The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Inflation slows in October | Inflation in October decreased by 1.4 percent from the September level of 18 percent, Seznam Zprávy reports, citing the Czech Statistical Office. Additionally, consumer prices rose by 15.1 percent year on year in October, a 2.9 percent decrease from the September levels. The drop was mainly connected to lower electricity prices due to a governmental energy allowance.

Czechia in the spotlight | The Czech Republic wields significant authority at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27, which opened on Nov. 6 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Aktuálně.cz reports. Czechia will set up an EU pavilion serving as a meeting and discussion space for the EU countries, and also lead some of the debates between member states.

Higher emission targets | In related news, the EU reached a preliminary agreement on a 40 percent cut in emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, Oilprice.com reports. The stricter targets are part by a provisional agreement between the Council and the European Parliament that still needs to be formally adopted by the Council and the Parliament before becoming law.

New wine in old bottles | More than two-thirds Czechs agree with the introduction of a deposit system for plastic bottles (74 percent in favor) and cans (70 percent in favor), Czech Radio reports, citing the results of a survey conducted by the Ipsos agency for the Deposits Initiative (Iniciativa pro zálohování). Still, around 80 percent of respondents said that the deposit system would not change their purchasing habits.

Lunch money | Parents of children going to school in Prague 6 can ask for a reimbursement of school lunches, according to the Denik N Minutan feed. Parents can apply for payment on the basis of an affidavit starting next Monday, November 14. The funds for the initiative come from a subsidy that the Municipal Council of Prague 6 earmarked for this purpose.

And the fidelity award goes to... | Senator Jitka Chalánková proposed honoring married couples for their fidelity with an award, Seznam Zprávy reports. The proposal will be on the agenda of a new family subcommittee created in the Senate that Chalánková chairs. “The idea is to honor married couples for decades of cohabitation," Chalánková said, adding that the selection criteria for prospective recipients were not yet in place.

All the bright places | Prague municipality is taking measures to remove a neon advertisement for a cannabis product shop from the window of a former toll booth on the neo-baroque art nouveau Legií bridge. Prague representative and author of the "Manual for a Cultivated Prague," Kristýna Drápalová said the city hall turned to "the Technical Administration of Communications, which rents the house in question, and we clearly agreed that there should be a correction here," Pražská Drbna reports.

Four towers and a coat of arms | The Czech studio Mjölk Architekti created four viewpoints on the Stráž mountain over the town of Rokytnice nad Jizerou in the Olomoucký region. Called "The Guard Patrol," the towers represent a fox, bear, sheep and a miner, which are the names of ancient villages that were merged to form Rokytnice nad Jizerou, as well as figures on its coat of arms.

Momentous discovery | A recently-discovered piece by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů was performed for the first time in Prague on Tuesday evening, Czech Radio reports. Czech musicologist Natálie Krátká discovered it in the Israeli National Library in Jerusalem. Aleš Březina, head of the Institute of Bohuslav Martinů, said that it was probably written "as a gift to the famous photographer Boris Lipnitzki."

Baby elephants | The two youngest elephants at the Prague Zoo regularly undergo practice veterinary exams, so that the real exams will be less stressful later on, ČT24 reports. Lakuna, who is 2 and a half years old, and Amalee, who is 6 weeks older, share the same father Ankhor. While they were both roughly the same size since the beginning, Amalee is headstrong, while Lakuna has a calmer nature, just like her mother Tamara.