Morning Briefing │ Tuesday, April 16th, 2024

* PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

Construction of the new tram line in the upper half of Wenceslas Square leading towards the National Museum will begin on June 29 this year, Jan Šurovský, the technical director of the Prague public transport company DPP, announced at a press conference on Monday. Trams will not run through the square between Vodičková and Jindřišská from this date until September 30.

* HEALTH:

There were 1,494 new cases of whooping cough in Czechia last week, the biggest weekly increase since the start of this year, according to the latest data from the State Health Institute. The total number of registered whooping cough cases so far this year is 7,888, the most in one year since 1959.

* WEATHER:

The weather on Tuesday is expected to be cooler, with daytime temperatures of between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius. Skies should be mostly cloudy and overcast, with rain and strong winds in some parts of the country.

* IRAN:

The Czech Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to refrain from traveling to Iran due to the deteriorating security situation in the region. The ministry has also called for those currently in Iran to leave the country as soon as possible. This decision comes amid fears that Iran might retaliate against Israel following the bombing of an Iranian consulate in Damascus, which could potentially escalate to further reactions from the Jewish state.

* POLITICS:

During his meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House on Monday, US President Joe Biden praised Czechia’s support for Ukraine, especially its efforts to secure ammunition from outside the EU for the invaded country, and stated that he considers it a great ally.