by around 4 p.m. local time. It's the second major outage in Europe this year following a voltage issue on Spain's power network in April that caused a blackout for more than 50 million people on the Iberian Peninsula. It's taken months for the investigations to be carried out into what happened in Spain and it still hasn't been decided who is to blame. A second event so soon after, raises serious questions for operators about how resilient Europe's power system is. The grid operator said it didn't know what had caused the incident, CTK reported. Police wrote on X there were no indications that a terrorist or cyber attack was behind the blackout. The Czech outage occurred in 8 out of the country's 44 main substations, of which five are now back online, CTK reported, citing national grid operator CEPS. Substations contain the equipment that connects the high voltage transmission grid with the distribution grid so it can carry power to homes and businesses. Prague's airport wasn't affected, nor were most banking systems or mobile phone networks, according to CTK. --With assistance from Peter Laca. More stories like this are available on
The Star
04-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Czech Republic hit by major power outage
Trams are immobilized during a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK/Ptacek Jan via REUTERS PRAGUE (Reuters) - A major power outage that hit parts of the Czech Republic on Friday, briefly halting underground trains in the capital Prague, was probably the result of a technical outage, with no signs of a cyber or terrorist attack, authorities said. The incident is likely to add to concerns about the resilience of Europe's power grids and infrastructure after Spain suffered the worst blackout in its history in April and a fire knocked out the power supply to London's Heathrow airport in March. "Part of the transmission system is without voltage; the event affected also a larger part of transmission system substations," grid operator CEPS said in a statement. CEPS later said that five out of eight affected substations had resumed operation and the causes of the outage were being investigated. It affected the Liberec, North-Bohemia, East-Bohemia and Central Bohemia regions, as well as Prague, CEPS said. Speaking on Czech Television, Interior Minster Vit Rakusan said the authorities had no information to suggest there had been a cyber or terrorist attack. Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said on X trains were halted on a number of lines and five out of 14 regions of the country were affected. Prague transport company DPP said it had restored operations after underground trains were briefly halted and tram traffic stopped on the right bank of the capital. Czech media reported a number of people trapped in elevators in parts of Prague and central Bohemia. which operates part of the grid in south and south-eastern Czech Republic, said its supply area was not affected. Neighbouring Poland's power grid operator also said its systems were unaffected. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Vera Dvorakova, Nina Chestney, writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Mark Potter and Barbara Lewis)
Malaysian Reserve
29-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
IATA: Global air cargo demand up by 5.8% y-o-y in April
KUALA LUMPUR — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported a year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in global air cargo demand for April 2025. Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rose by 5.8 per cent in volume, building on March's solid performance, IATA said in a statement today. International operations saw an even stronger increase of 6.5 per cent, while in terms of capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), ticked up by 6.3 per cent globally and 6.9 per cent for international routes. In April 2024, the total demand for international operations was 6.5 per cent higher. In terms of capacity, measured in ACTK, increased by 6.3 per cent, compared with April 2024 of 6.9 per cent for international operations. IATA director general Willie Walsh said seasonal demand for fashion and consumer goods, front-loading ahead of the United States tariff changes, and lower jet fuel prices have combined to boost air cargo. 'With available capacity at record levels and yields improving, the outlook for air cargo is encouraging. While April brought good news, stresses in world trade are no secret. 'Shifts in trade policy, particularly in the US, are already reshaping demand and export dynamics. Airlines will need to remain flexible as the situation develops over the coming months,' he said. Several economic indicators supported the uptick in air cargo performance, including the increase in global industrial production, which rose 3.2 per cent y-o-y in March. It also noted that jet fuel prices declined by 21.2 per cent from the previous year and 4.1 per cent compared with March, marking the third consecutive month of falling fuel costs. Besides, global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.5 in April, signalling continued expansion for the fourth month in a row. 'However, there are also signs of caution. