Morning News: Friday, December 2, 2022

Czechia had the lowest rate of unemployment in the European Union in October, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday citing Eurostat data. Data from the Czech Statistics Office indicates that unemployment in Czechia lay at 2.1 percent, compared to 2.2 percent in September.

The Czech tradition of timber rafting, recognized as part of Czech traditional folk culture, has been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. The craft, dating back to the 14th century, involves the transport of wood by waterways from areas rich in woodland to those in which it is scarcer.

The Chamber of Deputies has approved a bill that will enable Ukrainian soldiers to be trained in Czechia as well as for Czech soldiers to train Ukrainians in other EU member states. The training of Ukrainian troops will take place in the Libavá military zone in Central Moravia.

Czechs have fewer books at home than a year ago, but they still read just as often as before, an average of two to three books a month, according to a survey conducted by the Knihobot secondhand bookstore. The survey involved more than 1,800 respondents from all over the Czech Republic.

While one in ten Czechs borrowed money for Christmas shopping last year, only three percent of people surveyed by the Czech Banking Association (CBA) and Ipsos are considering a loan this year. Most often, they want to borrow up to CZK 10,000.