Czech Morning Brief Archives – Page 3 of 7

Czech Morning Brief

Morning Briefing │ Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024

* MOBILITY: Prague City plans to invest a total of 137 million crowns this year in facilities for cyclists. Last year saw a significant increase in interest in shared bike riding. People using the PID Lítačka application enjoy two free 15-minute rides daily. * PRAGUE COURT: A Prague City Court has upheld a guilty verdict and three-year prison sentence in the case of former MP Dominik Feri, who was convicted of raping three young women, one of them a minor. Feri resigned from his seat and withdrew from politics when the scandal broke. The verdict is binding. * WEATHER: Tuesday should be overcast and rainy with snow in the higher altitudes and day temperatures between 5 and 9 degrees Celsius. * MEMORIALS: A Holocaust Memorial for Roma and Sinti will be inaugurated on Tuesday at the site of a former concentration camp in Lety, south Bohemia. Some 1, 300 Roma passed through the camp between 1942 and 1943 and more than 300 died there, mostly women and children. The memorial will open to the public on May 12. * POLITICS: The Czech prosecutor has charged the former head of the Czech presidential office, Vratislav Mynář, with subsidy fraud and damaging...

by Prague Morning Apr 23, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Monday, April 22nd, 2024

* POLITICS: Czechia will again propose restricting the movement of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates, Greens) said in response to the arrest of two Russian agents in Germany on suspicion of espionage and planning attacks. Czechia has already proposed restricting the movement of Russian agents in the EU in the autumn of 2023. * ENVIRONMENT: The use of solar energy in Czechia has skyrocketed in the last five years, the Czech News Agency said on Sunday. While just over 3,400 new solar power systems were installed in 2019, last year that figure had reached nearly 83,000. Investments in this type of technology are also growing considerably, amounting to almost CZK 45 billion last year; five years ago the figure was less than CZK 1 billion. * WEATHER: It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Monday, with an average high temperature of 7 degrees Celsius. Warmer temperatures are expected later in the next week. * SPORT: A female co-driver was killed in a Rally Šumava race in the Plzeň area on Saturday. Navigator Alena Krejčíková died later in hospital after injuries sustained in the opening stage of the rally, a local police spokesperson...

by Prague Morning Apr 22, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Friday, April 19th, 2024

* PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Prague’s transit authority has announced a tender with an estimated value of over CZK 80 billion for the purchase of driverless trains for the city’s C and D Metro lines, a spokesperson said on Thursday. The Prague Public Transport Company aims to select a supplier and sign a contract with them by October 2025. The trains should be delivered by 2029. * MUSIC: Semyon Bychkov will step down from his position as principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 2028. The 77-year-old Russian-born American has led the orchestra since 2018, when he replaced the late Jiří Bělohlávek and became the fourth foreign chief conductor of Czechia’s most important classical ensemble since 1989. * WEATHER: It should be mainly overcast with some rain in Czechia on Friday. An average high temperature of 8 degrees Celsius is expected. More grey skies are expected on the following days. * ECONOMY: Production of passenger cars in Czechia increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year to 394,443 vehicles in the first quarter of this year. This is the highest output ever recorded in the sector in the first three months of a year. * POLITICS: During his meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala...

by Prague Morning Apr 19, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Thursday, April 18th, 2024

* BUSINESS: Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský is considering buying out Royal Mail, the British national postal service, Reuters and the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Křetínský’s investment company confirmed to Reuters that it tried to buy International Distributions Services (IDS), Royal Mail’s parent company, earlier this month, but the offer was rejected. * ECONOMY: Year-on-year inflation in the European Union decreased from 2.8 percent in February to 2.6 percent in March, while in Czechia, the inflation rate stagnated at 2.2 percent, according to the latest Eurostat data. A year ago the inflation rate was 8.3 percent in the EU and 16.5 percent in Czechia. * WEATHER: Thursday is expected to be mostly overcast and rainy, although some parts of the country will see some sunshine. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius. * LOCAL NEWS: From May 1st, Czech Post is changing the operating hours at its branch on Jindřišská Street in Prague 1. The post office will no longer be open at night and on Sundays, and Saturday opening times will also be adjusted. Customers can visit the branch from Monday to Friday, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and on Saturdays, from 8...

