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Confidence in the Czech economy grew slightly in July, according to data released by the Statistical Office on Monday. Confidence was up by 0.8 points on that of the previous month, mostly because of a rise in business confidence, the office said. Consumer confidence fell in July by two points, while business confidence was up by 1.5 points. Compared with figures from this time last year, overall confidence is down by some 23 points. According to the Statistical Office, the number of respondents who feared unemployment rose in July, while those who said they were setting aside cash remained the same.

A government news conference was disrupted on Monday when a man started heckling Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Michael Kocáb. When the floor opened for questions after the conference, an elderly gentleman took the microphone and complained that while minorities were represented and lobbied for by Mr Kocáb, pensioners received no such aid from the minister. The gentleman refused to hand over the microphone when asked. News website Novinky.cz reported that the heckler was unhappy about a rise in the price of his rent and complained that Mr Kocáb was offering him no protection, unlike, he said, the young squatters recently evicted from Prague’s Milada squat, for whom the minorities and human rights’ minister found replacement accommodation.

Parts of the Hradec Kralové region are still recovering from a fierce storm on Thursday which downed trees and cut power lines. Several hundred subscribers remain without electricity, although repair teams have been working to restore power. On Sunday, the spokeswoman for the energy giant ČEZ said that 250 regular employees and 300 hired personnel were involved in repairs. She added that the majority of the problems would be dealt with by Monday morning. Storms and strong winds hit a number of areas in the Czech Republic on Thursday, resulting in two deaths. Damage in the region of Hradec Kralové has been estimated at 10 million crowns.

A two-year-old boy in Veltrusy, near Mělník, suffered serious injury on Sunday after he fell under a lawnmower. Doctors had to amputate one of the toddler’s feet. The accident took place when the boy’s father reportedly lent the machine to his daughter, only five years of age. A similar accident took place earlier this week in Moravia, when a three-year-old also fell under a mower: doctors were forced to amputate his right hand.