News

The average weight of a newborn baby in the Czech Republic has held steady at around 3.3 kilograms over the past ten years, the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) said on Monday.

The proportion of multiple births has fallen in that period – from 2.1 per cent of live births in 2007 to 1.4 per cent last year – a change that could signal a drop in the use of fertility treatments, which increase the chances of having twins.

The majority of babies were from 49 to 51 centimetres long at birth and were born in the 39th or 40th week of pregnancy. Last year, 505 children were born in the Czech Republic who weighed less than one kilogram, up from 430 in 2007.

Czech Railways (České dráhy) has announced a tender for the delivery of up to 90 express wagons to replace its ageing fleet that should feature air conditioning, internet access and electrical outlets, and offer passengers a smooth ride at speeds of up to 200 km/hour.

This is the second major investment announced this summer by the national railways operator, which faces increasing competition from private transport companies. In late June, Czech Railways signed a contract for the delivery of 50 passenger trains for its Prague - Brno - Bratislava - Budapest line.

One of the best-known Czech music DJs, DJ Loutka, has died at the age of 51. The death of the dance music scene stalwart, whose real name was Michal Maudr, was confirmed by a representative of Prague’s Roxy club, a venue where he performed regularly.

DJ Loutka began his career at Bunkr, which was one of the leading Prague clubs in the early 1990s. The tabloid news site Blesk reported that he had committed suicide.

The Ministry of Finance has produced a plan to reduce the number of state employees in the Czech Republic, iDnes.cz reported. Almost one in every 20 Czechs works for the state and recently President Miloš Zeman criticised the growing “army” of officials, the news site said.

Ministry officials say the plan is not radical and would not lead to many layoffs. However, it is the first such programme in a decade and follows increased hiring by state organisations under previous governments.

Under the scheme unoccupied positions that ministries keep as a back-up – and for which they receive cash from state coffers – would be discontinued. The Minister of Finance, Alena Schillerová, said this could save up to CZK 3.4 billion.