Morning News: Thursday, December 15, 2022

The US Senate has approved the nomination of investor Bijan Sabet for the post of US ambassador to Czechia. Sabet is co-founder and general partner of Spark Capital, a venture capital firm. Previously, he worked as an executive at a number of Silicon Valley technology startups in California and Massachusetts.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday inaugurated a Václav Havel Street in Luxembourg, named after the world-renowned dissident, playwright and former Czechoslovak president. The ceremony marked the symbolic end of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, which Sweden will take over from January 1.

A record number of 52,109 foreign students were enrolled in Czech  universities in 2021, 4.4% more than in previous year, according to data released yesterday by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU). The largest group among them were Slovaks, followed by Russians and Ukrainians.

Refugees from Ukraine may be able to extend their temporary protection in the Czech Republic by one year until late March 2024, under legislation passed by the Chamber of Deputies yesterday. In keeping with European rules, this was approved as an amendment to the law known as “lex Ukraine” in the state of legislative emergency.

The State Veterinary Administration (SVS) has banned outdoor poultry farming throughout the Czech Republic, a measure that will be in force as of Wednesday. The reason is the growing number of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.