Czech news in brief for September 7: Monday’s top afternoon headlines recap

The Czech government will not cap fuel profit margins of retailers, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said today, arguing they were already low enough and that the Finance Ministry was monitoring them closely. The announcement comes just a few days after Babiš said authorities were considering the possibility of reregulating retailers’ profit margins after the significant rise in fuel prices over the past two weeks.

The monthly minimum wage in the Czech Republic will reach CZK 24,900 starting from January 2027, an increase of CZK 2,500 compared to its current level, the government officially approved today after weeks of negotiations with labor unions. Mandated under Czech law, another increase of about CZK 2,000 is expected in a year, according to Labor Minister Aleš Juchelka. Official figures estimate that 180,000 workers (about 5 percent of employees) receive the minimum wage today.

With a wealth of about CZK 480 billion, energy magnate Daniel Křetínský is by far the wealthiest Czech, according to a new ranking by business media e15.cz, well ahead of PPF heiress Renáta Kellnerová and family (CZK 405 billion) and Michal Strnad, owner and CEO of arms manufacturer CSG (CZK 347 billion). With a fortune estimated at approximately CZK 111 billion, current Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is in 11th place.

Police units intervened in Prague’s Palmovka districts earlier this afternoon, Novinky.cz reports, responding to calls about a man who barricaded himself in an apartment and threatened to commit suicide. The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. on Heydukova street, and ended without anyone getting hurt as police officers entered the man’s flat and seized the gas gun he was carrying.

Czech tennis player Linda Nosková has reached the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open for the first time in her career, and will face off world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday for a shot at the semi-finals. Now on an 11 Grand Slam games victory streak, the 21-year-old will face an uphill battle against the Belarusian player, against whom she has yet to win a single set despite three past games between the two. A Nosková win tomorrow would necessarily lead to Sabalenka losing her number one position.