Daily news summary
Pork imports to undergo testing for African swine fever
Czech importers of pork and pork products from states where African swine fever has been confirmed will be held responsible for getting such imports tested for the virus, the Czech State Veterinary Authority said on Thursday.
Importers will have a duty to test all pork imports from Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Belgium and Poland are the third and fourth biggest importers of pork to the Czech Republic.
Failure to comply with the regulation will be punishable by a fine of up to two million crowns.
PM Babiš regrets sending article to Lidové noviny
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said he regrets the fact that his assistant sent the daily Lidové noviny an article which backs his views regarding the alleged unsuitability of taking in child migrants from Syria.
The article was published and several editors are now leaving the daily in protest.
In an interview for Frekvence 1 radio Babiš said sending the article had been a mistake in view of the fact that Lidové noviny as well as the Mladá fronta Dnes daily are published by Mafra belonging to his business empire Agrofert.
In 2017 the prime minister was forced to put 90 percent of his assets into a trust fund in order to comply with a strict new conflict of interest law, but suspicions that he is still controlling the empire and the respective media outlets remain.
OKD could continue coal mining until 2030
The black coal mining company OKD, which underwent reorganization following insolvency procedures in 2016, is making a profit and could keep its Karviná mine in operation until 2030, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said following talks with the company’s management on Thursday.
The reorganization plan envisaged a gradual phase-out of mining in the region by 2023, but the prime minister said the company was in good shape and making a healthy profit and could continue to operate until 2030.
A final decision is to be made by the end of the year.
Senate chairman hands out medals of merit
Twenty-one leading personalities from the field of science, culture, sport and public life were awarded the Silver Commemorative Medal of the Senate by the chairman of the upper chamber, Milan Štěch, on Thursday evening on the occasion of Czech Statehood Day on September 28.
The tradition of honouring people who excel in their profession and have contributed to promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad was established in 2012.
This year‘s laureates include the rector of Charles University, Tomáš Zima, Olympic medallist rower Ondřej Synek and musician Vladimír Mišík.
Immigration police start deportation proceedings against illegal workers
Immigration police have started deportation proceedings against 57 foreigners following raids at dormitories, construction sites and companies in Mladá Boleslav and other locations in central Bohemia.
Most are from Ukraine or Moldova. Many had long-term visas issued in Poland allowing them to travel in the European Union, but not to work. None had a valid Czech work or residence permit, the police said.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, illegal employment has been on the rise since 2016. That year for the first time authorities caught more foreigners than Czechs working illegally.
Few Czechs visit a dentist regularly, insurers say
Only one in thirty Czechs regularly visits a dentist twice a year, as recommended, for preventive check-ups and cleanings, the daily Mladá fronta Dnes reports, citing data from health insurers.
They risk not only cavities but also serious health problems, such as tumours, the treatment of which is not covered under most health insurance policies.
Weather forecast
Friday should be sunny to partly cloudy with day temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.
