The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Čaputová in Prague | Czech President Miloš Zeman welcomed this morning his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Čaputová to the Prague Castle, iDnes reports. Čaputová's visit was almost cancelled due to the potential regional security threat associated with a recent missile strike in Poland. Čaputová has been regularly visiting Prague the day before the Fight for Freedom and Democracy and the International Student Day celebrated on Nov. 17.

Ukraine | President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Czechia and professed his admiration for Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in remarks to CNN Prima News earlier this week. Zelenskyi was in the city of Kherson, which Ukrainian forces recently liberated from the Russian occupation.

Hands off the wheel | The American State Department is asking Czech authorities to waive the diplomatic immunity of Luděk Moravec, Seznam Zprávy reports. Moravec, who went to the U.S. in 2017 as the scientific ambassador of the Czech Republic, was caught twice driving under the influence of alcohol, the last time being in September. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Moravec has been recalled back to Prague.

From the linguist's mouth | Leading Czech linguist Karel Oliva told Czech Radio that, while "professionally, or rationally," he doesn’t mind the usage of Czechia, from an esthetic standpoint he prefers the Czech Republic's full name. Still, he conceded that latter was "too long for everyday usage," and forecast that Czechia will fully catch on in a couple of decades.

New food pyramid | Skyrocketing inflation is having an effect on people's grocery shopping habits, with a drop in the consumption of foreign fruits, and an increase in candy and oil purchases, Seznam Zprávy reports. According to data from the Czech Statistical Office on foreign trade, between January to September, banana imports fell by 5 percent, while citrus fruit imports fell by 8 percent compared to the same period last year.

Mass grave in Prague | Archaeologists and anthropologists expressed their surprise at the large number of human bones unearthed from a defunct military cemetery in the Prague neighborhood of Karlín, iDnes reports. The site of the cemetery, which was in use from the middle of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, is now being prepared for the construction of an apartment building.

For sneakerheads | The Vasky shoemaker teamed up with the Maappi brand for a limited-edition sneaker celebrating the anniversary of the November 17th events, Mediaguru reports. The design of the Tena sneakers, which were also created in collaboration with Matěj Hošek, a young artist with autism spectrum disorder, show a map of Prague locations closely connected to the history of the Velvet Revolution.

Dream Theater | The legendary U.S. progressive metal band are coming to the Winning Group Arena in Brno on Jan. 28, 2023, iDnes Premium writes. Their date is part of the Top of the World Tour 2023, which promotes their new album called "A View from the Top of the World." The single "The Alien," which comes from the new album, earned the band their first Grammy award in their history for Best Metal Performance.

Maroon 5 | The pop music band is part of the lineup of the Prague Rocks music festival next summer, with a concert scheduled for Jun. 21, 2023. The band has sold over 90 million albums, 550 million singles worldwide, and been certified gold and platinum in over 35 countries. Their 2023 tour includes dozens of concert and festival appearances in the UK and rest of Europe.