Daily news summary
Czech population hits 10.65 million, growth driven by immigration
The Czech population grew by almost 40,000 last year to an estimated 10,649,800 people. According to the Czech Statistical Office, as in recent years, most of the increase stemmed from immigration.
A record 58,148 people moved to the Czech Republic from abroad in 2018 while 19,519 left the country. Ukraine and neighbouring Slovakia were the biggest source countries, followed by Romania and Bulgaria.
The data also show a rise in the number of marriages to an 11-year high. Last year, 114,036 children were born in the country, down by 369 compared to 2017. Of these, 48.5 percent were born out of wedlock.
The population of Prague increased by 14,119 people to almost 1.31 million last year. Of the 40,503 people who moved to the Czech capital in 2018, more than half came from another part of the country. The rest were foreigners, especially Ukrainians, Russians and Slovaks.
Some 9.6 percent of Czechs threatened by poverty
Around 9.6 percent of Czechs were threatened by poverty last year, according to data released by the Czech Statistics Office on Thursday. The number has grown by 0.6 percent on the previous year.
The poverty line is set at 11,963 crowns per individual and 25,122 per family with two children. The Czech Republic continues to rank among the EU countries with the lowest share of people under the poverty level.
The average monthly wage in the Czech Republic currently stands at 33,840 crowns.
Czech Wikipedia shuts down for 24 hours in protest of EU copyright law
The Czech version of Wikipedia shut down for 24 hours on Thursday in protest against the EU copyright law.
Editors of the free encyclopaedia claim the proposed new reform will restrict their right to cite sources and as a result affect the quality of their work.
The strike, which was also joined by editors of the Slovak and German Wikipedia, comes a few days before the vote on the new EU Copyright Directive.
Czech scientists invent artificial DNA with aim of fighting diseases
Czech scientists have created artificial DNA that with further development could help combat disease by replacing problematic strands.
Researchers at the Academy of Sciences and Charles University say that by using chemical reactions, in theory the artificial DNA could be substituted for actual strands of human DNA to halt the advance of various diseases.
Experiments in transferring the light-sensitive, artificial DNA have not yet been carried out on living cells or organisms.
Czechs officially launch their programme at Leipzig Book Fair
The Czech Republic has officially launched its programme at the Leipzig Book Fair, one of the most important literary events in the world, which got underway on Thursday. The Czech stands have already attracted several thousand visitors, the Czech News Agency reported.
The Czech Republic is the festival’s main guest of honour this year, with some 130 events featuring 60 Czech authors. Around 70 books, translated into German for this occasion, will be presented at the festival over the course of the next four days.
Fashion designer Rosalie Kladošová wins Czech Grand Design top award
Fashion designer Rosalie Kladošová took the top award in the annual Czech Grand Design competition on Wednesday evening, for her collection called Merino Recycle, using textiles made of recycled wool. She also clinched the top prize in the fashion category.
This year’s nine winners also include Lucie Koldová, who won the prize for Designer of the Year for her Chips Chair, a lounge chair resembling a potato chip made for the furniture brand Ton. Artist Janja Prokic took the award for her collection of jewellery inspired by Papua New Guinea.
Weather
Friday is expected to be mostly sunny with daytime high ranging between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.
