Morning news headlines: Police evacuate Ministry of Health due to bomb threat

Czech Police intervened at the Ministry of Health on Thursday morning due to an anonymous report that there is a bomb on the premises. Over a hundred people were evacuated. The Ministry of Health is located at Palackého náměstí.

"The pyrotechnic inspection was negative, and everything is returning to normal," the police stated on Twitter. According to the Prague Transport Company, the Palackého náměstí stop in the direction of Karlovo náměstí is still canceled due to the intervention. Trams pass the stop.

During the weekend, temperatures will rise again to 30 degrees Celsius. The occurrence of showers or thunderstorms will be rare, according to a forecast by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ).

On Friday, it will be partly cloudy with some showers during the day. The lowest night temperatures will drop to 14 to 10 degrees, then rise to 23 to 28 degrees during the day. 

The price of gasoline in the Czech Republic fell below CZK 42 for the first time in more than five months, ČTK reported. The price of diesel also fell to the lowest level since the first weekend of March, averaging at CZK 43.45 per liter, which is CZK 1.66 less than a week ago. According to analysts, fuel prices could continue to decrease. Prices rose sharply this year at the end of February and the start of March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Applicants for film incentives in the Czech Republic will be entitled to CZK 150 million for one project a year. The Senate approved the limitation as part of a draft amendment that regulates video sharing platforms like YouTube in line with EU regulations. The bill's aim is mainly to better protect children from inappropriate content and the public from expressions of violence and hatred. The amendment will now be reviewed by the president.

The Czech Senate approved the deployment of up to 1,200 troops at the NATO eastern flank in the next two years. The troops will operate "within the reinforcement of the defense of eastern border" of NATO in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. The plan of foreign army missions is considerably influenced by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, said Defence Minister Jana Černochová.

President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, awarded the Silver Medal of the President of the Senate to the outgoing Ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Jevhen Perebyjnis. "He did a huge job for his homeland, Ukraine, and I dare say for the Czech Republic as well," said Vystrčil. "He strengthened the awareness of Czech citizens that freedom and independence must be defended," said the head of the Senate. Perebyjnis said that "by supporting Ukraine, you are also defending yourself."

About 300,000 more people are inhabiting Prague than stated in the official census (1.3 million), showed the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) analysis based on anonymous data from the mobile operators. Hundreds of thousands more people come daily to the capital city to work.

"It turns out that about 1.6 million people inhabit Prague permanently, and if we add people from the Central Bohemia Region who daily commute to Prague for work, it even amounts up to 1.8 million people. However, only 1.3 million people have their permanent residence here," said the IPR director.

Czech diplomacy fully supports a possible establishment of a Belarusian office in Prague, which should be open to all democratically thinking Belarusians in Czechia, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told ČTK today.

"A number of Belarusian activists and independent journalists are living and working in our country and are welcomed here. We are prepared to accept further members of the civic society and democratic opposition who are facing repressions and political persecution at home," Lipavský said.

Another metro station will be built on Prague's B line in the coming years: Depo Zličín. Emerging after the Zličín station, it will become the 62nd metro station in Prague. The Depo Zličín will be designed by the Petr Stolín Architekt studio, which won an international architectural competition. According to preliminary estimates, the construction will not start until 2026 at the earliest.