Czech daily news roundup: Friday, April 22, 2022

The leader of the anti-EU far-right Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party Tomio Okamura will support French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen at her election headquarters in Paris on Sunday. Okamura will be there during the calculation of votes of the final round of the French presidential election.

Radim Passer, a 58-year-old Czech billionaire, was suspected of racing on motorways in Germany last summer. Although the country is famous for having no speed limits on stretches of its motorways, a drive can constitute an offense if the driver grossly violates the traffic code. Yet, the investigation concluded that the factual nature of a crime was not fulfilled.

The wealthy sports car owner posted videos in February of last summer's apparent drive in a Bugatti Chiron on the A2 between Berlin and Hanover on YouTube. Police launched an investigation after the alleged breach was reported in German media. In the videos, the car's speedometer appears to display a speed of up to 417km/h.

The Shanghai port has been operating in very limited traffic for the third week in a row, and worldwide deliveries are at risk. Hundreds of ships are waiting at the port to unload and load cargo. The "zero coronavirus tolerance" policy has forced the Chinese authorities to impose a total lockdown of 25 million in Shanghai. Meanwhile, there are no truck drivers to unload the goods, creating dense cargo traffic. "If this production and export are paralyzed, the whole world, including the Czech Republic, will feel it in the form of pressure on price growth," said the chief economist of Trinity Bank Lukáš Kovanda.

Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová and her U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin confirmed their interest in concluding the bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement at their meeting at the Pentagon Thursday. A possible establishment of a U.S. military base in the Czech Republic was not discussed. The defense ministers also signed an agreement on cooperation between the Czech and U.S. arms industries at the meeting in Washington yesterday. The deal was prepared by the previous Czech government of Andrej Babiš.

The opposition ANO party of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš would win elections in Czechia slightly ahead of the government's Together coalition, and the Social Democrats (ČSSD) would return to the Chamber of Deputies, according to predictions released by the Median agency Thursday. ANO would gain 27.5 percent of the vote, Together, comprised of the Civic Democrats (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), and TOP 09, would get 26.5 percent. Pirates and Mayors and Independents (STAN), would also enter the lower house of the Czech parliament, along with the anti-EU far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement.

Czech customs seized counterfeit goods worth tens of millions of crowns that were found on Wednesday in the Sapa market in Prague. Sellers were offering counterfeit shoes, clothes, handbags, and perfumes from well-known brands, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Versace. According to a statement released by the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic, a hidden sales container to which only selected customers had access, was found during the raid of the market in Prague 4, Libuše.

Concrete barricades and bunkers from Czech company ICE Industrial Services based in Žďár nad Sázavou are helping the war effort in Ukraine. Over a dozen prototypes for concrete barriers have already been produced using the factory's 3D printer. The bulletproof barricades were designed by the Czech military institute and the company's team of designers.

Prague's O2 arena will host the inaugural NHL games between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators. The two teams will face off in the Czech capital on October 7 and 8 as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series. Details of all European matches were announced Thursday by the National Hockey League and the Players' Association (NHLPA) together with the Live Nation agency. Two Czech hockey players, center Tomáš Hertl and defender Radim Šimek play for San Jose.

According to Czech server Lupa.cz, American company HP has opened its first stone shop in Central Europe in Prague. The store, with an area of ​​200 square meters, is located on Hvězdov Street near the Arkády Pankrác shopping center. Similar to an Apple Store, the HP store is an authorized partner. In addition to selling laptops, desktops, accessories, and printers HP will host educational events here. The store offers technical support or the creation of custom computers.