When the Czech President Milos Zeman formally appointed Petr Fiala as the country's new Prime Minister on Sunday, he did so sitting inside an acrylic glass box accompanied by health workers covered head to toe in hazmat suits.
Zeman tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week, and is currently recovering after a lengthy stay at a hospital for non-COVID related serious illness at the presidential retreat in Lany, west of the capital city of Prague.
Fiala, like everyone else at the ceremony, was wearing a respirator when he signed the official document in front of Zeman, who was sitting inside the box which was constructed especially for the occasion.
Fiala, the chairman of the centre-right ODS party, will lead a five-party grouping of two centrist coalitions that won the parliamentary election last month.
Soon after the results were announced, the two coalitions signed a memorandum to form a government to unseat the current populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The election was a disaster for the political left, with the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), the direct successor of the totalitarian Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, dropping out of the parliament for the first time in 76 years.
Just a day after the election, the 77-year-old Zeman was rushed to hospital where he spent several weeks in intensive care for liver and other serious health problems.
One of the president's main constitutional roles is to select the next prime minister to form a government, so Zeman's hospitalization has left the country in a political deadlock.
Zeman was released from the hospital after 46 days on Thursday morning only to be sent back later in the evening after testing positive for COVID-19.
He was released again on Saturday, after showing no COVID symptoms, but with the requirement that he remains in quarantine.
During the ceremony, Zeman and Fiala spoke to each other using microphones. Zeman said he will next meet with Fiala's prospective cabinet members individually, adding he wants to complete the process by December 13.
Until then, the new government is formed and secures a vote of confidence in the lower house of the Czech Parliament, Babis and his government remains in power.
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
An immersive experience inside a massive dome coined 'The Brain' is helping youth learn about brain function and addiction
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
The annual inflation rate ticked higher in March compared with February, boosted by higher prices for gasoline, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
Inflation on groceries continued to slow in March, rising just 1.9 per cent compared with a year earlier.
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against 16 pharmaceutical companies that are alleged to have misled consumers about the efficacy and dangers of opioid medications.
Following the Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel over the weekend, Canada should take the threat of Iran and potential escalation of the conflict seriously, one global affairs analyst says.
After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.
More potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday from Donald's Trump's hush money case as lawyers worked for a second day to find a panel of New Yorkers to decide whether the Republican will become the first former president convicted of a crime.
The UN human rights office called on Israeli security forces to immediately end their active participation in and support for attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The creation of sexually explicit deepfake content is likely to become a criminal offense in England and Wales as concern grows over the use of artificial intelligence to exploit and harass women.
Australia's prime minister said Tuesday a French construction worker who confronted a man who stabbed six people to death in a Sydney shopping mall is welcome to stay in the country as long as he likes.
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she's urging Israel to de-escalate rising conflicts in the Middle East and not bomb Iran in retaliation for this past weekend's thwarted airstrikes.
The federal leader of the New Democrats is insisting his party's position on carbon pricing remains unchanged.
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against 16 pharmaceutical companies that are alleged to have misled consumers about the efficacy and dangers of opioid medications.
Functional beverages -- or drinks promoted as offering mental or physical benefits beyond hydration -- are growing in popularity around the world. Hundreds of companies have jumped into the market, hoping to get some buzz with trendy and sometimes unfamiliar ingredients.
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world's most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as 'arabica.'
NASA is seeking innovative methods that could help retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars in the future.
Classic characters, new stories, fresh mashups. Will it all be a bonanza for makers as classic works again begin entering the public domain?
A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill's birthplace ahead of an auction in June.
Canadian 'Jeopardy!' champion Mattea Roach will return for the season annual 'Jeopardy! Masters' tournament.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in March declined seven per cent compared with February.
Tim Hortons is launching flatbread pizzas nationally in a bid to pick up more afternoon and evening customers.
A Vancouver woman whose company duped investors by promising big returns on real-estate deals that would house the homeless has been ordered to pay nearly $626,000 after the British Columbia Securities Commission deemed the operation a Ponzi scheme.
In Salman Rushdie's first book since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized him and left him blind in one eye, the author wastes no time reliving the day he thought might be his last.
The one thing 9-year-old Cal Clifford wanted more than anything since he was a toddler was a pet octopus.
His new book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” essentially calls for a revolution in how parents administer smartphones and social media to their teens.
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
The NHL says it has cleared Logan Mailloux for participation after the Montreal Canadiens recalled the defenceman Monday night ahead of their regular-season finale Tuesday.
Connor McDavid achieved a rare feat as his team was administering a rare beating.
General Motors will move its Detroit headquarters to a new downtown office building next year and work to redevelop its iconic home along the Detroit River, company and city officials confirmed Monday.
Nissan expects to mass produce electric vehicles powered by advanced next-generation batteries by early 2029, the company said Tuesday during a media tour of an unfinished pilot plant.
Tesla will lay off more than 10 per cent of its global workforce, an internal memo seen by Reuters on Monday shows, as it grapples with falling sales amid an intensifying price war for electric vehicles.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.
Vancouver police say a 29-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the targeted killing of a 49-year-old woman in South Vancouver.
Authorities have arrested a suspect who allegedly assaulted a Vancouver police officer during a pro-Palestinian protest last month.
Mounties in Surrey, B.C., say traffic is flowing once again after an overnight crash knocked out a utility pole and forced the closure of 184 Street between 32 Avenue and 40 Avenue.
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Police say a group of teens are facing charges after they allegedly stole a vehicle at gunpoint in a Markham parking lot but crashed it into a parked car just moments later.
Toronto police say they have laid 54 charges against three suspects following a carjacking investigation.
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) investment board will be hosting a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 16 at the BMO Centre.