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for new export orders dropped 2.8 points to 47.2, remaining below the 50-point benchmark that indicates growth,' it said. In terms of regional performance in April, Asia-Pacific airlines saw 10.0 per cent y-o-y demand growth for air cargo, while capacity increased by 9.4 per cent y-o-y. On trade lane growth, IATA said all international routes experienced growth in April, except for Middle East-Europe, Africa-Asia, and intra-European routes. Overall, the data reflect a robust air cargo sector buoyed by economic and seasonal tailwinds, though the potential for policy-driven shifts remains a key risk in the months ahead. The IATA represents some 350 airlines comprising over 80 per cent of global air traffic. In terms of total cargo traffic measured by CTK, the Asia-Pacific region holds the largest market share at 34.2 per cent. North America follows with 25.8 per cent, while Europe accounts for 21.5 per cent of the global share. The Middle East contributes 13.6 per cent to the total cargo traffic, whereas Latin America and Africa represent smaller portions, with 2.9 per cent and 2.0 per cent, respectively. These figures highlight the dominant role of Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe in global air cargo movement. — BERNAMA
DW
28-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Czech-Slovak relations chill to glacial – DW – 05/28/2025
Czechia and Slovakia have been independent states for over 30 years. Until recently, the bond between them was extremely close. But among other things, the subject of Ukraine has driven a wedge between the two neighbors. Relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 have been consistently good, close and characterized by mutual trust. The governments of the two neighboring countries have supported each other and cooperated on defense. Their respective languages are understood in both countries, and tens of thousands of young Slovaks study at Czech universities, which have a reputation for offering higher-quality education. The first foreign trip for a newly elected Czech or Slovak president has always been to the other country, and joint cabinet meetings are held at least once a year. And in surveys, the citizens of each country consistently rank the other as their favorite country. Or at least they used to. The end of an exceptional relationship? Since Robert Fico became prime minister in Slovakia for the fourth time in October 2023, relations between these two next-door neighbors have deteriorated and chilled significantly. Czech PM Petr Fiala said in March 2024 that his government did not consider it appropriate to conduct meetings with the government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months Image: Michal Krumphanzl/CTK/IMAGO Fico's nationalist, pro-Russian government, which models itself on that of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly clashed with the pro-Ukrainian Czech government of Petr Fiala. So much so that Prague actually canceled the traditional meeting of both governments in March 2024. The message from the Czech capital was that the "exceptional relationship" was terminated indefinitely. "We do not consider it appropriate to conduct governmental meetings with the government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months," Fiala told journalists at the time. "There is no hiding that there are considerable differences of opinion on several important foreign policy issues." Differences over Ukraine Fico, who had ordered a halt to military aid for Ukraine from the Slovak government and re-established relations with Moscow, responded by accusing Fiala's government of warmongering. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (left) and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban (right) are close allies Image: Omar Havana/AP Photo/picture alliance "We note that the Czech government has decided to risk our relationship just because it is interested in supporting the war in Ukraine, while the Slovak government wants to speak openly about peace," Fico posted on social media. Although cooperation on practical projects continued at a low level, the warmth and mutual understanding of the previous three decades has dissipated entirely, particularly as Slovakia's rapprochement with Russia continues. The culmination of this rapprochement was Fico's participation in the May 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow. He was the only head of government in the European Union to attend. Growing distance between the two populations Domestic developments in Slovakia, where the government has been taking action against independent public media and cultural institutions, making the fight against political corruption more difficult, are also not going down well in the Czech Republic. The cooling of relations between the two governments is now starting to impact attitudes in society, too. Slovak PM Robert Fico (eyes closed, center) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (to the right of Fico) attended the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow Image: Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP According to the annual survey conducted by the Czech polling institute STEM, which was published just a few days ago, Slovakia has slipped from its traditional No. 1 spot on the list of Czech citizens' favorite countries to No. 10 in the ranking. A 'clear drop' in Slovakia's popularity "The attitude of the Czech public towards other countries and foreign politicians remains largely stable in 2025. However, the current survey registers a clear drop for Slovakia and the United States," notes the institute on its website. "It is highly probable that the