News: Thursday, September 26th, 2024

President Pavel continues US visit in Chicago, to meet Czech

Czech President Petr Pavel continues his US visit on Thursday in Chicago, where he was invited to speak at the University of Chicago and honor the legacy of former Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who lectured at the university in the early 1900s. Later, Pavel will meet with members of the local Czech community.

During his visit, Pavel will also lead a roundtable discussion on security threats and the role of innovation and new technologies. He is scheduled to meet Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. On Friday, he will visit the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Over CZK 100 million in emergency flood aid distributed by labor offices

Czech labor offices have distributed over CZK 100 million in emergency aid to those affected by the recent floods. This was announced by Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (Christian Democrats) during a visit to the flood-hit Jesenicko region. He emphasized that all individuals whose homes were damaged by the floods are entitled to this assistance, regardless of their financial situation. Thousands of residents in this part of the country will be without gas this winter due to flood damage, with the government working on alternative solutions, according to the Ministry of Environment.

Firefighters top-rated for flood response, government receives mixed reviews, survey shows

According to a survey by Median Agency for Czech Radio, firefighters received top marks for their work during the recent floods. The government, particularly Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party), was rated more critically. The survey, conducted on a sample of 1,000 respondents, rated various entities using the Czech school grading scale. Firefighters and healthcare workers received the most praise, with 80% awarding them the highest grade. Conversely, 28% of respondents gave Fiala the lowest rating, while the media scored an equivalent of B minus grade for their coverage. The survey also revealed that 56% of respondents believe the country is prepared for future weather extremes.

Construction offices may return to old building permit procedures until digitized system is up and running

Officials at construction offices will be given the opportunity to return to the systems used before the digitalization of building permit procedures as soon as possible, Transport Minister Martin Kupka (Civic Democratic Party) said after taking over responsibility for the project from the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization Ivan Bartoš (Pirate Party). Mr. Kupka said experts are currently seeking a way to link the builder's portal with the former systems and everything possible would be done to minimize the damage, which is already considerable and has led to Ivan Bartoš dismissal from the government. In the meantime, he said, work will continue on improving the newly digitized systems launched unsuccessfully on July 1. The minister will submit a plan on how to proceed with the digitization to the government by October 16.

Czech National Bank lowers two-week repo rate to 4.25%

At its meeting on Wednesday the Bank Board of the Czech National Bank lowered the two-week repo rate by 0.25 percentage point to 4.25 percent. It lowered the discount rate by the same amount to 3.25% and the Lombard rate to 5.25%. The new interest rate levels come into effect on September 26. The board also confirmed its intention to maintain a tight monetary policy so that inflation remains close to the central bank's two percent target in the long term.

Walderode restitution case returns to square one after Constitutional Court ruling

The long-running restitution case of the Walderode family has been sent back to the beginning after the Constitutional Court upheld a complaint by Johanna Kammerlander, widow of Karel des Fours Walderode, citing a violation of her right to judicial protection. The case involves the return of the Hrubý Rohozec castle in Turnov, as well as forests and land, which the family has sought to reclaim since the early 1990s. Walderode lost his property in parts of Semily, Jablonec, and Liberec after World War II, under the President Beneš decrees. The key issue is whether he retained his Czechoslovak citizenship or not.

MotoGP race to return to Brno in July next year

The Czech Republic Grand Prix of MotoGP will return to Brno next year, scheduled for July 18-20. The race, part of the World Championship, will be the 12th event in the 22-race series, marking its return after a five-year absence.

The preliminary calendar, released today by the International Motorcycle Federation in Paris, also includes the debut of the Hungarian Grand Prix, to be held near Lake Balaton in late August. The season will kick off in Thailand in late February and conclude in mid-November with the Valencia Grand Prix. The championship will visit 18 countries, with four races held in Spain.

Weather

Skies over Czechia will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers, more frequent in the east. Temperature highs between 16 and 20°C.