by Prague Morning Apr 18, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Wednesday, April 17th, 2024

* ECONOMY: The minimum gross decent wage for a full-time job in the Czech Republic that would cover the needs of an adult with a child, as well as leisure time and small savings, should be CZK 45,573. In Prague, it should be CZK 47,718 due to higher living costs. According to experts, 67 percent of employees in Czechia are beneath that wage level. * HEALTH: A shipment of 20,000 vaccines against whooping cough from Canada will reach doctors within days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, adding that distributors expect to receive them on Tuesday. There were 1,494 new cases of whooping cough registered in Czechia last week, the biggest weekly increase since the start of this year. * WEATHER: Wednesday will be partly cloudy with occasional rain showers and day temperatures ranging between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius. * AIRPORT: Last year, Prague Airport reported an operating profit (EBITDA) of 3.1 billion crowns. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of CZK900 million. In terms of the net economic result, the company recorded a profit of 1.5 billion crowns in 2023. Despite the fact that their number was 22 percent lower than in the record...

by Prague Morning Apr 16, 2024

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...

by Prague Morning Apr 16, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Monday, April 15th, 2024

* POLITICS: Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has arrived in Washington for a two-day official visit. On Monday, Mr. Fiala is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss security cooperation and support for Ukraine, as well as mutual economic relations and nuclear energy. * CHARITY: People around Czechia donated 467 tonnes of non-perishable foodstuffs and hygiene products for the needy on Saturday within the bi-annual National Food Collection. Some 2,100 shops and supermarket chains joined the charity effort, which has been held twice a year since 2019. * WEATHER: Monday will be mostly overcast with rain and temperatures ranging between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius. * PRAGUE: Hundreds of people took part in Sunday’s Culture against Antisemitism event in Prague, organised by the Czech branch of the humanitarian organization International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.The event started with a march leading from Old Town Square to the Wallenstein gardens, where the main part of the program took place, including theatre performances and speeches. * UKRAINE: Ukraine’s situation warrants a coordinated international response similar to that received by Israel in the wake of Iranian drone and missile strikes, some Czech officials who expressed support for Israel said.

by Prague Morning Apr 15, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Friday, April 12th, 2024

* ENERGY: Imports of Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline to Czechia rose slightly last year, Czech Television reports. The Russian share of total oil imports to Czechia was 58 percent, an increase of about two percentage points year-on-year. The rest was oil from the German IKL pipeline, which connects to the Italian TAL pipeline. * POLITICS: Czech President Petr Pavel met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Vilnius, Lithuania on Thursday, where the two heads of state are attending the Three Seas Summit. The Ukrainian president thanked Mr. Pavel for the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine from outside the EU. * WEATHER: Friday should continue to be relatively warm and sunny with highs of up to 19 degrees Celsius. No rain is expected. * HEALTH: In addition to whooping cough, the Czech Republic has seen a year-on-year increase in several other infections in the first quarter of this year, including measles, legionellosis, scabies and diphtheria, and monkeypox has also returned, according to information from the National Institute of Public Health (SZU). * ECONOMY: The Czech Republic sees its unemployment rate drop below four percent after two months. As of the end of March, the unemployment...

by Prague Morning Apr 12, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Thursday, April 11th, 2024

