The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Waiting times for ophthalmologist appointments in Prague are growing increasingly long, Seznam Zprávy reports. Some of this has to do with patients delaying examinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or spending more time in front of screens due to remote work and study. Doctor Andrea Janeková from the Ophthalmic Center Prague told Seznam Zprávy there was a year-on-year increase of around 30 percent in patients with cataracts, and almost 60 percent in those who needed glasses.

Several banks on the Czech market, such as Komerční banka, Česká spořitelna, Moneta Money Bank and Raiffeisenbank, reported record profits for 2022 so far, according to Seznam Zprávy. Komerční banka's profit jumped by 51.1 percent to CZK 12.9 billion during the first three quarters of the year, while the net profit of Česká spořitelna, which leads the domestic banking sector, grew by almost 40 percent year-on-year to CZK 15 billion.

A survey done ahead of the premiere of the movie "Borders of Love" (Hranice lásky in Czech) shows that around half of Czechs share their intimate desires with their partners, Novinky.cz reports.

The study, which was done by the STEM/MARK Agency, also asked people about open relationships, which are the main theme of the movie. Its findings were that half of Czechs cannot imagine such a thing at all. 

U.S. manufacturing Westinghouse, together with its partner company Bechtel, is preparing to submit an offer for the construction of a new unit of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, Seznam Zprávy reports, citing David Durham, a Westinghouse management member in charge of new reactor projects. Other bidders include French company EDF, and the South Korean KHNP. The Czech government excluded Russia's Rosatom and China's CGN, which had initially applied for the contract, for security reasons.

Retailers and merchants will now have to mention the original price of a good that is on sale, under a legislative change included in new government regulations on consumer protection approved yesterday. The amendment includes an extension of the standard time that a consumer can withdraw from a purchase contract – from 14 days to 30. Read more here.

A pumptrack circuit with waves and bank turns recently opened to bikers and skateboarders of all ages and skill levels in the Prague 6 district of Podbaba, Náš Region reports. The closed circuit, which is located near a children's playground and an outdoor gym, is 80-meter long, and its surface consists of five banked turns and thirteen waves. The local district paid CZK 946,000 for its construction, while the Prague municipality contributed CZK 300,000.

Former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš officially submitted his presidential candidacy at the Ministry of the Interior this morning, ČTK reports. He said that he earmarked CZK 8.5 million for the financing of his presidential campaign, which is well below the CZK 40 million for the first round of elections. Candidates are required to include expenses in their electoral bid.

For the first time in the history of the Motol hospital in Prague, doctors performed three transplants in one day on Oct. 23, Pražská Drbna reports. The heart, kidney and lung operations went well, while the organ recipients – a woman and two children – is going as planned, according to hospital representatives. Motol hospital spokeswoman Pavlína Danková said that most transplants are carried out individually.

Israir made an offer of CZK 44 million euros for Czech budget airline Smartwings, ČTK reports. The two companies have a long history of cooperation, and Smartwings has frequently leased both its fleet and its cabin crews to the Israeli company. Czech investors led by Jiří Šimáně and Roman Vik own the majority of Smartwings shares, while the Chinese company Citic own the rest of them.

Thanks to a new search engine, people can now explore traditional music from around the world, including Czechia; its regions of Bohemia and Moravia have separate lists each, with detailed information for each of the songs. The Global Jukebox project has made over 5,776 songs representing 1,026 cultures available online. Read more here.

University of Liberec researchers developed prototypes of clothing and accessories that reflect light and thus can improve road safety, Pražská Drbna reports. While classic reflective elements on clothes start glowing once light hits them, the photoluminescent fabric lights up by itself. Tomáš Neřold, head of the BESIP department of the Ministry of Transport, which coordinates road safety, said that in 2021 around 20 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents happened due to reduced visibility.

The municipal court in Prague ruled against a plaintiff who wanted to use a photo of themselves laughing on an ID card, according to Ekonomický deník. In its ruling, the court said it was in the "interest of public safety, the fight against terrorism and the protection of the external borders of the EU" for people to adopt a neutral expression and have a closed mouth in the photos of their ID documents.