News

The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Czech citizens in Austria to exercise increased caution, monitor local news reports and respect the instructions of security forces. The warning comes in response to the threat of a terrorist attack which on Wednesday led to the cancellation of three concerts in Vienna by American singer Taylor Swift. Despite heightened security measures, Austrian authorities say the security situation remains serious. Many Czech fans who had tickets to the cancelled concerts have scrapped their travel plans. The Foreign Ministry has urged those who are heading to Austria to register with the Drozd travel data base and, if in need of assistance, to contact the Czech embassy in Vienna.

The district Court in Chomutov has ruled that three of the main suspects in a case involving massive fraud and manipulation of public tenders across four Czech regions should be remanded in custody, awaiting trial. According to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office the reasons for imposing custody are fears they would obstruct the investigation, influence witnesses and continue in their criminal activity. The three suspects who will remain in detention are Chomutov Mayor Marek Hrabáč, Libor Tačner, the former director of the Ústí Region Road Maintenance Administration and Ladislav Šmucr, CEO of the Jirkov company Rocknet. Fourteen people were detained altogether.

Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose to 3.8 % in July, compared to 3.6 % in both June and May. There were roughly 283, 000 unemployed people at the end of July, 10, 300 more than in the previous month. Job vacancies were fewer than jobseekers for the eighth month in a row, according to data from the Czech Labour Office. The highest unemployment rate last month was in the Ústí nad Labem Region, at 6 % , the lowest unemployment rate was recorded in the Prague and Vysočina regions, where it was just under  3 %.  Analysts put the rise in unemployment down to seasonal reasons as well as a weaker economy.

The number of tourists in the Czech Republic increased year-on-year in the second quarter, according to data published by the Czech Statistical Office. Some 5.95 million people used the services of hotels and guesthouses, up 3.3 percent year-on-year. The number of foreigners staying in the Czech Republic increased, while the number of Czech guests decreased. Guests spent 0.9 per cent more nights in accommodation establishments. According to the Office, the Moravia-Silesian Region and Prague in particular saw an increase in visitor numbers thanks to the World Hockey Championship in May.