Daily news summary
Coalition parties agree on wage hike for public sector employees
The parties of the ruling coalition have agreed on a 15 percent wage hike for teachers and a 10 percent wage hike for other public sector employees as of November 1. Agreement on the salary increase was reached after Finance Minister Ivan Pilny raised the projected revenues for 2018 by 21 billion crowns. This was made possible due to an upgrade of the country’s growth estimate from 2.9 to 3.1 percent. Even so, ministers will have to find an additional 8 billion crowns to deliver on their promise. The coalition parties on Monday did not reach a consensus on whether universities will receive the additional 4.5 billion they asked for.
Foreign Ministry says no Czechs among victims of Hurricane Irma
The Czech Foreign Ministry has said that no Czechs are among victims of Hurricane Irma which hit Florida and the Caribbean. The ministry was responding to a query by the Czech News Agency; spokeswoman Irena Valentová said neither the embassy nor any consulates in the US or Cuba had registered any Czech nationals being in danger.
The Foreign Ministry has strongly recommended that Czechs not travel to stricken areas. According to the ministry, there are around 1,000 Czech nationals in the state of Florida – members of the expat community as well as tourists.
US President Donald J. Trump has declared a state of emergency in the state. Following landfall by the hurricane, millions of people were evacuated from their homes to safer areas; three people were reported killed in the hurricane.
Project to revamp Wenceslas Square wins final approval
Plans to revamp Prague’s Wenceslas Square have been given final approval after 12 long years of debate, the news site idnes reported on Monday.
The project, by award winning Prague architect Jakub Cigler, envisages a traffic-free zone with more greenery, more space for pedestrians, a wider promenade and more outdoor seating arrangements.
The trams currently cutting through the square will be rerouted and car traffic will be severely restricted.
Work on the square is expected to start next year.
Czech population goes up by 9,200 in first half of 2017
The number of inhabitants in the Czech Republic rose by 9,200 in the first half of the year to now stand at a total population of 10,588,063, according to the Czech Statistical Office. One of the main factors in the increase has been immigration, primarily from Ukraine and Slovakia.
New Ukrainian immigrants numbered 2,600, Slovaks 2,100, and Vietnamese 700.
Twenty-six evacuated from homes in Prague after radioactive item and munitions found
Twenty-six people were evacuated from their homes in an apartment building in Prague 10 on Sunday night. Police, including pyrotechnics and other specialists were called by the family of a military items collector, worried about a device in his home being a possible landmine. On closer inspection, the item was revealed to be an alternator, but investigators found large amount of munitions and a radioactive item. Two other sites, in or near the town of Roztoky, were also searched. Police have not released additional details about the radioactive find.
Čech compares Wenger and Mourinho managing styles
Football goalkeeper Petr Čech has drawn differences between his current club Arsenal and former club Chelsea under manager Jose Mourinho, suggesting his former manager had a different philosophy when it came to winning.
Čech told the French football website So Foot that Mourinho had wanted to always win at all costs and was not accepting of draws. He said that the approach by Arsene Wenger was not about victory at all costs but that the club wanted to win in “a certain way”. But he also said the situation was changing. Čech posted his first clean sheet of the season against Bournemouth at the weekend. The score was 3:0.
Arsenal had lost the previous two matches, including 4:0 against Liverpool.
Weather
Tuesday will be cloudy with a chance of rain. Daytime temperatures should reach highs of around 16 degrees Celsius.
