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Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague Sunday to support the country's pro-Ukrainian president, who is locked in a dispute with the government's nationalist billionaire leader Andrej Babis.Organisers from the independent Million Moments for Democracy movement claim up to 90,000 people attended the demonstration, where some participants waved Czech, European and Ukrainian flags.Babis leads a government comprising his catch-all ANO party and two eurosceptic parties, the far-right SPD and the right-wing Motorists, following a general election last October.President Petr Pavel and the government have since then been embroiled in disagreement over Babis's naming of a contentious minister under investigation for rape, and over the question of whether the Czech Republic should continue supporting war-ravaged Ukraine."We are here to show the president that he is not alone -- the devil of dictatorship never sleeps and we have to stay vigilant," Alena Krotka, a pensioner who demonstrated against the communist regime in Prague on the same Wenceslas square in 1989, told AFP.On Tuesday, Pavel published short messages in which Motorists chairman and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka threatened retaliation if the president keeps refusing to name Motorists candidate Filip Turek as the environment minister.Turek, a former member of the European Parliament, is under investigation for domestic violence and rape following a complaint filed by a former girlfriend.Media have published Turek's posts on social networks, describing them as racist and misogynistic, and police also probed allegations that he owned Nazi paraphernalia and made the Nazi salute, before shelving the case."We have to stop such behaviours in high politics, this cannot go on like this," said 16-year-old student Teodor, who sported a banner praising the head of state.Pavel has refused to name Turek, saying his actions "raise doubts about his loyalty to the values set out in the Czech constitution".Macinka, now serving as both foreign and environment minister, said on Czech public TV on Sunday that he would "ignore" the president, who he said should not represent the country at the next NATO summit.The parliamentary opposition has initiated a vote of confidence for next week, which Babis's cabinet is almost certain to survive."The unprecedented blackmail of the president by Petr Macinka is absolutely unacceptable. This has no place in a democratic culture," Million Moments for Democracy said on Facebook.In 2019, the movement brought some 250,000 people to a rally against Babis serving his first term as premier, accusing him of graft and urging him to resign.It announced that a new demonstration would be organised if the recently launched petition called "We Stand Behind the President" was signed by more than a million people. It has now gathered over 622,000 signatures.In an X post, Pavel said he values people who are "willing to stand up for decency, truth, solidarity and mutual respect"."I deeply appreciate all those who do not remain indifferent to what is happening around them and who feel responsible for the state of our country," he said.Pavel and Babis also clash over Czech-made jet fighter supplies to Ukraine -- while the president sees no problem in sending four L-159 planes, the government opposes providing military aid to Kyiv and insists Prague needs the jets. 

Qatar Chamber board member Ali bin Abdellatif al-Misnad held a meeting Tuesday with a trade delegation from the Czech Republic comprising several companies operating in the energy sector. The delegation was headed by engineer Ali al-Fatesh, director of the Czech Trade Promotion Agency office in Qatar. The meeting reviewed Qatar–Czech trade and investment relations and explored opportunities for co-operation between the Qatari business community and its Czech counterpart. During the meeting, Czech energy companies presented potential investment and partnership opportunities. Al-Misnad lauded the strong Qatar-Czech trade relations across several sectors like trade, tourism and healthcare, stressing the Qatari private sector’s interest in expanding co-operation and establishing trade and investment partnerships with Czech companies. He affirmed Qatar Chamber’s support for such co-operation and its readiness to assist Czech firms seeking to enter the Qatari market, highlighting Qatar’s attractive investment environment and expressing hope for long-term partnerships between the two sides. For his part, al-Fatesh noted that the delegation included five leading Czech energy companies keen to establish businesses in Qatar, form partnerships with Qatari firms, and benefit from the country’s economic incentives and advanced infrastructure. 

Board Member of Qatar Chamber, Ibtihaj Al Ahmadani, affirmed that Qatari-Czech relations are gaining momentum across various fields, noting that the volume of trade between the two countries reached QR 577 million in 2024, with several Czech companies actively operating in the Qatari market. This came during a meeting held by the Qatar Chamber on Wednesday with a Czech business delegation headed by Otto Hrdlicka, Deputy Director of the Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce, in the presence of a number of businessmen and Qatari companies' representatives. The meeting reviewed economic and trade relations between Qatar and the Czech Republic, the business and investment climate in both countries, and opportunities for cooperation in the biomedical sector. Al Ahmadani emphasised that this sector is among the most vital and significant globally, stressing that the State of Qatar attaches great importance to it within its national strategy for economic diversification and its Qatar National Vision 2030. She underlined that cooperation between Qatar and the Czech Republic, particularly with leading institutions and companies in Brno, could open broad horizons for fruitful partnerships in areas such as research and development, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and advanced medical technologies. She also called on Czech companies to take advantage of Qatar's attractive investment climate and the vast opportunities available across various sectors, highlighting the country's world-class infrastructure and advanced economic legislation. For his part, Otto Hrdlicka said that the delegation includes a group of leading Czech companies in the field of biomedicine, expressing his hope to strengthen cooperation with Qatari companies in this sector. He also delivered a presentation highlighting the key features of the Czech economy, the investment climate, available opportunities, and the main incentives and facilities offered to foreign investors, in addition to an overview of the Regional Chamber in Brno Province. Hrdlicka noted that the Czech Republic is distinguished by its strong manufacturing, engineering, automotive, mining, glass and beverage, technology, and life sciences industries. He further pointed out that Brno, located in Central Europe, is the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, hosting more than 300,000 companies and economic activities, and is considered a hub for industry, innovation, and trade in the country.