Morning Briefing │ Tuesday, February 13th, 2024

* SEXUAL ABUSES:

Victims of sexual abuse by priests in Czechia have called for the establishment of an independent commission to map cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

According to the authors of the petition, addressed to the Czech Bishops’ Conference and the Commission of European Bishops’ Conferences, there are hundreds, possibly thousands of victims of abuse by priests in the Czech Republic and the Church remains silent on the matter.

* TRAVEL:

Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines will introduce a new direct flight linking Prague and Antalya, Turkey starting May 19th, 2024.

The service, scheduled for Thursdays and Sundays, aims to cater to travelers seeking sun-soaked beaches and convenient connections.

* TAX:

The government will make a decision on the possible taxation of still wine by the end of June at the latest, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura told Czech Television.

Still wine is now the only alcohol without excise duty, and the ruling coalition is divided on whether or not it should be taxed.

* WEATHER:

The beginning of February was the warmest in Czechia in more than 100 years, with an average temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute reported.

Temperatures of over 15 degrees Celsius in places broke records at monitoring stations around the country in the past week.

* WAR:

The Czech foreign ministry will propose extending indefinitely a ban on the issuance of new visas and residence permits to Russian and Belarussian nationals, the Czech press agency reported citing ministry sources.

The ban does not apply to humanitarian cases, foreigners who already have a residence permit in the country or applications for short-stay visas if the applicant is a family member of a Czech citizen or a citizen of the European Union.