Czech morning news in brief: top stories for Nov. 11, 2020

Top news stories for November 11, 2020, compiled from CTK.

COVID -- The government will ask the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, for the state of emergency extension again due to the coronavirus epidemic development, Deputy PM Jan Hamacek, heading the Central Crisis Staff , told reporters Tuesday. Hamacek said he had asked Health Minister Jan Blatny to add the information whether the respective measures required the state of emergency in the prepared chart of the anti-epidemic measures. Blatny plans to present this chart by the end of this week. The Government Council for Health Risks will debate it on Friday, Hamacek said. The state of national emergency is so far valid in the Czech Republic until November 20. Hamacek previously said the state of emergency might last until Christmas.

COVID -- A team of six British medical professionals arrived in Czechia to help the Brno Military Hospital staff curb the novel coronavirus epidemic, Deputy Defence Minister Jan Havranek told CTK and the public Czech Television at the welcoming ceremony in Prague Tuesday. The British ambassador to the Czech Republic Nick Archer attended the event, too. The United Kingdom sent its team in reaction to Czechia asking its EU and NATO allies for help in fighting the epidemic. Havranek said the team would also take part in consulting with the General Staff and the military medical service. The length of their stay will depend on the epidemic development, he said.

CULTURE -- Czech director Vaclav Marhoul's "The Painted Bird" in the best film category, and Polish Agnieszka Holland's "Charlatan" in the best director category, have advanced to the European Film Awards final. The winner of the European Film Academy awards dubbed as the European Oscars, will be announced at a ceremony in Reykjavik on December 12. Marhoul also wrote the script for an adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's eponymous 1965 novel from and produced the film which competed at the Venice International Film Festival last year. Holland's film, inspired by the life of Czech healer Jan Mikolasek and based on the script by Czech Mark Epstein premiered at the 70th Berlinale.

CULTURE -- Celebrations of the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution will be largely moving online and broadcast over Czech Television this year due to the coronavirus situation.

November 17 is the 31st anniversary of the events in 1989 leading to the end of communist rule in former Czechoslovakia. Freedom and Democracy Day, as it is officially called, is a national holiday. The anniversary will be commemorated with an online program of live broadcasts and recorded material. A few activities outside the online environment are also planned. Significant buildings will be illuminated in state colors and a charity Velvet Brunch will be available for delivery.

A list of some of online programs and streams will be available at the Díky, že můžem website and on Facebook. There will also be a large televised concert organized by Festival svobody and the annual Memory of Nations Awards, organized by civic group Post Bellum. Most of the programs will be in Czech.

REAL ESTATE -- In September, 137 development projects were built or completed in Prague, in which 14,450 flats will be created. This data comes from an analysis carried out by the city's Planning and Development Institute (IPR). According to the institute, the city is experiencing the largest construction boom in the last decade. However, prices are still rising, according to the figures from the institute. In September the average price of vacant flats in projects was CZK 95,904 per square meter, about CZK 10,000 crowns more year-on-year.

BUSINESS -- The Brno company Respilon has introduced a nanofiber respirator that sterilizes itself. According to the developers, the double-layer respirator can be used safely and repeatedly for up to one week. (Source: iDnes.cz)

BUSINESS -- Apollo Global Investment Funds will invest EUR 500 million (approximately CZK 13.3 billion) in the newly established company Sazka Entertainment, which should invest in the lottery business in Europe and the USA. As a subsidiary of the KKCG group of entrepreneur Karel Komárek, Sazka Entertainment will become the 100% owner of the betting company Sazka Group from the KKCG group after the completion of the transaction. KKCG announced this to ČTK.