Czech news in brief for January 10: Friday's top headlines

Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Válek today announced plans to prioritize state funding for doctor training in under-served districts, following discussions with President Petr Pavel. Válek emphasized that health insurers must restructure care, citing low occupancy in some children’s hospital wards. The proposed public health insurance law amendment would increase regional and insurer involvement. The minister also said hospital care for children will be centralized.

Nine Czech tennis players, including 2021 semifinalist Karolína Muchová, will compete in the Australian Open starting Sunday in Melbourne. Barbora Krejčíková and Karolína Plíšková are sidelined due to injuries. Top-seeded Muchová faces Nadia Podoroska in the first round, while Jiří Lehečka, Linda Nosková, and Tomáš Macháč are among the other Czech contenders. Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka aim to retain their titles.

Heavy snow will blanket northern and northeastern Czech mountain ranges through Sunday, with 35-50 centimeters expected in the Jizera Mountains and 15-35 centimeters elsewhere, per the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Snow drifts and snow tongues will form, complicating travel. Drivers should prepare with winter gear and supplies. Traffic disruptions are likely, especially in the Krkonoše and Beskydy regions, as strong winds combine with snowfall.

The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic increased to 4.1 percent. in December, up from 3.9 percent in November, according to the Labor Office. The number of job seekers rose by 16,000 to 306,478, while job vacancies dropped by 9,000 to 246,573. The highest unemployment rate was in the Ústí nad Labem region at 6.2 percent, while Prague had the lowest at 2.8 percent.

Czech PM Petr Fiala (ODS) criticized incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's extreme policies, warning they could destabilize international relations. While rejecting Trump's threats to allies, Fiala noted potential benefits in curbing aggressive regimes like Iran and Russia. Trump’s controversial remarks about annexing Canada and Greenland and retaking the Panama Canal drew criticism from European leaders, including France and Germany, who reaffirmed the inviolability of EU borders.

Czech beer exports to Russia grew by 27 percent in 2023, with breweries accounting for 79 percent of the CZK 819 million worth of beer exported by October, according to the Czech Statistical Office. While the Czech Breweries and Malteries Association claims its members stopped direct exports to Russia after the Ukraine invasion, intermediaries may be involved. Russia ranked as the third-largest market for Czech beer last year.

Slovak PM Robert Fico warned of halting aid to Ukraine, including refugee benefits, over Kyiv’s decision to end Russian gas transit, which he says costs Slovakia EUR 500 million annually. Following talks with EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, Fico called the decision harmful to Slovakia and EU competitiveness. He vowed tough reciprocal measures if unresolved, emphasizing Slovakia’s sovereignty and the EU’s need for transit continuation.

Photographer Petr David Josek of the Associated Press won the Czech Press Photo 2024 top prize for his striking image of an Olympic hurdler, shot from ground level during the Paris Games. The contest featured over 4,500 submissions by 256 photographers. Awards were announced Thursday at Prague’s National Museum, where an exhibition runs through April 23. President Petr Pavel presented the honors.

The sixth annual Bird Watch event, organized by the Czech Ornithological Society, begins today and runs through Sunday. Participants can spend one-hour observing birds at feeders and recording their findings online. Last year, 35,000 people counted 792,000 birds, with the Great Tit most observed. The event helps track wintering bird populations, including species increasingly staying in the Czech Republic due to warmer winters.