The organisers said after the end of the demonstration that if the government does not resign by 25 September, they will announce pressure actions and will plan for another protest on 28 September.

"We demand the establishment of a temporary government of experts and the calling of early elections. If the government does not resign by 25 September, we will declare the right to resistance under the Constitution of the Czech Republic at a nationwide demonstration and announce coercive actions. We are already in talks with trade unions, businessmen, farmers, mayors, transport operators and other organisations to declare a strike," the organisers warned.
[...]
According to [EUCo pres] Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), the event was called by forces that claim to have a pro-Russian orientation, are close to extremists and are against the interests of the Czech Republic. However, the protest are so far peaceful and without any serious problems.

Some of the groups represented at the demonstration included the major anti-migrant populist Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the Communist Party. The protesters demanded the resignation of the current coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala, criticizing it for a number of issues, including its Western-oriented policies.

"The aim of our demonstration is to demand change, mainly in solving the issue of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will destroy our economy this autumn," event co-organizer Jiri Havel told iDNES.cz news website.

[4 Sep] An unfortunate statement, politicians evaluate Fial's words about the pro-Russian forces at the protest
Government ministers and opposition politicians react to Prime Minister Petr Fiala's statement about the pro-Russian conveners of Saturday's demonstration against the government. According to the governor of the South Bohemian Region and the chairman of the Association of Regions, Martin Kuba, his words were unfortunate. According to him, the government should not underestimate people's fear of the current price hike and crisis and should make it clear to them that it will guide them through the situation....

The protest at Wenceslas Square in the city centre was held a day after the government survived a no-confidence vote amid opposition claims of inaction against inflation and energy prices. The vote showed how Europe's energy crisis is fuelling political instability as soaring power prices stoke inflation, already at levels unseen in three decades.

Washington won't restrict the visas for all Russians as a punishment for Russia's actions in Ukraine, said John Kirby, US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, in an interview with the Dozhd TV channel that was released on Saturday.

The US has introduced visa restrictions for individual Russians whom it considers to be "regime supporters," Kirby said. However, Washington doesn't believe that "holding all Russians accountable" is a productive measure, as the US' decisions shouldn't be turned into a war with the entire Russian people.

It is not the Russian people who should be blamed, but "president [Vladimir] Putin and his cabinet," he explained.

On August 31, the foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries decided to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia

EU foreign ministers agree to suspend visa facilitation agreement
... The ministers primarily discussed two topics, namely the EU's relations with Africa and the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The main outcome of the meeting was agreement among the Member States to suspend the visa facilitation agreement.
[...]
According to [Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan] Lipavský, it is also however necessary to achieve mutual understanding between the Member States. On the one hand, there is the problem of the northern states that directly border Russia and which are seeing the arrival of large numbers of Russians. On the other hand, the individual Member States have differing stances on the issue. What is important now is that the European Commission and EU institutions prepare a proposal that reflects these different aspects....

which means reducing the number of visas issued and making it more difficult to obtain them. The details remain unclear, yet it's certain that the introduction of the ban will result in more difficult, longer and more expensive procedures for Russians to obtain a Schengen visa.

trivia
RUSSIAN FEDERATION PASSPORT DASHBOARD
mobility score | passport power rank (2015-2022)

Mr De Croo conceded the situation was now serious. Rising energy prices form a threat to the economy. The premier insists any cap on gas prices needs to be agreed at the European level. European energy ministers meet next Friday.

The premier expressed his anger at the fact that Europe had failed to act with speed. Belgium alone can't sort it he noted: "At long last the European commission is now signalling comprehension: citizens need to be protected".
[...]
The Belgian leader has been accused of fuelling panic by suggesting the next five to ten winters will be difficult. Mr De Croo refused to withdraw his words: "This is the reality. If we can get a grip on this, we're in for five difficult years. If we fail due to poor policies, it's ten difficult years. As a country and as a continent we can sort it, if we get all our ducks in a row. We can leap forward twenty years by loosening ties with fossil fuels and countries we prefer not to trade with"

"Our reliance on Russian gas has already decreased enormously.  We thought it would take years. If we do a good job, it will be a matter of months. During these months we will do our utmost to the chart a course through the crisis for everybody. People need to understand this is a temporary [?] solution. We won't leave people in the cold or allow them to lose their jobs. We will take action".

The federal government has decided to extend the support measures (VAT reduction and social rate for one million households) to cope with the explosive increase in energy prices. The banks are committed to protecting the most affected families. Measures will be taken to skim off [dont-say-tax] the industry's excess[?] profits to finance a solidarity fund. The government also calls on Belgians and companies to reduce their consumption and set a good example....

