The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Ukraine|Czech Ambassador to the U.S. Miloslav Stašek told VOA in an interview that Prague is already involved in the work of rebuilding Ukraine. "We're sending generators to provide electricity, we have a constant flow of delegations traveling to Ukraine, to identify what is needed on the ground, evaluate those needs, and provide our help to them," Stašek said, adding that the efforts focus on the city of Dnipro.

Nuclear energy|Czech state-run power group CEZ said today that it planned to launch three small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) by 2040, according to AFP. SMRs are easier to build than conventional reactors, as well as less risky in terms of potential nuclear accidents. CEZ said that its first SMR will be built at Temelin, and the other two at its current coal-fired power plants.

Czech brand expands to Germany|The juice bar chain Fruitisimo is expanding to Germany this year, according to Czech Crunch. Its first German branch opened in Dresden on Feb. 1, while 11 more branches will open across the country later in the year. After Germany, Fruitisimo's international expansion will include Poland and Austria.

Ukrainian students|Two Ukrainian students are continuing their education on the Prague campus of NYU. Anastasiia Koverha and Iryna Neroda were granted entry into New York University’s program to host displaced Ukrainian students following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Read more in our article.

Healing through dance|A new dance project in Prague aims to assist those with Parkinson's disease and other mobility issues in the Czech capital. Dance Well will focus on bringing the healing powers of dance to those who would normally be unable to participate due to movement limitations. Read more in our article.

Hydrogen bus|The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) will test a new hydrogen-powered bus in the Czech capital this spring. Chief of DPP Petr Witowski confirmed that the bus will run on route number 170, which connects Jižní Město in the southeast of Prague to Barrandov in Prague 5. Read more in our article.

Flu season|Respiratory infections in the Czech Republic were on the rise last week, which saw 1,412 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, meaning 3.6 percent more than the previous week, according to the State Institute of Health (SZÚ). Jan Kynčl, head of the department of epidemiology of infectious diseases at the SZÚ, said the infections will continue to spread for several more weeks.

Warmer days|Following a freezing weekend that saw the north of the country get up to 30 centimeters of snow, slightly warmer days await Czechia this week, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. This week, daily highs in Prague will be between 3 and 6 degrees Celsius, and daily lows will be below freezing all week. Plenty of sun, however, is expected in Prague this week with minimal rainfall.

Northern lights|The northern lights were visible late Sunday evening in the skies over parts of Czechia. Stargazers might be able to see the aurora borealis again in the coming days but only far from city lights. Pictures were captured by self-described storm chasers Jan Drahokoupil and Dagmar Drahokoupilová. Read more in our article.