As expected, a frontal system brought rain to southern Alberta, then heavy, wet snow into the region late Monday and early Tuesday.
A bunch of big-name DJs are set to perform in Calgary in August at the 2024 Chasing Summer music festival, including one that reality TV lovers might be excited about.
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the theft of "several thousand" dollars worth of tropical fish stolen from an Upper Ottawa Valley restaurant last week.
Ottawa police have charged two people allegedly responsible for seven jewelry store thefts and robberies in the last year.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against 16 pharmaceutical companies that are alleged to have misled consumers about the efficacy and dangers of opioid medications.
An international competition is hoping to gather new and interesting ways to recycle Montreal's Olympic Stadium roof, which is set to be dismantled this summer.
The NHL says it has cleared Logan Mailloux for participation after the Montreal Canadiens recalled the defenceman Monday night ahead of their regular-season finale Tuesday.
Two tickets were issued after an unleashed dog was seen in front of a home where a boy died in a dog attack earlier this month.
Canada's Tamarack Valley Energy TVE.TO has temporarily shut production of about 6,200 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) following a fire at a Canadian Natural Resources Ltd CNQ.TO gas plant in Alberta, the companies said on Monday.
Comedian Kevin Hart will headline the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival (GOCF) in Edmonton this summer, organizers announced Tuesday.
An inmate who escaped from Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., on Saturday evening has a long history of violent crimes and a history of escaping custody.
The Nova Scotia RCMP says four people have been charged following a man’s homicide two years ago.
A portion of Barrington Street has reopened after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning.
Police are investigating after a 12-year-old girl found a sawed-off shotgun on the shores of a Manitoba beach.
Manitoba Progressive Conservatives are to select a new leader on April 26 of next year.
New figures show Manitoba New Democrats raised and spent more money than the Progressive Conservatives in last year's election campaign.
Saskatchewan's finance minister was ordered to apologize after she sent the Speaker a text accusing him of letting the legislature devolve into an 'Opposition puppet show' on Monday.
In Saskatchewan tourism generates over $2.4 billion in yearly spending and employs close to 71,000 people.
Three members of the 2023-24 Regina Pats have been listed on NHL Central Scouting's final rankings heading into the NHL Entry Draft in June. With several other names with Saskatchewan connections on the lists as well.
Cambridge resident Samantha Falkiner explains why something felt "off" about the men who approached her and her neighbours on Friday.
Waterloo Regional Police Services has released the estimated total cost for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the city of Waterloo.
The sun is shining and the swans are back in the water at Victoria Park in Kitchener.
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) are investigating the second homicide this week after a 25-year-old man was fatally shot early Tuesday morning.
Saskatoon police officers were called to 3206 33rd Street West Monday morning with reports of an “insecure property.” When they arrived, they found a woman dead in the basement.
Friends are raising money for the grieving family of a 16-year-old Saskatoon boy who was killed in a high-speed crash that injured two other teens on Sunday morning.
Rescue crews are searching for a man reported missing on the weekend after the vehicle he was driving was pulled into a creek near the Quebec border in northern Ontario.
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.
A northern Ontario family is devastated after a jury found a Moose Factory man not guilty of a 2021 murder.
A number of students have been displaced after a house fire in east London near Fanshawe College. Crews were called to the scene on Prosperity Court late Monday night.
Sifton Properties, Homes Unlimited (London) and the Anglican Diocese of Huron and St. Paul's Cathedral will be working together on the conversion of an office building to affordable housing.
Construction will slow down traffic moving through Exeter for the rest of the year. A reconstruction of the community's main street at the north end of town is underway.
A woman from Alliston will take home a $1 million lottery prize after matching all seven Encore numbers in the exact order on the March 6 draw.
Two new shows are coming to Casino Rama's Entertainment Centre for fans of country music and 80s rock.
Police in Barrie are investigating a bizarre theft after a suspect broke into a fenced compound, stole a pickup truck and trailer and plowed through the locked gate before abandoning both stolen items.
The ‘faint hope’ hearing of Ali Al-Shammari, 38, continued Tuesday in Superior court.
Windsor police have arrested a 35-year-old woman related to a porch pirate investigation in Walkerville.
A new study published in a Canadian medical journal paints a bleak picture around opioid-related deaths in Canada. It shows the number of those deaths has more than doubled over a three-year period when the pandemic hit high gear.
The Department of Fisheries says planning for a new attempt to rescue an orca calf trapped in a Vancouver Island lagoon will be finalized in the next few days but no date has been set.
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
Vancouver police say a 29-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the targeted killing of a 49-year-old woman in South Vancouver.
British Columbia is planning to add 240 new units to its complex-care housing program, providing homes for people with mental-health and addictions challenges that overlap with other serious conditions.
More than 80 residents from a low-income apartment building in Kelowna, B.C., have learned they won't be able to return to their homes for at least another two weeks.
Mounties are investigating a reported "road rage" incident in Kelowna, B.C., that left two men injured last week.
Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips is calling on the province to reinstate funding for the Lethbridge Elder Abuse Response Network.
If you’re planning to head to the coulees this weekend to enjoy the nice weather, don’t forget to look down.
With the weather starting to feel like spring is really here, more kids will likely be outside enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures, which organizers of the Slow Your Roll campaign say is a perfect time to re-launch the campaign.
Here is a look at how some northern Ontario colleges are being affected by the new Canadian immigration policy that has reduced the number of new international students.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is expecting a busy summer at the Downtown Plaza. City officials say the plaza is coming off a successful first winter season, which saw large crowds gathering at the outdoor rink.
The Soo Greyhounds are the talk of the town, as their second-round matchup in the OHL playoffs touches down in the Sault.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.
A unique photo exhibit is putting cameras into the hands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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