Daily news summary

Average salary of state employees increased by 3.1 percent year-on-year

The monthly salaries of employees of state institutions have increased on average by 773 crowns year-on-year, which is an increase by 3.1 percent, according to the government's annual financial statement. The average monthly salary of state employees is currently 25,880 crowns. The number of state employees last year increased by 3050 to a total of 416,645. According to the Czech Statistical Office, the average salary for the whole of the Czech Republic reached 25.686 crowns per month in 2014.

Last year most succesfull in history of Czech transplantation

Czech doctors have transplanted 226 organs from 79 donors this year, according to the figures released by the Czech Transplantations Coordinating Centre. The most common transplant operations were kidney and liver transplants. According to the head of the Transplantation Coordinating Centre, Miloš Adamec, last year was the most succesful in the history of Czech medical transplantation. Altogether 846 organ transplants took place and for the first time, the number of operations exceeded the number of newly registered patients waiting for an organ transplant. The average waiting time in the Czech Republic is one year, while the EU average is two to three years.

Open day at Škoda Auto attracted 80,000 visitors

The open day at Škoda Auto's plant in Mladá Boleslav on Saturday attracted a record 80.000 visitors. Around a hundred policemen and a police helicopter were deployed in the vicinity of the plant to help manage the traffic. The Czech car-manufacturer this year celebrates 120 years since its establishemnt. Founded in 1895 by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, it originally produced bikes and motorcycles. The company this year also marks 110 years since its first car rolled off the assembly line and 90 years since it merged with the enterprise Škoda Plzeň.

Knapková wins European title in women's single sculls

Czech Republic's Mirka Knapková won the European title in women's single sculls at the European Rowing Championships in Poland's Poznan on Sunday. It is the fifth gold from the European Championships in her career and the third one in a row. In men's single scull, Czech Ondřej Synek took the silver medal.

Czech slalom canoer Kudějová claims bronze at European Championships

Czech slalom canoer Kateřina Kudějová claimed the bronze medal on Sunday at the European Canoe Slalom Championships in Markkleeberg, Germany. Another Czech, 47-year-old Štěpánka Hilgertová, has finished in the eighth place. The two-time Olympic champion has reached the finals of the European Championships for the first time in five years.

This weekend one of the most tragic on Czech roads this year

This weekend is likely to rank among the most tragic ones on Czech roads this year. A total of six people, three of them motorcyclists, have died so far since Friday in accidents across the country. In the most recent incident on Saturday morning, a young motorcyclist was killed near the town of Pelhřimov after hitting a tree. The number of motorcycle fatalities in the Czech Republic ranks among the worst in Europe and the number of accidents traditionally increases during the spring and summer months.

June expected to be warmer than average

June should see warm weather and very little rainfall, according to a regular monthly forecast issued by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Temperatures are expected to be higher than average for the time of the year, particularly in the firs week of the month, when they can reach as high as 28 degrees Celsius. Over the course of the month, temperatures should range between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius, the forecasters said.