News in brief for Oct. 14: Top headlines for Czechia on Saturday

Kateřina Siniaková is gearing up for her second singles title of the year, securing her spot in the Hong Kong Open final this morning. The 27-year-old Czech player triumphed over Italy's Martina Trevisan with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals. Siniaková is set to face 21-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the final on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Barbora Krejčíková will play her fourth final this year after defeating Darja Kasatkina 6-3, 6-0. She'll go head-to-head with Chinese player Zheng Qiwen for her eighth career title tomorrow at the Zhengzhou Open.

Late Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal's unique storytelling has a universal appeal, says Polish expert Aleksander Kaczorowski in an interview with Czech News Agency. He believes that anyone who loves literature will cherish Hrabal's works. Kaczorowski emphasizes Hrabal's ability to depict the 20th century's tragic history in a way that leaves readers with a focus on its brighter aspects.

In his recent biography, Hrabal: Sweet Apocalypse, Kaczorowski delves into Hrabal's literary contributions, his influence on Polish culture, and even the circumstances of Hrabal's death. The Polish author suggests that Hrabal's death might have been a suicide, as it aligns with themes present in his literary works.

A bronze plaque was unveiled today in Vojnov Městec, commemorating former hockey representative Jaroslav Jiřík. This small town celebrates its most famous native, who was the first Czech to play in the NHL. Jiřík, born in 1939, had an illustrious career, playing 450 domestic games, scoring 300 goals, and achieving six league championships.

He also represented the national team, participating in three Olympics and ten World Championships, winning silver medals at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics and the 1965 and 1966 World Championships. Despite later moving away, Jiřík had a strong connection with his birthplace. In 2011, he passed away in a tragic plane accident near Brno.

Temperatures soared over 25 degrees Celsius at dozens of locations acoss the Czech Republic yesterday, marking record highs for the date. The Kucharovice village in South Moravia recorded the highest temperature at 27.9 degrees Celsius, setting an all-time October record. Meteorologists described the heat as "hard to believe" for this time of year.

While a cold front is expected to cool things down on Saturday, South Moravia will still enjoy temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. However, the next five days will see a return to typical mid-October weather, with daytime temperatures reaching just 12 to 13 degrees. Ground frosts and mountain snowfall are anticipated.

Police in southern Moravia detained 115 Syrian refugees in the past 24 hours, including 70 migrants in a truck from Slovakia via the Lanzhot-Stara cesta border crossing. Czechia initiated random border checks a week ago due to an increased influx. On Wednesday, a van carrying 41 Syrian migrants was turned back to Slovakia.

The detainees consist mostly of men but included women and children. All the people smugglers, who were foreigners, have been apprehended. Nevertheless, the current number of detected refugees remains lower than last autumn when Czechia enforced temporary border checks, which were lifted in February following a decrease in the migration wave.

Traffic on the D1 motorway, a vital Prague-Brno link, was halted for about an hour on Friday evening in both directions due to a bomb threat on a bus. Police spokesperson Jana Kroutilova confirmed that the bus, parked near Merin in Zdar, underwent a thorough inspection by a bomb squad, ultimately finding no explosives.

The bus, en route from Germany to Brno, raised suspicion due to the discovery of a document hinting at the presence of an explosive device. Thankfully, all passengers, primarily foreigners, exited the bus unharmed.

Exceptionally warm October weather in the Czech Republic will come to an end as a cold front moves across the country on Saturday, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute reports. Today, the western half of the country will experience strong winds and gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour. A wind warning is in place from Saturday morning to afternoon across the whole of western Czechia, excluding the northwest and Vysočina regions.

Frosts are also expected to occur from Monday night. Saturday will see temperatures ranging from 17 to 22 degrees Celsius, with rain and occasional storms. Cooler temperatures ranging from 9 to 13 degrees Celsius can be expected on Sunday and throughout the following week.

Public transport passengers in Prague can take tram lines 4 and 5 to travel from Barrandov (Prague 5) to Slivenec (Prague 11), as the new tram connection officially opened Friday. The construction of the line began in February and took 36 weeks to complete at a cost of approximately CZK 233 million.

 The new line will facilitate future development projects, including apartments, a park-and-ride space, a shopping center, a park, and a bicycle storage facility. In addition to the Slivenec line, the company has also completed a connection from Modřany (Prague 12) to Libuš (Prague 4) and from Divoká Šárka to Dědina (both Prague 6) this year. These lines are scheduled to be officially inaugurated on Sunday, Oct. 22.

As part of its austerity package passed in the Chamber of Deputies Friday, the Czech government has approved a new law that will prohibit tobacco companies from carrying out sales promotions for all nicotine products, including heated tobacco and electronic cigarettes. This ban aims to address instances where sellers offer alcoholic beverages along with cigarette purchases, or when retailers offer special types of “buy-two-get-one-free” promotions. 

The legislation has been enacted due to the rising prices of tobacco products in recent years and the shift towards alternative nicotine options. The amendment argues that these sales practices undermine efforts to reduce smoking rates and encourage the adoption of safer nicotine alternatives. The change in law is expected to be effective from the beginning of next year.

The Ministry of Education in the Czech Republic is considering a significant reduction in the number of subjects offered in secondary schools. Currently, there are 283 subjects available, but the ministry aims to bring this down to a much smaller number. While the exact count has yet to be determined, Education Deputy Minister Jiří Nantl suggested a figure of around 40 on Friday.

This proposal is part of a larger effort to revise educational programs and collaborate with the National Pedagogical Institute and employers. It would also guarantee that teachers are fully proficient in their respective fields. Expert groups have already started discussions on the potential changes, with a draft regulation expected to be ready by mid-2024.

Following a Friday meeting with soon-to-be European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopko Hoekstra, Czech Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík highlighted the Czech Republic's successful utilization of funds from the EU’s Modernization Fund. The budget helps countries transition from burning coal and to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The discussions also touched on the upcoming UN climate conference, COP28, and the Climate and Energy Plan, which the Czech Republic will present for discussion with the European Commission next week. Hladík emphasized the importance of “socially sensitive” measures in addressing climate change and promoting decarbonization in order to deliver a powerful message while not inconveniencing people or causing undue fear.