* LEGISLATION: The Czech parliament on Wednesday voted to toughen legislation on rape, with stricter definitions that classify all sexual abuse of children under 12 as rape or assault. The amendment was approved by lawmakers across the chamber. Following the “no means no” principle, the bill changes the definition of rape from forced intercourse to intercourse without consent. * ECONOMY: Heat consumption from central heating plants in Czechia fell by 9.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, according to data released by the Energy Regulatory Office on Wednesday. A total of 67.8 petajoules of heat was consumed, which is the lowest figure in seven years. * WEATHER: Thursday is expected to be mostly sunny with day temperatures ranging between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius. * EVENTS: British singer-songwriter Raye will be the main star of Prague’s Metronome festival, which is to take place in the Czech capital in June, the festival’s organizers announced on Wednesday. The pop singer, who won a record six Brit Awards this year, will perform in Czechia for the first time. * ECONOMY: The Czech Republic sees its unemployment rate drop below four percent after two months. As of the end of March, the unemployment rate had fallen...

by Prague Morning Apr 10, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Wednesday, April 10th, 2024

* LOCAL NEWS: Seven people, including children, were injured when a car ran into them outside a supermarket in the town of Police nad Metují, East Bohemia just before 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon. One of the children hurt in the incident was taken to hospital by helicopter but none of the victims had life-threatening injuries. * POLITICS: ANO would now come first in Czechia’s elections to the European Parliament with 27.5 percent of the vote, suggests a new poll published by the STEM/MARK agency on Tuesday. The Together alliance of the Civic Democrats, TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats would come second on 20 percent, the survey indicates. * WEATHER: It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Wednesday, with an average high temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures are expected on the following days. * ZOO: Prague Zoo has become the first such institution in the world to breed a Pel’s fishing owl. The chick hatched at the beginning of the year and was later thrown out of the nest by the mother, before breeders at the zoo saved it, a spokesperson said. The bird was initially reluctant to feed and saw weight fluctuations. However, it is...

by Prague Morning Apr 10, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

* LEGILSLATION: Today MPs will discuss amendments to drafts in the second reading, which will cover various topics such as redefining rape. A bipartisan agreement has been reached to redefine rape as non-consensual sexual intercourse, highlighting the importance of legal protections, especially for sexual practices involving children under 12. * POLITICS: More than two-thirds of economically active refugees from Ukraine have jobs in Czechia, suggests a survey published on Monday by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). There are currently about 339,000 refugees from Ukraine with temporary protection, which allows access to public health insurance, education and the labour market. Some 77 percent of them are economically active and 69 percent of them have a job. * WEATHER: Tuesday will be mostly sunny with day temperatures ranging between 23 and 27 degrees Celsius. * HEALTH: Some 1,100 new cases of whooping cough were registered in Czechia in the past week, the State Health Institute said on Monday. It is the second highest weekly increase this year. Doctors have recorded a total of 6,397 whooping cough infections since the start of 2024. * BUSINESS: In Karlovy Vary, Pepsi, the global beverage giant, unveiled its first design overhaul in 14 years, impacting...

by Prague Morning Apr 09, 2024

Morning Briefing │ Monday, April 8th, 2024

* ECONOMY: Analysts predict Czech inflation to have hovered around the Czech National Bank’s target of two percent in March, continuing the trend from February, when it reached this mark for the first time since December 2018. * POLITICS: Had parliamentary elections taken place in March, Andrej Babiš’s opposition ANO party would have won with 32.9 percent of the vote, according to a poll conducted by the STEM agency and published by CNN Prima News on Sunday. Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Civic Democrat party would have come in second with 14.5 percent of the vote. * WEATHER: Temperature records for April 7 were broken around the country on Sunday. The highest recorded temperature was in České Budějovice at a sweltering 30.9 degrees Celsius, knocking off the original record of 30.6 degrees, recorded earlier the same day in Prague. * SLOVAKIA: Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský have both also congratulated Peter Pellegrini on winning the Slovak presidential elections. Mr. Fiala wrote on social media site X that he believes Czechia and Slovakia will further develop their already excellent and deep relations. * SPORT: Czech athlete Ester Ledecká has become the first recipient of the European Union...

by Prague Morning Apr 08, 2024