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Over 1.2 million cars were produced in the Czech Republic last year, which is a record. That represents a jump of at least 6 percent on the figure for 2013. The preliminary figures were announced by the director of the Automotive Industry Association, Antonín Šípek. Previously 2011 was the record year for production in the Czech Republic, with 1.195 million cars. The largest producer Škoda Auto accounted for 59 percent of last year’s output. Hyundai accounted for a quarter of production while the rest came from TPCA.

Senator Tomio Okamura says he would not now publish a call on Czechs to walk their pigs in the vicinity of mosques on a social network. The Japanese-born leader of the populist Dawn party sparked anger at the weekend by posting a text on his Facebook page saying among other things that Czechs should protect their heritage from Islam and boycott Muslim businesses. Speaking on Tuesday he said the post had made light unnecessarily of the issue of radical Islam. Dawn, which has 14 seats in the Czech lower house, says that Mr. Okamura did not write the text himself.

The president’s spokesman says it is up to the president’s chancellor, Vratislav Mynář, to explain the circumstances surrounding the low-seeming price he paid for a Prague villa. Spokesman Jiří Ovčáček told reporters on Tuesday that he believed President Miloš Zeman’s chancellor would do so in the coming days. Mr. Ovčáček said the head of state had no plans at present to dismiss Mr. Mynář over the CZK 5.5 million purchase of a protected property that sold for over CZK 8 million a decade ago.

The chances of the president’s chancellor Vratislav Mynář receiving security clearance could be harmed by his purchase of a villa in Prague for a low-seeming price, iDnes.cz reported. The news website said if it was proved that the price of CZK 5.5 million paid for the protected property was excessively low the State Security Office would evidently not provide Mr. Mynář with the clearance. He bought the villa – which a decade ago was sold for over CZK 8 million – from a lawyer for Roman Janoušek, an influential businessman currently in prison for hit and run. Mr. Mynář, who says the villa is in a poor state, has been President Miloš Zeman’s chancellor for almost two years without top secret security clearance, meaning he cannot accompany the president at some international meetings.