Morning Briefing │ Thursday, February 1st, 2024

* PRAGUE:

Prague’s Kotva department store is due to close on Thursday for a two-year reconstruction. Following the overhaul, the building will accommodate luxury shops and offices.

The area surrounding Kotva will also undergo a major transformation.

* HEALTH:

A total of 57,000 people died in Czechia in the first six months of last year, which was five percent fewer than in the previous year and about the same number as in 2020, the Czech Statistics Office announced in a press release on Wednesday.

The three most common causes of death were cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, heart attack and brain stroke.

* POLITICS:

The Czech government on Wednesday approved an increase in the Education Ministry’s budget by four million crowns, Education Minister Mikuláš Bek announced on X (formerly Twitter).

The ministry’s budget was initially set at CZK 269 billion this year, which is CZK 3.9 billion more than in the previous year.

* CRIME:

The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) recorded 262 cyber attacks last year, which is the record for a single year, and almost double the figure from 2022 when 146 attacks were recorded, according to data published today on the NUKIB website.

The increase is mainly due to repeated waves of DDoS attacks led by pro-Russian hacking groups.

* ENERGY:

The Czech government said Wednesday it plans to build up to four nuclear reactors instead of one as the country tries to become more energy independent and wean itself off fossil fuels.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the decision to seek more reactors could reduce the price per reactor by up to 25%. The timing and locations are not yet decided.