News

President Miloš Zeman has warned the Social Democrats, who had a poor showing in the recent municipal and Senate elections, of a possible split in the party of which he was a long-time chairman.

In a wide-ranging interview with Czech Radio on Monday evening live from the presidential residence in Lány, Zeman again said he favoured a dissolution of the Senate.

He also defended his decision not to make appearances on 17 November, the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, and on 21 August, the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops, saying it was enough for him to remember these dates in silence.

Zeman said he would speak on 28 October, the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Czechoslovak independence, when State honours are given out. He also revealed that he will honour resistance fighter Josef Bílý posthumously.

The Czech president also recalled in the interview how he had used obscene expressions in a live broadcast four years ago. Despite protests from the moderator, Zeman once again used vulgar words in the live interview.

A bark beetle infestation that has affected spruce forests in the Vysočina region is also threatening the protected natural area of Žďárské vrchy in western Moravia.

Extensive felling of trees to combat the problem could negatively impact many animal species, including hawks and white-tailed eagles, conservationists say.

The Czech Republic’s largely coniferous forests are facing the worst bark beetle infestation in at least 200 years. The amount of spruce wood damaged by the insects has risen steadily in recent years.

Experts are warning that the nation’s forests could be wiped out if the current monoculture forestry format remains unchanged.

Veterinarians in East Bohemia have ordered some 80 tons of fish be destroyed following an outbreak of the herpes virus at the Buñkov fish farm near Pardubice.

Although the strain cannot be transmitted to humans, it is highly contagious among fish species. It is the first such outbreak reported this year.

Due to the chronic labour shortage, Czech economic growth will slow to 3.6 percent this year and to 3.3 percent in 2019, the Czech Chamber of Commerce says in a new forecast.

The prediction is based on data from the retail bank Česká spořitelna and the chamber’s own surveys.

By June 2019 there could be half a million unfilled positions, about 60,000 more than today, according to the chamber, which has been lobbying the government to double the annual quota for workers from Ukraine to 40,000 to help fill the gap.