News

Czech mountains will see heavy snowfall this week, with snow also spreading to lower elevations, where precipitation may turn mixed or rainy. According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, temperatures will hover around freezing even during the day, while nights will remain frosty. Stronger winds are forecast from Tuesday, with gusts reaching up to 70 km/h on Wednesday, leading to snowdrifts in the mountains and snow tongues elsewhere. Icy conditions may form overnight, especially in lower areas. By the end of the week, up to 20 centimetres of new snow could fall, with more than half a metre expected in the mountains.

Czechia will see a raft of legislative and economic changes in 2026, affecting households, workers and employers alike, According to Czech Radio summary, pensions will rise, with the minimum old-age pension increasing sharply, while the minimum wage will climb to 22,400 crowns, pushing up average pay and related levies. Divorces will become cheaper and faster for couples who reach an agreement, as courts will no longer examine the causes of a split. Unemployment benefits will be more generous at the start, a reform backed by former labour minister Marian Jurečka. Healthcare prevention and digital services will expand, while self-employed workers face higher minimum insurance payments. Some rates may still be revised by the new government led by ANO party leader Andrej Babiš.

Bird flu has been confirmed at another poultry farm belonging to the Xaverov company in the Havlíčkův Brod region, affecting around 30,000 laying hens. The farm is located several hundred metres from another Xaverov facility where about 35,000 hens were culled last Tuesday due to the virus.

Poultry at the newly affected site will also be culled, with the operation expected to take place next Tuesday, according to the State Veterinary Administration. It is the 11th outbreak of avian influenza in a commercial poultry farm in the Czech Republic this year.

Extraordinary veterinary measures are in force in all affected areas, including restrictions on poultry transport, mandatory registration of all poultry holdings and a ban on mass events such as bird markets or exhibitions.

Prague will not hold a New Year’s fireworks display or videomapping projections on buildings, the Czech News Agency reported. Instead, the city has prepared discounted admission for 1 January to the Prague zoo and botanical garden, the Public Transport Museum in Střešovice, the Prague Planetarium and the Petřín lookout tower.

City Hall spokesman Vít Hofman told the Czech News Agency that the city is maintaining its current approach to New Year celebrations. A ban on the use of consumer fireworks has been in force in central Prague and other parts of the city since 1 December 2020.