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Czech leaders have offered to assist in efforts to restore Notre-Dame after the famous French cathedral was severely damaged by fire on Monday evening. President Miloš Zeman said Prague Castle restorers could take part in renovation work on Paris’s world famous landmark. In a letter to President Emmanuel Macron, he said the Czech nation were thinking of the French at this difficult time.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also said the Czech Republic was ready to help France repair Notre-Dame, including financially. He said Prague would wait on a French government decision on how to proceed with the renovation and the organisation of a collection.

Media owner and television presenter Jaromír Soukup says he will stand in the next presidential elections in the Czech Republic. He made the announcement on his Barrandov channel on Monday.

At the start of the year Mr. Soukup revealed plans to start a political party, initially saying he intended to run in May’s elections to the European Parliament. However, he later said he would not stand himself.

The 50-year-old hosts a number of TV shows, including one in which he provides a forum for the current president, Miloš Zeman, every week.

The minister of the environment, Richard Brabec, says the use of coal will gradually be phased out. Speaking at a conference on solar energy on Tuesday, he said the path to the future was a combination of nuclear power and renewable resources.

Mr. Brabec said that while there could be some debate over what percentage of power would be generated from renewable resources by 2030, there was no doubting that the composition of our energy supply was changing and would change further.

The deputy minister of industry and trade for energy, René Neděla, said that a combination of nuclear and renewable was the only way the Czech Republic could meet EU targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Wednesday should be bright in the Czech Republic, with temperatures of up to 14 degrees Celsius. Daytime highs are then set to climb to around 19 degrees Celsius over the Easter weekend.

Juraj Herz’s 1969 film The Cremator will be screened in a digitally restored version at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, organisers said on Tuesday. The festival has presented a number of restored classic Czech films in recent years.

Karlovy Vary, which begins at the end of June, will mark the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolutoin with a series of seven films shot between 1989 and 1995. It will also feature a retrospective of works by the great Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. Czech actress Jiřina Bohdalová will appear in this year’s festival trailer.

Třinec have reached the final series in the playoffs of the ice hockey Extraliga after beating Plzeň 5:1 on Monday evening to win their semi-final series 4:3 on games. Two of Třinec’s goals came from forward Vladimír Dravecký, who was actually deployed in defence.

Třinec will now face Liberec, who overcame Kometa Brno – winners of the last two Extraliga titles – in the other semi-final.

Traffic police in the Czech Republic are due to intensify their activities on the countries roads on Wednesday ahead of the Easter holiday weekend, Czech Television reported. Officers expect the heaviest traffic on Thursday and Easter Monday. Both Monday and Good Friday are state holidays in the Czech Republic.

Traffic police chief Tomáš Lerch said that road deaths tended to be higher when Easter is later and the weather is warm, as it is expected to be at the weekend. Such conditions bring more motorcyclists and cyclists onto the roads, while alcohol consumption may also be up, he said.

The European Commission will prepare a conclusive report on its investigation into allegations of conflict of interest on the part of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš by May 15, the EU’s Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger said after a closed meeting of the Budget and Human Resources Committee on Monday.

The Czech government will then have two months to respond to the report before it is made public, Commissioner Oettinger said.

EU auditors have been examining documents at the Czech State Agricultural Intervention Fund and a number of ministries in connection with allegations of conflict of interest on the part of the Czech prime minister and the company Agrofert, which he placed in trust funds two years ago.

Critics say that Mr. Babiš is still able to influence Agrofert despite it being in trust funds. They also say that as prime minister he has influence over negotiations on the EU budget and the use of European funds in the Czech Republic.

President Miloš Zeman will appoint two new ministers to the Babiš government on April 30th, the Office of the President said on Monday. The head of state met with the ministerial nominees on Monday to discuss their priorities in office.

Vladimír Kremlík who is to take over the transport ministry portfolio said he would strive to increase the pace of highway reconstruction and push ahead with plans to build a train link to Prague’s Václav Havel Airport while Karel Havlíček, who is to be the new minister of trade and industry, highlighted the need to focus on the country’s long-term energy concept, reduce the price of mobile data and support entrepreneurs and exporters.

The ministerial nominees will replace Transport Minister Dan Ťok, who is leaving office at his own request following months of severe criticism from the opposition and Trade Minister Marta Nováková, whose dismissal the Prime Minister Babiš announced last week, citing discontent with her performance.

Transport Minister Dan Ťok, who announced his decision to leave the government last week, said on Monday he would also be vacating his seat in the lower house of Parliament.

Ťok was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2017 as an independent running on the ticket of the ruling ANO party. He has served as transport minister since 2014.

Ťok said he was resigning as minister because of the persistent attacks against him. He did not reveal his plans for the future.