• Prague hospital installs world’s smallest pacemaker into heart patient
    06/14/2020

    Doctors at Prague’s Na Homolce hospital have installed the world’s smallest pacemaker, into a 23-year-old patient, iDNES.cz reports.

    The device is wireless, so patients do not have to restrict their movement, lasts three times longer than standard models (for up to ten years), and its insertion leaves a smaller scar.

    Cardiologist Petr Neužil said it marks a “big jump” in technology, as the pacemaker uses minimal power to pace the heart for its optimal performance.

  • Saturday hottest day of 2020 in Czech Republic
    06/14/2020

    Saturday was the hottest day of 2020 so far in the Czech Republic, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in some places.

    Among the hottest temperatures recorded were in Přerov, Central Moravia, and in Doksany, Northern Bohemia, where the mercury rose to above 32 degrees Celsius.

    New daily records were registered at 10 measuring points where data has been collected for at least 30 years.

  • Percentage of positive Covid-19 tests highest since April
    06/14/2020

    Covid-19 was diagnosed in 4.42 percent of the people tested on Saturday, the highest positive result since early April. A total of 53 more cases were registered, roughly the same as on Friday.

    To date, 9,991 people have fallen ill with Covid-19 in the Czech Republic, of whom 7,219 recovered and 328 have died, according to Ministry of Health data.

    According to epidemiologists, the disease now has only local outbreaks in the Czech Republic, especially in the Moravian-Silesian region and Prague. In most regions, new cases do not appear in large numbers.

  • Firefighters respond to 600 calls over flooding, storm damage
    06/14/2020

    Firefighters responded to 600 calls on Saturday due to heavy rainstorms and hail, nearly twice the daily average. Meteorologists anticipate even heavier rainfail on Sunday.

    They were called mainly to drain water from flooded buildings and remove fallen trees, especially in the Zlín, South Moravian, Pardubice, Central Bohemian regions and in Prague.

  • State guarantee for Czech carrier Smartwings conditioned on name change, job retention
    06/13/2020

    The Czech state is set to provide the carrier Smartwings a loan guarantee of up to 900 million crowns provided it changes its name to Czech Airlines, retain 2,500 employees and not pay dividends for ten years.

    Minister of Transport Karel Havlíček announced the conditions on Saturday following talks with President Miloš Zeman and his team of experts.

    The airline’s management warned Smartwings could collapse without state aid due to massive losses stemming from travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Thousands stage anti-mining march near Moravský Písek
    06/13/2020

    Several thousand people took part in a protest march on Saturday against intended gravel mining between Moravský Písek in the Hodonín region and Uherský Ostroh in the Uherské Hradiště region.

    The protesters fear such mining will pollute a nearby drinking water source, which is the fifth largest in the Czech Republic. Some municipalities in the vicinity have threatened to sue to prevent excavation.

    Several politicians also took part in the march, including Senator Anna Hubáčková (for the Christian Democrats), Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Jana Maláčková (Social Democrats) and Bohumil Šimek (for ANO).

  • Environment Ministry seeks to limit National Park visitation as of 2021
    06/13/2020

    The Ministry of Environment is looking to limit the number of visitors to Czech National Parks as of next year, Mladá fronta Dnes reports. Under discussion is implementing a system that would require visitors to get a ticket in advance.

    Environment Minister Richard Brabec said limiting tourism would both help protect nature and improve the experience of visitors. Advance payment of an entrance fee could also help better cover maintenance expenses, he argues.

  • Hundreds protest against proposed Czech nuclear waste repository
    06/13/2020

    Several hundred people protested in the Klatovy region on Saturday against the possible construction of a deep nuclear waste repository near Březový potok, one of four localities under consideration.

    The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority has also shortlisted the villages of Janoch in South Bohemia near the Temelín nuclear power plant, Horka in the Třebíč region, and Hrádek in the Jihlava region.

    The waste storage facility should be built by 2065. Currently, nuclear waste produce from the Czech power plants is being stocked on site.

  • Weather
    06/13/2020

    Heavy rainstorms are due to hit the Czech Republic on Sunday. Storms are forecast to hit the Karlovy Vary, South Bohemian and Plzeň regions in the early morning and elsewhere from 10:00 am. Daytime highs should range from 21 to 24 degrees Celsius.

  • Flood damage to Šumvald, Břevenec exceeds half billion crowns
    06/13/2020

    A flash flood that hit hundreds of buildings in Šumvald and Břevenec, both in the Olomouc region, caused damages of more than 500 million crowns.

    Firefighters, soldiers and volunteers continued to work over the weekend to clear away debris, said a local mayor, noting that 197 buildings in Šumvald and 80 in Břevenec were damaged.

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