Czech news in brief for October 6: Sunday's top headlines

New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 in Prague on Saturday, securing their second win at the NHL Global Series in front of 16,722 fans. Paul Cotter scored the game-winning goal, while Jack Hughes contributed two assists. New Jersey played without Czech forward Ondřej Palát, who returned home for the birth of his second child. Buffalo's Jiří Kulich played his second NHL game, while Lukáš Rousek was not in the lineup.

Analysts predict a slight rise in September’s year-on-year inflation due to a lower comparison base from last year. The Czech National Bank also expects a higher annual growth rate in consumer prices. Motorists benefited from lower fuel prices, but other sectors, like housing and clothing, saw mild price increases. Analysts estimate an annual inflation rate of 2.4 percent for 2024; the Czech Statistical Office will release official September inflation data on Thursday.

Several hundred people gathered in Prague on Saturday to demonstrate in support of Palestine, calling for a reassessment of the Czech government’s position on Israel. The protesters marched from Náměstí Míru to Náměstí Republiky, chanting slogans and carrying Palestinian and Lebanese flags. Some banners accused Czech leaders of condoning violence against Palestinians. The protest was organized by the groups Prague4PalestineYouth and Friends of Palestine, and proceeded peacefully.

Jana Maláčová, former Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, was elected chairwoman of the Czech Social Democrats (SOCDEM) at the party congress on Saturday, receiving 66 percent of delegates’ votes. Maláčová’s main goal is to lead SOCDEM back into the lower house in next year’s elections. She aims to form a broad left-wing coalition similar to France’s New Popular Front. The party has struggled to surpass the 5 percent threshold in recent polls.

A team of 15 young majorettes from Jeseník returned from the world championships in South Africa with ten gold medals. The group, aged 8 to 20, excelled in solo and mini formations, also earning one silver medal and two additional top-five placements. The team had been preparing for six months, and despite recent floods that hit their hometown, they made the journey and achieved major success.

A new survey by PerfectCrowd for Sazka reveals that 72 percent of Czechs believe in superstitions, rituals, or lucky symbols. Younger people are particularly superstitious, with 10 percent of respondents identifying as strongly superstitious. The most popular good luck symbols include four-leaf clovers, chimney sweeps, and broken glass. Nearly half of the population owns a good luck amulet, most commonly a clover or protective mineral. The survey involved 1,020 respondents aged 18 to 70.