News in brief for Oct. 6: Top headlines for Friday

Czech politicians praised the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, imprisoned for resisting women's oppression in Iran. Chamber Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová called Mohammadi "an inspiration" for resisting through a "will for a freer life."

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said the prize recognizes "human courage in these countries." Rights groups also praised the award, with Amnesty's Pavel Gruber saying Mohammadi continues activism despite imprisonment and torture. Women's rights resistance is growing in Iran, said People in Need's Ondřej Lukáš, with Mohammadi "paying a heavy price" in her fight against the death penalty.

The State Veterinary Administration has announced today that it detected earlier this week a large outbreak of salmonella in frozen pelmeni dumplings filled with chicken meat, from a Lithuanian manufacturer. These contaminated pelmeni were sold by a store belonging to the Mere chain in Písek, Czech Republic. 

Upon discovery, the authorities immediately banned the sale of the product. Out of the original stock of 560 kilograms, 65 kilograms remained in the store, while the rest had already been sold to customers. The seller may face administrative proceedings and a fine of up to CZK 50 million. Customers who purchased the product can return it to the store.

The Constitutional Court has today announced in its comprehensive review of the 2023 presidential election that Petr Pavel won fairly. The court rejected the remaining complaints regarding this year's elections. Since February, the Constitutional Court has been dealing with complaints from supporters of Pavel Zítko, whom the authorities refused to register as a candidate for president because he did not meet the required criteria.

The protesters claimed, for example, that the Interior Ministry had violated public procurement rules when it selected the supplier of a computer program for the procession of signatures on the petition sheets with supporters' names, which individual candidates were required to submit.

The Committee of Good Will – Olga Havel Foundation (VDV) and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová announced a public fundraising initiative to assist Ukrainian children residing in the Czech Republic. This effort is in conjunction with the upcoming Crimean Platform parliamentary summit in Prague on Oct. 24. 

The funds collected will be directed toward providing psychological support to children who have relocated from war-torn Ukraine to the Czech Republic. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds will aid Ukrainian children who were unlawfully detained in Russia and have returned to their homeland. VDV has previously supported 45 non-profit organizations, offering assistance to Ukrainian refugees with psychological aid for over 1,150 clients and group activities for more than 3,700 children.

In the first half of this year, public transport in the Czech Republic carried approximately 966 million passengers, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous year. Both rail and bus services also experienced year-on-year growth. However, none of these modes of transportation reached the passenger numbers seen in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Buses were the most widely used, carrying 355 million passengers, followed by trams with 333 million, the metro with about 181 million, and trolleybuses with around half of that figure. The Association of Transport Companies cited increased remote work and a shift to personal vehicles as factors impacting public transport usage.

The Asian hornet, an invasive species known for preying on bees, was confirmed in Pilsen, Czech Republic on Thursday, reports Ekolist, marking its first appearance in the country. The Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic, responsible for monitoring invasive species, is taking collaborative steps to prevent further spread. Efforts include locating and removing the hornet nest, involving the fire department, and informing local authorities and the public.

This hornet, introduced to France two decades ago, has since spread across Western Europe and poses a significant threat to local bee populations. Immediate nest removal is crucial to prevent permanent establishment. Experts and institutions are working together to address this invasive species issue, and suspected occurrences should be reported for swift action.

The Czech Environment Ministry will no longer push to ban the sale of coal-fired boilers and stoves from 2025 as proposed in an upcoming air protection law amendment. The measure faced public backlash and criticism, a ministry spokesperson told Pravo newspaper. The ministry said that producers can continue sales if appliances meet emissions rules.

The amendment sought to phase out such sales by January 2025, but Environment Minister Petr Hladík has faced pushback over the plan. Operating older coal and wood boilers that don't meet the third emissions class will still be banned from September 2024. The ministry has provided over CZK 12 billion in subsidies since 2015 to replace over 100,000 old boilers.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said it would be "unfortunate" if Slovakia did not further military support to Ukraine. Fiala made the comments in Granada while attending a European summit. While he said he couldn't comment directly on another country's decision, Fiala believes Ukraine needs help fast as it fights not just for its territory but European security.

Fiala's remarks came after reports that Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová opposed another military aid package for Kyiv due to government formation talks following elections. However, the Slovak president's office later said she generally supports providing military aid to Ukraine.

A memorial plaque honoring late Czech President Václav Havel was unveiled in Trutnov on the 87th anniversary of his birth. The plaque, featuring a relief of Havel, is located at the town's renovated Vesmir cinema. Trutnov Mayor Michal Rosa said Havel was an important figure in Czech post-communist politics.

Sculptor Michal Gabriel created the memorial, describing it as emerging from the plaque like a hologram. Havel had connections to Trutnov from the 1960s on and received honorary citizenship in 2010. The cinema repair cost CZK 119 million while the memorial was around 3 million crowns.

The Czech Health Ministry wants to increase the number of acute child psychiatry beds by up to 150 amid a rise in mental health problems among adolescents. Health Minister Vlastimil Válek cited factors like social media, the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine for increasing anxiety, self-harm, and suicide attempts.

There are currently less than 600 psychiatric beds for children in the country, more than half are located in psychiatric hospitals. A shortage of child psychiatrists limits expansion. The ministry aims to reopen a children's ward at Prague's General University Hospital within two years. Czechia has about 7,000 long-term psychiatric beds total, with only 431 for children.

The average mortgage rate in the Czech Republic fell to 6.05 percent in October from 6.1 percent in September, according to Swiss Life Hypoindex data. It was the fifth straight monthly decline, bringing rates to their lowest since June. Mortgages have fallen 27 basis points over five months as banks offer discounts and lower "green mortgage" rates.

The monthly payment on a 3.5 million crown, 25-year loan at the average rate decreased CZK 120 to CZK 22,650. One-year fixed mortgages saw the most significant drop, falling 0.14 percentage points to 6.43 percent. The Czech National Bank is expected to keep its base rate unchanged at its Nov. 2 meeting.

More Czechs are going to dentists in Poland due to long wait times to see dentists in the Czech Republic, reports Czech Television. Polish dentists near the border are seeing about ten Czech patients per week. Standard procedures performed in Poland can later be reimbursed by Czech health insurers.

Some dental experts warn, however, that issues could arise if complications develop from treatment received abroad. People from areas near Poland often travel half as far to Polish dentists as to Czech ones.