clear decline in positive attitudes after the downward trend of the last two years is linked to the current political situation in the country, where relations with the Czech Republic cooled after the Fico government came to power in fall 2023," STEM analyst Silvia Petty told the media. The chill in relations was accelerated when the clearly pro-Western Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who was hugely popular in the Czech Republic, was succeeded by Fico's minister and preferred presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini. "Pellegrini has an approval rating of 38% among Czech men and women, which is much lower than that of his predecessor, Caputova. She had an approval rating of 68% among Czechs in the final year of her presidency," said Petty. One in five Slovaks supports Russia But it is apparently not only the governments of both countries that disagree on Ukraine, so too do their respective citizens. According to a survey conducted by the institute CVVM dated April 2025, 58% of Czech citizens support military aid for Ukraine. According to an IPSOS survey from early 2025, only 16% of Slovaks do. The Progressive Slovakia party led by Michal Simecka (pictured here at an anti-government rally in December 2023) is ahead in the polls in his country Image: Patrik Uhlir/CTK/picture alliance Indeed, one-third of those who voted for Fico's Smer party and 20% of Slovaks overall would welcome a Russian victory. In the Czech Republic, only 7% would. The Slovak weekly magazine Tyzden noted that Czech President Petr Pavel received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Prague Castle just days before Fico visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The photos from Prague Castle and the Kremlin defined the character of two opposing worlds, noted the magazine's editor-in-chief, Stefan Hrib. Slovak opposition welcome in Prague Members of the ruling coalition in Bratislava are trying to play down the gulf between the two neighbors. "The basic message should be that despite some differences of opinion at government and sometimes even presidential level, our common foundation still exists," Richard Rasi, spokesperson of the Slovak parliament and deputy chair of the coalition party Hlas, told DW. Rasi went on to say that while a joint meeting of the two governments before the parliamentary election in the Czech Republic in October is unthinkable, he believes that "we will return to the negotiating table after the elections." Ivan Korcok told DW that PS would 'bring Slovakia back from the periphery to the center of Europe and restore our wonderful Czech-Slovak relations' Image: Petr David Josek/AP The Slovak opposition, which is led by the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, has good relations with Prague. PS politicians such as party leader Michal Simecka and former foreign minister and former Slovak ambassador to Berlin, Ivan Korcok, are received at the highest levels in the Czech capital. What does the future hold? Korcok narrowly lost the Slovak presidential election last year and joined PS in late 2024. Speaking to DW during his recent visit to Prague, he said: "I would like to say this to the Czechs: Believe me, there is a political alternative in Slovakia in the form of the opposition and Progressive Slovakia. It will bring Slovakia back from the periphery to the center of Europe and restore our wonderful Czech-Slovak relations." Since the start of the year, Progressive Slovakia has been ahead in all polls. Were an election to take place now, it and other opposition parties would win a parliamentary majority. In the Czech Republic, however, the ANO movement led by Czech oligarch Andrej Babis, is ahead in the polls. Babis makes no bones of his support for both Fico and Hungary's Viktor Orban. So, if the polls are right, the political leadership of both countries could change, but the current political ice age would continue. This article was originally published in German.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Czech president ends probe of soldiers over Afghanistan torture claim
The Czech Republic has dropped criminal investigations against four soldiers in connection with serious allegations of torture of an Afghan man during a mission in Afghanistan in a move ordered by President Petr Pavel. By closing the investigations, Pavel - himself a former NATO general - was making use of a constitutional provision, the presidential office said in Prague on Wednesday. The president had acted in response to the defendants' pleas for clemency, it added in a statement. The Czech Republic was involved in the NATO mission in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2021. The allegations date back to 2018, when an Afghan man shot and killed a Czech soldier at a military base and seriously injured two others. After his arrest, he was interrogated by four members of a Czech special unit and by US soldiers, according to the CTK news agency. Shortly afterwards, he was taken to a field hospital, where he died. The Czech public prosecutor's office filed charges against the four military personnel in April. It accused two of them of coercion and insubordination and two others of failure to render assistance and neglect of their duties as soldiers. A spokesman for the president justified the decision, citing among other things the "exceptional nature of the war situation," the "difficult international context" and the length of the investigation.
