Weekend headlines: Freezing rain and wind advisory for Monday in Czechia

In a new Kantar election model released by Czech Television Czech presidential candidate Danuše Nerudova would win the first round with 27 percent, trailed by Andrej Babiš and Petr Pavel with 26.5 percent each. According to another election model, completed by the STEM agency and released by CNN Prima News TV earlier today, Babiš would win the first round of the presidential elections with 30.1 percent of the vote, followed by Nerudova with 26.5 and Pavel with 23. (ČTK)

Ukraine will need a further five billion USD a month to keep its economy operating, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister and former ambassador to Prague Yevhen Perebyinis said in a discussion on Czech Television (CT) on Sunday, adding that Ukraine also needs more arms supplies. On Thursday, the EU states approved EUR 18 billion as the EU's financial support to Ukraine next year.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said during the CT debate that the EU's aid is about half of what Ukraine needs to keep the state in operation and that the other half, approximately, is being provided by the U.S. Further steps will depend on the development of the situation, he said.

Freezing temps and ice are expected Sunday evening and through to Monday night in the Czech Republic. In eastern and northern Moravia and Silesia, temperatures could fall below minus 12 degrees Celsius. On Monday, during the day the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute warns of freezing precipitation and thick ice formations in Bohemia and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Strong winds are also forecast which could create snowdrifts and heavy frost in places. 

Josef Lada, whose paintings of the Czech lands during winter have become a cultural trademark associated with the Christmas season, was born 135 years ago today on December 17, 1887. More than half of Lada's 600 paintings showcased snowy landscapes, children sledding and ice skating, and other wintertime motifs.

Lada is also famed for his illustrations in Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk, one of the most beloved of all Czech literary works, and even has an asteroid named after him. Through January 8, Prague's Galerie Vyšehrad is hosting an exhibition of paintings by Lada's daughter Alena, who followed in her father's footsteps and painted Christmas-themed works.

Girl and boy scouts of the Czech Republic are carrying the Peace Light of Bethlehem across the Czech Republic today by train and public transport. The light, which originates from a flame lit in Bethlehem each year, has become an annual Christmas tradition since being developed in Austria in the 1980s. The light was given to scout scouts by their Austrian counterparts last weekend.

In Prague, the Peace Light of Bethlehem arrived by train at around 10:00 a.m., andwill make its way throughout the city by tram. It will be transported by two historic vehicles this afternoon, stopping for 15-20 minutes at locations around the city to allow Prague residents to collect the flame themselves. A full schedule of stops and times can be found here.

The past year has not been easy for many in the Czech Republic, and numerous challenges await the country as we move into 2023, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala writes on social media today. According to the PM, the Czech government is doing everything in its power to minimize the impact of events in Europe on its citizens lives.

"As a result of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, our country is facing a number of huge challenges that we could not have imagined until recently," Fiala writes. "However, we are working together with you to make the impact of the crisis on the lives of all of us as minimal as possible."

Heavy snowfall throughout the day on Friday led to some complications on roads throughout the Czech Republic, but no major delays or interruptions are being reported as of Saturday morning. The Moravian-Silesian region was heaviest hit by Friday's conditions, with firefighters in the area reporting to hundreds of incidents as a result on the snowfall.

"Units of professional and volunteer firefighters dealt with the removal of fallen or damaged trees that could not bear the weight of the heavy snow. Among the most frequent calls was the rescue or towing of stranded buses and trucks," Jakub Kozák, a spokesperson for regional firefighters in Moravia-Silesia, told reporters. An extreme frost warning is in effect across the Czech Republic from 20:00 this evening through 9:00 Sunday morning.

About 28 percent of Czech households can only afford to purchase the bare necessities at the grocery store, according to a new survey conducted by debt management company KRUK. The average Czech household spends between 5,000 and 10,000 crowns per month on food, while a third of households spend between 3,000 and 5,000 crowns.

More than half of local households seek out discounted food products according to the survey, with seniors, parents, and the unemployed among the groups most likely to look for discounts. More than 20 percent of households have started to buy lower-quality food products due to recent economic developments, and 15 percent of households have made changes to their diets to save money.