Monday, 21 October 2019
Business | Radio Prague
State subsidies drive up bus passenger numbers

State-subsidised travel for senior citizens and students has led to full buses in the Czech Republic, iDnes.cz reported. Experts say the government scheme is encouraging existing passengers to travel more.
Business | Reuters
Czech firm PPF close to deal with AT&T on buying CME

Investment group PPF, owned by the Czech Republic's richest man Petr Kellner, is close to concluding talks on buying a majority stake in Central European Media Enterprises (CME) from U.S. firm AT&T, Czech and Bulgarian media reported on Thursday.
Business | Expats.cz
September unemployment in Czech Republic lowest since 1996

Unemployment in the Czech Republic at the end of September held steady at 2.7% for the third month, and was the lowest level recorded for a September since 1996. The Czech Labor Office registered a total of 201,907 job applicants as of September 30, 2019.

Business | Reuters
Czech telecoms watchdog delays start of 5G auction to early January 2020

The Czech Telecommunication Office (CTU) has postponed the launch of an auction for 5G network frequencies to early January 2020 from this autumn, the watchdog's website showed on Thursday.
Business | Reuters
Czech car production rises 0.7% year-on-year in first nine months

Czech car production rose by 0.7% to 1,067,109 cars in the first nine months of 2019, the country's Automotive Industry Association (AutoSAP) said on Thursday. Volkswagen's Skoda Auto, the biggest Czech car producer, raised its domestic production by 2.5% to 670,156 cars, the association said.
Business | Lexology
Czech Labour Code amendment proposed for processing biometric data of employees

The Czech Data Protection Authority has proposed an amendment to the Czech Labour Code that would enhance the ability of employers to process the biometric personal data of their staff.
Business | IntelliNews
Czech R&D posted record growth of EUR 500mn in 2018 to EUR 3.9bn

Czech R&D expenditures grew by CZK 12.3 billion year-on-year to a record CZK 102.8bn in 2018, accounting to 1.93% of GDP, stems from data published by the Czech Statistical Office on October 16.

Business | Reuters
Czechs must build nuclear plants even if in breach of EU law, says PM

The Czech Republic will have to build new nuclear power plants to replace aging coal and nuclear capacity even if they are in breach of European law, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday. The government wants CEZ to lead the nuclear projects but the 70% state-owned electricity producer has demanded state guarantees the plants would be both viable and deliver returns to shareholders. Babis has advocated nuclear power as a low-carbon alternative to coal, which now produces about 50% of power.
Business | Radio Prague
Czechia drops to 32nd place in WEF Global Competitiveness Report

The Czech Republic has dropped by three positions to 32nd place in the World Economic Forum's 2019 Global Competitiveness Report. Despite that, Czechia remains the most competitive economy in Central Europe, suggests the rating. It finished behind Estonia, but ahead of the other Visegard Four countries, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.
National | Business | ROMEA.CZ
Roma are most frequently targeted by hatred on Czech Internet

Anonymity online is frequently not what it seems, and those who post hateful content have to know that they can be tracked and held accountable for it, according to Supreme State Prosecutor Pavel Zeman, who spoke at a conference about "Hatred on the Internet" on Wednesday. Zeman said Romani people continue to be the most frequent targets of hateful prejudice on the Czech Internet.
Business | Brno Daily
New food boxes reduce food waste and help people in need

Reducing food waste and getting food to those in society who need it most – those are the two main goals of 10 new food donation boxes that have been placed in Tesco hypermarkets in and around Brno by the organisation Food Banks.

National | Business | Brno Daily
Foundation stone laid for tramline extension to University Hospital and Campus

A ceremony was held on Monday to mark the tapping of the foundation stone of the large-scale construction project in Brno to extend the tramline from Osova to the University Hospital and Campus. The first trams are due to run on the line by the end of 2022, and will carry tens of thousands of passengers every day.
Business | Focus Taiwan News Channel
Deputy foreign minister of Taiwan attends Czech conference on democracy

Deputy Foreign Minister Hsu Szu-chien participated in this year's just-concluded Forum 2000 Conference in the Czech Republic. At the forum, which was focused on strengthening democracy, Hsu said that Taiwan has had increasing space to participate in the event, as the country's existence in and of itself is a democracy success story.
Business | Reuters
Czechs get three bids for USD 2.1 billion fighting vehicle purchase

The Czech Republic has received preliminary bids from BAE Systems, General Dynamics European Land Systems and Rheinmetall Landsysteme for its planned purchase of 210 infantry fighting vehicles, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The deal is valued at CZK 50 billion and is the largest military deal in the country's post-communist history.
Business | Radio Prague
Czechia now ahead of Spain in GDP per capita, but still below EU average

The Czech Republic is now ahead of Spain in terms of GDP per capita adjusted to purchasing power parity (PPP). At least according to the latest OECD data, which show the country ranked 27th among the organisation's 36 member states, with Spain one place behind, news site Aktuálně reports. However, the country still ranks bellow the EU average.