The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Big business|Several developments took place recently in the Czech business and economy sphere. Among these are the Czech arm of retailer IKEA and Czech Trinity Bank recording huge profits, as well as the Czech Minister of Finance asserting that the country’s economic decline will be worse than expected. There’s also been a jump in Czech entrepreneurship and a record-breaking Czech start-up. Read all about it in our brand new weekly business briefing.

Czechia enters technical recession|Data from the Czech Statistical Office shows that GDP in the fourth quarter of 2022 fell by 0.3 percent. This, in theory, means that Czechia has entered a technical recession (because this is the second consecutive quarter that has posted a contraction). The eurozone reported growth of 0.1 percent in the final quarter of last year. Analysts predict that the current recession will only be mild and will not mean a significant increase in unemployment.

Deep debt|Preliminary data published today by the Czech National Bank shows that total debts owed by all Czech households rose in 2022 to CZK 2.1 trillion – an increase of over CZK 97 billion. In December alone, loans to households grew whereas those to businesses declined. Total household debt as a share of GDP is at about 39 percent. Every single month – bar one – since January 2016 has seen an increase in the rates of households claiming bank loans.

Causes of death|About 60,000 people died in the first half of 2022, representing a decline of over one-fifth year on year as reported by the Czech Statistical Office. The biggest killer was ischemic heart disease (causing 13.5 percent of deaths), which in the first half of 2021 was overtaken by Covid-19 as being the main cause of death. Covid-19 was responsible for about 6.5 percent of deaths in the first six months of last year.

Government vaccination campaign|The Czech state plans to launch a pro-vaccination campaign directed specifically at Ukrainian refugees, Seznam Zprávy writes today. "The campaign is focused on vaccination in general and specifically on measles, polio, and Covid-19,” according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson. Ukrainian vaccine rates have been historically low: the Czech Vaccinology Society writes that vaccination rates against diseases such as diphtheria and measles are at about 80 percent. This is 10 percentage points lower than in the Czech Republic.

Weather watch|A combination of snowfall with heavy winds may cause hazardous snowdrifts to form in parts of Czechia, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute warns. The worst-affected areas are forecast to be the Krkonoše, Jizerské, and Jeseníky mountain ranges. Prague will be safe from dangerous weather, with minimum temperatures of about 3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tapestry tradition|An exhibition featuring 11 large-scale tapestries will from Wednesday this week feature at Prague Castle, ČTK writes. Its aim is to showcase the history of Czech tapestry weaving, which is over 100 years old. The pieces – originating from the Moravian Tapestry Manufactory – will be displayed in the Imperial Stables (Císařská konírna) area of the castle. The artwork of the tapestries is based on the work of artist Josef Čapek from the 1910s, although the pieces were made last year. The exhibition will last until April. More details can be found here.

MacGyver comes to Comic-Con|Richard Dean Anderson, perhaps best known for his role in U.S. television series MacGyver, will attend Prague’s Comic-Con event in April. Anderson also featured in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 as well as the thriller Through the Eyes of a Killer. writes that Anderson will be joined by his Stargate colleague, Corin Nemec. Other notable attendees include actor Danny Glover (who featured in the Lethal Weapon film series) and Dan Fogler, who starred in the fictional fantasy Fantastic Beasts series.

Teenage star claims big win|An up-and-coming Czech tennis player claimed an impressive win at the Lyon Open tournament, and is set to play the number-one-ranked Egyptian women's player Wednesday. Linda Nosková, who is just 18 years old, knocked out former world number one Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets (6:1, 6:4). She is now through to the round of 16.