Czech news in brief for October 21: Saturday's top headlines

Czech tennis players Marie Bouzková and Kateřina Siniaková are set to compete for the title at the Jiangxi Open in China. Bouzková secured her spot in the final with a 7-6, 6-2 victory against Russia's Diana Shnaider, while Siniaková avenged her defeat at last week's Hong Kong final by topping Canada's Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 6-4.

Bouzková rallied from 1-4 to 5-4 in her first set, eventually winning 7-5 in a tie-break. In the second set, she continued her impressive performance, securing her spot in the final. Siniaková, ranked 60th, displayed a strong game, ultimately clinching the win. Bouzková is aiming for her second career WTA title, and Siniaková her fifth.

Czech Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil paid tribute to executed Czechoslovak resistance fighters on Friday at Berlin's Plotzensee prison, where 667 Czechoslovak citizens lost their lives during the Nazi era. A total of 613 of them were confirmed to be executed for anti-Nazi resistance.

Vystrčil highlighted the cooperation between Czech and German experts, and the importance of mapping the history of those who have no graves. The fate of the victims is commemorated in a Czech-German exhibition at the German Resistance Memorial in Berlin, which has been extended until mid-January 2024.

Unusually high temperatures for late October were felt last night and this morning, notably in Silesia, reports the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. While not a tropical night, temperatures remained just under 20 degrees Celsius. Ropica in Frýdecko-Místek saw the warmest night at 19.2 degrees Celsius.

Meteorologists registered temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius or higher at eight locations on Friday. Warm southerly winds resulted in temperatures records set in regions with over 30 years of data, mainly in Moravian-Silesian, Zlín, and Olomouc. Further temperature records may be set on Saturday, but a cooler Sunday with a maximum of 17 degrees Celsius is expected.

Czech triathlete Tereza Zimovjanová secured third place at the World Cup in Tsongjong, marking her first-ever podium finish in the series. Zimovjanová finished behind American Gwen Jorgensen, who took first place, and Japanese Juko Takahashi, who clinched second.

Zimovjanová's impressive performance came despite a challenging race held in wintry conditions. Her journey to the podium included a 24th-place position after 750 meters of swimming followed by a shared lead alongside Takahashi after 20 kilometers of cycling. She was ultimately overtaken by the Olympic champion Jorgensen, finishing seven seconds behind the gold medalist and three seconds behind the silver.

Firefighters swiftly contained a fire at a galvanizing plant in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, in Czechia's Zlín Region, in the early hours of the morning. The blaze, which broke out at 12:15 a.m., prompted a third-level fire alarm. Thirteen firefighting units, including high-reach equipment, were deployed to combat the blaze.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire and extent of the damage are still unknown. Rapid response led to the fire's localization by 1:45 a.m., reducing the fire alarm level to the second tier. Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire by 3:30 a.m.

Czech arms manufacturer STV Group has been authorized by the Czech government to supply 3,000 ballistic plates (also known as an armor plates) for bulletproof vests to Israel, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová has confirmed. The plates, which are classified as being “level 3” (the second-highest level of protection) should be delivered in the coming days. 

Černochová also mentioned the possibility of further Czech support for Israel, including helping construct a military field hospital. STV Group is known for producing ammunition, repairing heavy military equipment, and recently delivering repaired RM-70 multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine with the help of a public fundraising campaign.

The Ostrava Zoological Garden has welcomed a pair of highly endangered and diminutive owls, known as the smallest owls in the Czech Republic and Europe. These tiny owls were received from a private breeder. The Ostrava Zoo's aviary complex already houses several owl species native to the Czech Republic.

These avian additions raise awareness about the plight of these birds, which face threats due to a lack of suitable nesting sites and the impact of intensive agriculture and pesticide use on their food sources. The zoo is actively involved in European owl conservation projects, contributing young owls for release into the wild.

The Czech Ministry of Transport has announced a new service for motorists that will provide internet-based notifications of penalty points for traffic offenses. It will give drivers the option to receive these alerts via SMS, email, or a special application notification. 

Currently, drivers often remain unaware of their point status, making it difficult to track their proximity to the 12-point threshold for license suspension. This upcoming change aims to simplify the points system and increase total financial yields from fines. Interested drivers can sign up for these notifications through the online Transport Portal, which requires a digital identity for access.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed satisfaction with the current random border checks at Slovakia's border, considering them an effective measure to deter illegal migration and smuggling through the Czech Republic. He noted that other Central European nations have implemented similar checks in response to migrants, primarily from Syria, passing through. 

Fiala stressed the need for a comprehensive EU-wide solution to prevent illegal entry at the EU's external borders, as the existing checks address consequences rather than root causes. Migrants had been using Czechia as a transit route to Germany, which also instituted border controls, and readmission agreements allow detained migrants to be returned to their originating country.

The government announced Friday that a new amendment to the Labor Code – effective Jan. 1, 2024 – is expected to once again allow 24-hour hospital shifts and return the voluntary overtime limit to pre-October levels. Doctors nationwide are currently dissatisfied with the recent Labor Code amendment, which doubled the permissible voluntary overtime hours to 416 and ended the practice of connecting overtime to a shift. 

Labor Minister Marian Jurečka clarified that under the proposed amendment, the maximum shift duration would be limited to 12 hours, and any additional hours beyond that could be filled with overtime work. He emphasized that this arrangement is entirely optional rather than mandatory.

Czech Education Minister Mikuláš Bek stressed Friday the importance of incorporating Roma-related topics in revised primary and secondary school curricula. During discussions at the Roma Culture Museum in Brno, he highlighted the need to address Roma issues in teacher training and teach Czech pupils more about Roma history.

Bek also visited a local primary school with a predominantly socially disadvantaged student population, where he explored the provision of teacher's assistants. He emphasized tailoring support to specific circumstances in schools with a higher number of socially disadvantaged students. According to a recent finding by the PAQ Research agency, there are nearly 80 schools in the Czech Republic where the majority of pupils are Roma children.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský met his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman in Zagreb Friday to discuss Western Balkan countries' EU accession efforts. Lipavský thanked Croatian authorities for assisting Czech tourists on the Adriatic coast and enabling Czech police operations in Croatia. Both ministers emphasized the strong historical and friendly relations between the two nations, with Czech and Croatian minorities contributing to these ties.

Lipavský also highlighted the importance of the Western Balkans for European security. Both ministers also talked about preparations for the Crimean Platform summit in Prague later this month, where Croatia's involvement inspired Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová to lead the summit organizing committee.