Petřín Tower and City Hall to light up in blue for EU presidency

Prague will celebrate the start of the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union by lighting up two buildings. The Petřín Lookout Tower and the City Hall building at Mariánské náměstí will be lit up in blue, the background color of the EU flag, tonight starting at 10 pm. The EU logo will also be projected in front of the New Town Hall for one week.  The Czech Republic starts its term leading the EU on July 1 and will hold it for the rest of the year.

The Czech economy grew by 4.9 percent year on year in the first quarter this year, according to a revised estimate by the Czech Statistical Office (ĆSÚ). Statisticians improved their estimate from the end of May, when they reported growth of 4.8 percent. Quarter-on-quarter growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) remained at 0.9 percent. The first quarter of last year was negatively affected by the Covid pandemic.

Firefighters in Prague were called to some 20 places in connection with storms until almost 11 pm Wednesday night. Water from the heavy rains flooded warehouses and basements of houses, firefighters said on Twitter. The Botič briefly rose to the second level of flood activity, then fell. Further afoot in Moravia, hail damaged multiple homes while South Bohemia experienced flooding. Following this bout of precipation, extreme heat is expected today throughout parts of Moravia with afternoon temperatures set to exceed 34°C.

An express train crashed into a fallen rock between Karlštejn and Zadní Třeban. The locomotive and the first wagon derailed, Czech Railways (ČD) said. Traffic on the line between Beroun and Prague is interrupted, an ČD is providing alternative bus transport. About 150 people were on the train. Rescuers treated five slightly injured people four on the spot, one passenger was taken to a hospital in Hořovice. Five rescue crews intervened on the spot. According to the ČD website, the accident happened around 6 am the restriction is expected to last until 2 pm.

Today, after almost four months, the state of emergency declared by the government due to the migration wave from Ukraine will come to an end. The state of emergency enabled state and local governments to respond more flexibly when accommodating those fleeing the Russian military invasion. However, in recent weeks, the Cabinet has pushed through several amendments to special laws on the migration crisis, which will allow the necessary measures to be applied even after the end of the state of emergency.

The accommodation and registration of refugees from Ukraine even after the end of the state of emergency will be made possible by an amendment signed by President Miloš Zeman on Wednesday. Ministries and other authorities will continue to be permitted to set aside buildings for sheltering refugees. Regions and municipalities must continue to provide refugees with emergency shelter and housing. The state of emergency was declared on March 2.

The academic year ends today in Czech schools with students receiving report cards. The summer holidays will start from Friday. A number of children will go to summer camps like every year, but unlike last year, there will no longer be special anti-Covid measures. Pupils will return to the classroom on Thursday, Sept. 1. Approximately 1.4 million primary and secondary school students will be evaluated for their year-long work.

Czech President Miloš Zeman asked Justice Minister Pavel Blažek today for a check of whether the crime of sabotage occurred in connection with his illness last autumn, when he, the president emerging from a direct election, faced an attempt to strip him of his powers. Zeman has not filed a criminal complaint, which he originally envisaged. Now it is up to the justice minister and possibly up to the law enforcement bodies to decide how to handle the issue.

As prices rise in Czechia, the government will increase the subsistence level from CZK 4,250 to CZK 4,620 from July. The regulation was approved by the government today. The minimum amounts for adults and children in the household, which are lower, will also be adjusted. The subsistence minimum will increase from CZK 2,740 to CZK 2,980. 

Air traffic at Prague Airport continues to grow above expectations this year. Václav Havel Airport in Prague currently estimates that it will handle over ten million passengers this year. That's almost 1.5 million more than expected at the beginning of the year. Last year, the airport handled almost 4.4 million passengers, before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, in 2019, that was 17.8 million people.

Families whose income last year did not exceed one million crowns gross will receive a one-time contribution of 5,000 crowns per child under 18 years of age from August. This presupposes a government bill signed today by President Milos Zeman. With the benefit, the cabinet wants to mitigate the effects of rising prices on families. Budget costs will amount to approximately 7.8 billion crowns.

Storms in eastern Bohemia today can be extremely strong, meteorologists warn of flooding. They can also be accompanied by hail and gusts of wind at a speed of about 90 kilometers per hour. The warning of storms this afternoon, evening, and night applies to all regions, while in the western and eastern territories, storms should be weaker than in the rest of the country.