Czech hockey great Jaromír Jágr's car collides with Prague tram

The State Health Institute (SZU) is examining another sample on suspicion of monkeypox from a person who was in contact with the first infected patient in Czechia and the result is to be known this afternoon, SZU spokeswoman Stepanka Cechova said today. The man, hospitalized in the Central Military Hospital in Prague, probably got infected at a music festival in Belgium, the SZU said.

Legendary Czech hockey player Jaromír Jágr reportedly crashed on Plzeňská Street in Prague on Wednesday, writes Novinky.cz. He collided with a tram with his Kia electric car. Firefighters, police, and ambulances intervened on the spot. The driver ended up in the care of paramedics, the accident was avoided without any serious injuries. The circumstances of the accident are being investigated by the police. 

The police inspected three actors in the April intervention at the Ministry of Agriculture and are now waiting for the officials to explain where the money came from. The investigators collected approximately CZK 20 million from the former Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Toman, which they found during a house search, reported Seznam Zpravy. Secretary of State Jan Sixta had CZK 250,000 in the vault in the ministry's office, and detectives found a similar amount with Chief IT Minister Oleg Blašek. 

The launch of the night train on the Prague-Berlin-Amsterdam-Brussels route, which was scheduled for this summer, has been postponed. Dutch start-up European Sleeper has not yet published a new start date on its website. 

The company is planning a night connection with the Czech private carrier RegioJet. European Sleeper did not reveal the cause of the delay and did not specify a new start date to "avoid disappointment." The launch of the line was announced last year and is aimed not only at tourists but also at clients on business trips.

The European Union today approved the Czech Republic's increase in the limit for mandatory payment of value-added tax (VAT) from one to two million crowns. Minister of Finance Zbyněk Stanjura told reporters Tuesday. According to Stanjura, the government is ready to implement the change from the beginning of next year. According to the ministry's estimates, increasing the limit should reduce VAT payers by about 105,000.

An unknown individual hid exotic animal remains, likely tigers, on a plot near Smečno, in Central Bohemia, TN.cz reported Tuesday. Police say they will release more information about the case today. The Czech Republic has seen incidences of the illegal killing of tigers for trading their body parts. In 2018, a zoopark operator was accused of supplying dead tigers to a taxidermist who sold the remains on the black market. The taxidermist, who was sentenced to prison, is currently trying his case with the Supreme Court.

Trade union leaders and members of the government will meet today to begin negotiations on public sector wage growth. Due to high inflation, the unions are demanding an increase in earnings this year. They also demand an increase in the minimum wage from CZK 2,000 to CZK 18,200 from July. The public sector employed 656,500 people last year. Half of them earned over CZK 41,921 gross per month. The average salary in the public sphere was CZK 44,782.

The Czech Radiocommunications company wants to build a data center for several billion crowns on the outskirts of Prague according to HN.cz and confirmed by the company's sales director Miloš Mastník. According to the server, it will be the largest data center in the Czech Republic. It is scheduled to be built in 2024 on Czech Radio's own land near Zbraslav in Prague. It will have a capacity of at least 2,000 server cabinets, HN.cz writes. The company now has the largest data center under the Žižkov transmitter in Prague and smaller centers in Prague's Strahov, Pardubice, and Ostrava. All these existing centers have a total capacity of over 500 server cabinets.

The first monkeypox patient in the Czech Republic is in the Central Military Hospital (ÚVN) in Prague. The infected person attended a festival in Antwerp, Belgium, at the beginning of May. After her return, she began to experience high temperatures and develop painful pimples that turned into bursting blisters, the National Institute of Public Health (SZÚ) stated. The SZÚ did not name the event, but separate news reports have linked the outbreak to Belgium's Darklands Festival, and the event website now urges people who attended to monitor their health.

The Prague Hygiene Station is tracking down people who have been in contact with the infected person. They are being instructed to monitor their health and refrain from sexual contact or donating blood. Samples from two more people who may be infected are also being examined by the SZÚ. The infected patient will have to remain in isolation for several weeks until skin lesions disappear. Monkeypox is a rare viral disease similar to smallpox, but usually takes a milder form.

The internet association CZ.Nic will unblock eight disinformation websites on Wednesday, whose domains were made inaccessible on Feb. 25 in connection with the war in Ukraine, new server Seznam Zprávy reported. The sites are no longer a threat, partly due to the expected drop in traffic, according to the association. The measure’s main goal was to limit the spread of false and misleading information that sought to relativize, justify or approve Russia’s aggression. These sites no longer pose a threat from this point of view, as the three-month shutdown will result in a significant decrease in their traffic, CZ.Nic said.

The European Union approved the Czech Republic's increase in the lower limit for mandatory payment of value-added tax (VAT) from CZK 1 million to CZK 2 million (EUR 85,000). The Czech Finance Ministry reported the change on its website. The government is ready to implement the change from the beginning of next year. Those under the new limit as of next year can choose to pay a flat tax instead, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura said. According to the Czech Chamber of Commerce, increasing the limit for mandatory VAT payments will make the administration easier for small businesses. The limit has not changed since the Czech Republic joined the EU.

The May 15–16 Rammstein concerts at Letiště Letňany in Prague resulted in between CZK 100,000 and CZK 200,000 in damage to sugar beet fields operated by agricultural company VIN Agro. The fields next to the concert venue were occupied by fans who did not have tickets but wanted to listen. The Agrarian Chamber pointed out the damage on Facebook. VIN Agro CEO Petr Řebíček said he does not see a way of getting compensation, as there is nobody to accuse. He added that he contacted the organizers before the concert, but his questions went unanswered. Several more large concerts are planned for Letňany this summer.

The remains of art collector and patron Meda Mládková, who died on May 3 at the age of 102, were placed in the family tomb of her late husband, Jan Viktor Mládek, in Rosice near Brno, news server České noviny reported. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation, Museum Kampa, and several local people. In a short speech, foundation chairman Jiří Pospíšil praised Mládková for her life's work and support of Czech art. Mládková had expressed the wish for her remains to stay in the Czech Republic. A funeral mass was held last Thursday at the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague last week.  

The Czech Republic will become a partner country of Germany's library system for three years. This is expected to bring closer cross-border cooperation and mutual inspiration. The Czech Republic will take up the status of partner country at the congress of librarians in Leipzig, one of the largest events for librarians in Europe. The Czech Republic will replace the Netherlands as a partner of Germany. As one of their projects, Czech librarians will create a map to connect the offers and special focuses of Czech and German libraries.