The problem = prices
The current wholesale prices for gas and electricity are so disproportionately high that market intervention is required. In Asia, the wholesale price of LNG is € 150/MWh and in [*-]America € 30/MWh. There is no reason why gas prices in Europe (€ 300/MWh) should disproportionally higher, when transport [from WHERE? HOW?] to Europe only costs a few euros per MWh.

Like the high gas price, the wholesale price of electricity no longer reflects the [power plant] production cost of [distributing] electricity. A great deal of energy is generated by (renewable and nuclear) plants that do not face rising fuel costs. In Europe, there is a wide chasm between the actual costs and current prices. This means the market is no longer functioning. ...

US State Dept | Secretary Antony J. Blinken And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a Joint Press Availability, 9 Sep audience (including a Blinken prefatory monologue)

US DOD | Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Visit to Czechia Republic
wc: 134

[SD leader Jimmie] Åkesson is unlikely to become prime minister[,] if his side wins because the opposition bloc's other parties -- the center-right Moderates, Christian Democrats[,] and Liberals -- have said they back Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson for the role, even if his party polls less well than SD.

But the emergence of SD as a key player in Swedish policymaking would still be a radical shock to the Nordic state's political system, which for the past century has been based largely on consensus < wipes tears > building.

While Sweden's immigration policies have long been liberal < wipes tears > SD's platform would aim for zero asylum seekers. Sweden's criminal justice system has traditionally focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment but SD is calling for longer prison sentences and wider use of deportation.

"Deport foreign criminals ... and no discussion," says one of SD's new election posters. ...

José Casimiro Morgado, director of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre, was supposed to make the below-the-radar visit to meet Taiwanese officials in October, according to the diplomats.

However, the EU spy chief's plan came to a halt after Beijing got hold of the information and put pressure on the EU to scrap what would have been an unusually sensitive visit amid China's escalating military threats on Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory.

The development calls into question whether a human or data leak from the EU was involved, with diplomats also concerned about the EU's change of plans after Beijing's intervention.
[...]
The revelation also sheds further light on the quiet deceitful diplomacy between the EU and Taiwan, after last year's covert trip to Brussels by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. The EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, known in the Brussels bubble as INTCEN, focuses on civilian "intelligence-based situational awareness" and forms one of two pillars of the EU's "single intelligence analysis capacity," alongside the military-focused Intelligence Directorate of the EU Military Staff....

The intention, amongst other things, is to improve working conditions by ensuring that there is the 'correct' determination of their employment status.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has historically interpreted the EU concept of 'worker' very widely, and has always emphasized the need for legal 'subordination' or control and direction of the worker. The Draft Directive provides that when a digital labor platform [sic] 'controls' the work of the platform worker, there will be a presumption that an employment relationship exists - i.e. the onus will no longer be on, for example, the individual to prove that this is the case....

New compromise amendments, which EURACTIV obtained, indicate explicit wording has been added in the binding part of the legal text to confirm that "the legal presumption does not produce the effect of an automatic reclassification of all persons performing platform work as platform workers, since the presumption is rebuttable."

"Parliament has today voted for ambitious and binding energy efficiency targets for the EU and for individual member states," the Danish MEP said after the vote on Wednesday (14 September). The position was adopted with 469 votes in favour, 93 against and 82 abstentions.

With the plenary vote cleared, Parliament can now enter negotiations with the [European] Council [of the European Union?] and the [European] Commission as part of so-called "trilogue" talks to finalise the law....

G. LOTSOPOULOU (ERT 3): Thank you, Mr. President. And above all, thank you for consistently honoring ERT3. We listened to you in your speech yesterday and we heard a series of announcements that correspond on the one hand to an increase in spending and on the other to a decrease in revenue. We heard about the increase in the minimum wage, about the return of retroactives, about indexation, about mother's allowance, I will not list them all. And on the other hand, the reduction of the Excise Tax and the VAT correspond to a reduction in revenues.

I would like to ask you how cost effective and reliable this program is and how after these announcements you will answer your political opponents who accuse you that with these announcements and this program you will either lead the country to a new memorandum or they will stay just some announcements that will never materialize and cheap promises.

AL. TSIPRAS: Ms. Lotsopoulou, thank you for the question. They accuse us of the possibility of leading the country to memorandums again, those who led us to memorandums. Who bankrupted the country, left it bankrupt in 2009 and who today follow the same recipes of bankruptcy. And they blame us for managing this bankruptcy, getting the country off the books. Because today we are in danger of having eavesdropping on this issue as well. They are undermining the great achievement of the SYRIZA government which was to create a framework of fiscal stability and sustainability, to regulate the debt so that it is sustainable with a clean corridor to the next low repayments....

Italy's far-right firebrand is poised to join like-minded leaders in Poland and Hungary as a spoiler to European Union ambitions