Unemployment falls below nine percent

Unemployment in the Czech Republic was at 8.9 percent at the end of October, down from 9.1 percent a month earlier, according to figures released by the Labour Ministry on Monday. Mild weather which boosted activity in construction and tourism is credited with the slight fall in the unemployment rate.

Inflation, meanwhile, rose by 3.5 percent on an annual basis in October, which is the biggest increase since March 2002.