Czech morning news in brief: top headlines for June 16, 2021

Business center for Czech firms to be founded in Russia

A business center pilot project with a view to enhancing the long-standing capacity of support for Czech firms will be established in Russia, Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Eva Davidová said Tuesday. It should work in close cooperation with the diplomatic office, Davidová said. The server iHNED.cz previously reported that the ministry would support the project, but that it would be operated by business associations themselves. Relations with Russia remain tense due to a diplomatic rift following the implication of Russian GRU agents in the ammunition-depot blasts in Vrbetice, South Moravia, in 2014. This was followed by expulsions of the diplomatic staff of both countries. The center is set to open this autumn. ČTK

Czech capital bids farewell to square trams this weekend

On Saturday, June 19, Prague will ceremoniously bid farewell to its T6A5 "square" trams. The Prague transit company (DPP) currently has just six of them in its fleet, of which one is a museum car. This Saturday, from 8:00, am to 6:00 pm DPP will deploy its T6A5 trams on line no. 4 for symbolic farewell journeys. Subsequently, all six cars will go on a parade through Prague for a photoshoot. After more than 25 years of deployment, the trams went into operation in June 1995, DPP will keep two of them for occasional retro operation, while the other three T6A5s will be offered for sale. 

Prague to Krakow line renewed

The Czech railway carrier Leo Express will renew its railway line from Prague to Krakow as of Friday, June 18. The line was previously interrupted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which limited cross-border travel. Trains will run from the Czech Republic to Poland every Friday and Sunday and will return on Saturday and Monday. The carrier will also resume the operation of its buses to Croatia. The sale of tickets for the bus line to Croatia was also launched this week. The first connection will depart on June 26, the last on September 3. The starting points in the Czech Republic are Prague, Brno and Mikulov, with stops in the Croatian cities of Zadar, Biograd Na Moru, Vodice, Šibenik, Split, Omiš, Baška Voda, and Makarska. Hygiene measures will be observed on board in accordance with applicable regulations, and the bus areas will be disinfected. ČTK

Czech Pirate Party to sue PM Babiš for slander

The opposition Pirates will file a lawsuit against PM Andrej Babiš for saying they want to impose a tax on extra square meters in people's flats and move migrants into their households, Pirate deputy group head Jakub Michálek told reporters in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, Tuesday. Michálek said that Czech politics must not fall into mudslinging. Michálek said the party had passed the case to a legal office. The Pirates said they believed that a lawsuit would end in their favor similar to that of Pirate senator Lukáš Wagenknecht. On Friday, a district court ruled that Babiš must apologize for having called Wagenknecht a psychopath and an informer depriving the Czech Republic of CZK 800 million. Babiš will appeal the verdict. ČTK

Public leaves flowers, lights candles in tribute to Czech "Cinderella"

Fans of iconic Czech actress Libuše Šafránková, best known for her role in the fairytale film "Three Wishes for Cinderella" were invited to pay public tribute to the actress this week at a neighborhood memorial in Prague behind the church of St. Anežka Česká above Roztylský Square. Šafránková's funeral will take place on June 25. Dozens of people paid tribute to the actress by leaving flowers and lighting candles near a small shrine bearing her photo. The beloved Czech actress died shortly after her 68th birthday on June 9. The final farewell will take place on the afternoon of June 25 for a circle of family and close friends. People will be able to watch the funeral on large screens near the church.

The average mortgage rate returned above two percent in May

New data released by Fincentrum Hypoindex shows the average mortgage interest rate rose to 2.06 percent in May from 1.98 percent in April. The rate rose for the third time in a row, before falling 11 months in a row. It was last above the two percent mark in October 2020. In May, banks arranged 12,984 mortgage loans worth CZK 40,555 billion. Although the volume of mortgages provided increased by CZK 1.375 billion compared to April, it lagged behind the record March by more than CZK 4 billion. "The data for May confirm the trend of rising interest rates. "Given the steps taken by banks in the last two months, it can be assumed that this growth will continue," said Jiří Sýkora, mortgage analyst at Fincentrum & Swiss Life Select.