News in brief for July 12: Top headlines for Czechia on Wednesday

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted that the Czech Republic will join the G7 declaration on long-term support for Ukraine and assist in its implementation. The declaration, made public today at the NATO summit in Vilnius, establishes an international framework to provide Ukraine with security guarantees against Russian aggression.

The support includes military equipment, training, intelligence sharing, and cyber defense. In return, Ukraine must commit to improvements and reforms in the governance sphere. Czech President Petr Pavel, who attended the two-day summit, expressed satisfaction with its outcomes, which included expediting Ukraine's path to NATO membership.

A woman in Přerov faces two years in prison for falsely claiming on social media that she was attacked by Ukrainians who threatened Roma people with death. The police discovered her claim to be untrue, and she now faces punishment for spreading false information.

The Czech police tweeted that the woman has been charged with spreading an alarmist message and could be sentenced to two years in prison. Přerov police spokeswoman Miluše Zajícová said the woman's message was "a targeted lie" as well as fearmongering.

According to a survey conducted by Glami.cz, around 30 percent of women in the Czech Republic face difficulties in finding appropriate clothing sizes. Moreover, 37 percent of men and 43 percent of women think that fashion brands promote unrealistic standards of beauty. 

Over half of the respondents believe that it is the responsibility of fashion brands to showcase diverse body types in their advertisements. The survey also reveals that 53 percent of women view themselves as overweight, yet only 31 percent purchase clothing in sizes larger than L. Study participants named a lack of sizing consistency and finding trendy clothes in their size as some of the biggest challenges when shopping for clothes.

The Czech Airlines Technics (CSAT) company signed a long-term contract for maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of wheels and brakes for the entire fleet of Air Serbia. CSAT will provide these services at the Václav Havel Airport Prague. Martin Mintěl, Head of Components & Spares Division at CSAT, said the two companies have been cooperating for many years, and called the contract "another huge milestone of our common path."

Air Serbia’s fleet consists of two Airbus A330s, three Airbus A320s, ten Airbus A319s, and six ATR 72-600 aircraft. Air Serbia CEO Jiří Marek recently said that its ATR 72-600s performed "really well," adding that they were "extremely profitable." 

Starting in August, excise duty on diesel will increase by CZK 1.50, returning to the level before its reduction in July 2022. Deputies approved the measure this morning in the third reading in the House of Representatives. 

According to analysts, in practical terms, this means that the price of a liter of diesel can increase by around CZK 1.80. The Senate will consider the amendment, and if approved, it will then go to President Petr Pavel for final approval.

Severe storms with heavy rain swept across the Western part of the Czech Republic on Wednesday night. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute issued a warning for thunderstorms, while the warning for high temperatures and fire risks remains in effect. The storms brought strong winds gusting up to 80 kilometers per hour and large hail.

Fallen trees were reported in the Pilsen region, and the storm system moved eastward, affecting other regions as well. Safety precautions were advised due to the risks of lightning strikes and falling objects. The storms are expected to continue in some areas throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

The Chamber of Deputies in the Czech Republic concluded an eight-hour debate on a government amendment to the pension law during the second reading. The proposed changes include slowing pension indexation and tightening conditions for early retirement. Opposition MPs submitted numerous proposals for modifications. The lower house session will end with the pension amendment, while discussions on the government's consolidation package will begin on Wednesday afternoon.

The proposed changes are aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension system, according to Labour and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurečka. Opposition lawmakers argue that the government is attempting to save money at the expense of pensioners.

Representatives of the Roma community, local government, and police met in Přerov to address a clash between Roma and Ukrainian children that occurred in the city on Monday. Over 100 Roma gathered at the police station demanding an investigation into the incident. According to the Roma, Ukrainian children attacked a Roma girl with a knife. The participants agreed to let the police handle the case peacefully.

The police received a report of the incident and are actively investigating. The tensions come after recent incidents between Roma and Ukrainians in Brno and Pardubice. Local authorities aim to prevent further escalation of tensions.

The average mortgage rate in July decreased to 6.24 percent from June's 6.30 percent, according to Swiss Life Hypoindex data. This follows a trend of some banks lowering interest rates to stimulate the holiday mortgage market, resulting in a slight decrease in the average offer rate. However, analysts caution against concluding a long-term trend based on these changes.

Monthly mortgage repayments have also decreased, with a CZK 3.5 million loan over 25 years at an average offer rate of 6.24 percent seeing a decrease of CZK 127 to CZK 23,068. Mortgages with different fixations experienced varying rate changes.

The Prague Metropolitan Court has once again canceled the final approval for the Blanka road tunnel complex in Prague. The cancellation was due to the capital city's failure to complete all the necessary noise barriers near V Holešovičkách Street. Prague City Hall had made changes to the tunnel construction before completion, including the removal of some required noise measures.

The court ruled that these changes violated the law. Local residents have been protesting against the increased traffic brought by the tunnel. Despite the lack of completed noise measures, the tunnel has been in test operation since 2015. The construction of the tunnel began in 2007 and faced delays and increased costs, reaching CZK 43 billion.