Daily news summary
Around 500 doctors have quite Czech Republic for Germany in last five years
The number of Czech doctors working in Germany keeps increasing. Over the past five years, up to 590 doctors have left the Czech Republic for the neighbouring country, according to the figures of the German Medical Chamber quoted by the Czech News Agency. At the moment, there are over 920 Czech doctors working in Germany, mainly in Saxony and Bavaria. Czech medical staff are attracted mainly by higher salaries and better working conditions.
Some 54,000 Czechs expected to travel to Dubai next year: Dubai tourist office
Some 54,000 Czechs are expected to travel to Dubai in 2017, which is an increase by about one fifth on the previous year, Dubai’s office for tourism said in a press release on Thursday. The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing of Dubai opened an office in Prague this week. It is set to launch a campaign in the Czech Republic and other central and eastern European countries to promote Dubai as a tourist destination for families with children.
Finance ministry revises expenditure and revenues but deficit proposal stands
The Finance Ministry has announced lower overall expenditure and revenues expectations for next year's draft of the state budget to the tune of 15.4 billion crowns. The measure was taken as a result of revised expectations of revenue from the EU, which was cut by more than 18 billion crowns as opposed to the previous June proposal. The proposed deficit for 2017 budget remains at 60 billion crowns. The government is scheduled to debate the budget draft on Monday. It has to be approved and sent to the lower house by the end of the month.
Unemployment drops to 5.3 percent in June
Unemployment in the Czech Republic fell in August to 5.3 percent, according to freshly released figures from the country’s Labour Office. Employment offices registered 388,474 job seekers, which is the lowest figure for the month of August since 2008. Meanwhile, the number of jobs available last month was the highest in eight years. Unemployment in the Czech Republic had been gradually falling since February this year until July this year, when it slightly increased.
Former Prague mayors Hudeček and Svoboda receive suspended sentences over Open Card
Former mayor Bohuslav Svoboda and Tomáš Hudeček and two former IT city councillors on Thursday received suspended sentences from two to three years in connection with the case of the Prague Opencard. They were found guilty of signing disadvantageous contracts with the original Opencard provider Haguess. The Opencard, a controversial multi-use transit card which went far over budget, was introduced by former mayor Pavel Bém and has cost the city 1.74 billion crowns. It is still in use but it is being gradually replaced by a new electronic pass, called Lítačka. Bohuslav Svoboda has already appealed the verdict.
Second largest Sportka lottery jackpot drawn
A second biggest ever jackpot in the Czech Republic's biggest lottery Sportka, over 200 million crowns, was drawn on Wednesday, the Sazka betting agency has reported. The winner, who comes from the region of Ústí nad Labem, has 35 days to claim the jackpot. The biggest ever sum in the Sportka lottery, nearly 400 million crowns, was won in November 2013. Sazka currently registers 85 millionaires. Winnings paid out to them exceeded 700 million crowns.
Prague to examine return of Slav Epic paintings to Moravský Krumlov
Prague mayor Adriana Krnáčová has announced that the city’s art and conservation experts will vet whether the Slav Epic series of paintings by Alfons Mucha could be temporarily returned to Moravský Krumlov, south Moravia. The temporary loan could take place when the series of 20 monumental canvases have returned from an upcoming Asian tour and could last until a permanent home for the paintings has been found in Prague. The painting were previously on show at a castle in Moravský Krumlov before being moved to Prague in 2012. They are currently at the National Gallery’s Výstaviště complex in Prague but that has been denounced as unsuitable by some conservation experts. Prague was supposed to find a tailor made site for the pictures under the terms of their original donation by the world famous painter.
Karolína Plíšková in US Open last four after victory over Croat Ana Konjuh
Czech tennis player Karolína Plíšková is on the verge of her first ever Grand Slam final after brushing past talented young Croat Ana Konjuh in straight sets 6:2, 6:2 in the quarter-finals of the US Open. In the semi-final, Plíšková now faces world number one and top seed Serena Williams. It is the first time in 18 years that a Czech has reached the last four of the women’s competition. Jana Novotná last achieved that in 1998.
Meteorologists issue fire warning for Central and Eastern Bohemia
The Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute has issued a fire warning due to dry weather and high daytime temperatures. The areas most at risk are Central Bohemia, and the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. People have been asked not to make campfires and not to use camping gas-cookers and other implements that could increase the risk of a fire breaking out. The warning is in place from Friday afternoon. At the weekend, temperatures are expected to cross 30 degrees Celsius and the heat wave is expected to last throughout the course of next week.
Largest outlet shopping centre to open on Prague outskirts in 2017
The largest outlet shopping centre in the Czech Republic is set to open next year in the vicinity of the Václav Havel International Airport in Prague. The centre, which will cover an area of roughly 20,000 square metres. It will offer around 100 shops. At the moment, there are two large outlet centres in the Czech Republic, the Freeport Fashion Outlet in Hatě near Znojmo and Fashion Arena Outlet Centre in Prague’s district of Štěrboholy.
