News

A clean-up operation continues along a stretch of the Bílina River, where firefighting foam leaked into the water during  a fire at the chemical plant in Litvínov on Saturday, killing dozens of fish. Water management said the contamination was not severe and measures are being taken to minimize the damage by increasing the flow rate of the river. No more dead fish have been recorded since the accident and signs of foam are seen only sporadically at weirs.

The traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Old Town Square will take place on Saturday evening, on the first weekend of Advent, Prague City Hall announced. The 20-metres tall spruce was erected on Monday night and will be decorated in yellow and red, the colours of Prague. A spokesperson for Prague City Hall said that, like last year, there will be a special light and audio show every half hour. The tree-lighting ceremony will also launch the city`s annual Christmas markets.

Patients with chronic pain will no longer have to rely solely on analgesics and opioids, they will be able to ask their GP to prescribe medicinal cannabis, the news site Novinky.cz reported citing sources at the  Ministry of Health. In response to growing pressure from patients and doctors the ministry issued a decree, that will broaden the number of doctors who can prescribe cannabis so that it can reach more patients, the news site says. The new regulation should come into force on April 1, 2025. Petr Šonka, chairman of the Association of General Practitioners of the Czech Republic, has welcomed the move. He said that in view of the fact that GPs can prescribe opiates such as morphine, which is a much stronger pain killer, it makes no sense that they are not allowed to prescribe medical cannabis.

The New Green Savings (Nová zelená úsporám) program, aimed at improving building energy efficiency, will continue with a combination of advantageous loans and grants, Environment Minister Petr Hladík (Christian Democrats) announced. The approach mirrors the Oprav dům po babičce model, supporting renovations through subsidized loans and savings from reduced energy use.

Over its 15 years, the program has approved 412,000 applications worth over 91 billion CZK. Future updates will ensure accessibility for mid- and low-income households, allowing comprehensive renovations even without significant savings. Homeowners can receive grants covering up to 50% of costs, with bonuses for disadvantaged regions and energy-efficient new builds.