News

Czech carmakers produced about 780,000 passenger cars in the first half of the year, around four percent more than a year earlier, according to the Automotive Industry Association. About 40 percent of all vehicles manufactured were electric or hybrid models, including roughly 130,000 fully electric cars. Market leader Škoda Auto increased production by nearly 10 percent, while Hyundai's output fell by about 10 percent. Toyota's production edged up slightly, with all cars built at its Czech plant powered by hybrid drivetrains. Bus, truck and motorcycle production also increased during the first six months of the year.

Health authorities have banned swimming at Prague's Džbán reservoir after detecting high levels of blue-green algae and algal bloom. Lower concentrations were also found at the nearby Šeberák pond, where children, allergy sufferers and other vulnerable people are advised not to swim. Water quality has also deteriorated slightly at Motol pond, Hostivař reservoir and the Braník beach on the Vltava River, although swimming remains permitted there. Prague's public health authority regularly monitors bathing sites during the summer, testing for harmful bacteria, blue-green algae and overall water quality.

Czech mountaineer Jaroslav Bánský, 46, has died in Pakistan's Karakoram mountain range while attempting the first recorded ascent of Biarchedi II. He was climbing with fellow Czech alpinists Zdeněk Hák and Radoslav Groh, although the circumstances of the accident remain unknown. The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the death, saying the Czech embassy in Islamabad is working with local police. Bánský is the third Czech to die in the mountains abroad this week, following the deaths of two climbers on Mont Blanc. Bánský had previously completed several pioneering ascents in the Karakoram with his teammates.

Czech banks and building societies provided mortgages worth 48.9 billion crowns in June, down seven percent from May but 32 percent higher than a year earlier. New mortgages excluding refinancing fell four percent month-on-month to 36.5 billion crowns, while the average interest rate rose to 4.79 percent from 4.67 percent in May. Despite the monthly slowdown, lending remained strong, with total mortgage volumes reaching 294 billion crowns in the first half of the year, up 59 percent year-on-year. Analysts say tighter central bank rules, higher market interest rates and rising property prices helped cool demand after several exceptionally strong months.