News | All stories

Some 114,000 people in the Czech Republic filed for personal bankruptcy last year, according to a map focused on the issue, produced by the newly established Institute for Debt Prevention and Resolution.

The highest number of bankruptcies was filed in the region of Ustí nad Labem, while the lowest number of cases was recorded in Prague.

An amendment to the Law on Insolvency, which comes into effect in June, should make the debt relief process easier. According to experts, the number of personal bankruptcies is expected to further increase in the future.

Tuesday marks Tax Freedom Day in the Czech Republic, according to the calculations of the think tank Liberal Institute. It refers to the day when people have made enough money to pay their tax obligations and begin earning for themselves.

This year Tax Freedom Day came six days later than in 2018. However, according to the Liberal Institute, it is still the third best result since 2000.

Czech head of state Miloš Zeman has called for a complete transformation of the European Union following recent elections to the European Parliament. Speaking at the opening of the annual Prague Žofín economic forum on Tuesday, President Zeman also said the decision-making powers should be transferred to the European Council.

The Žofín Forum, which serves as a platform for debate on economic issues and matters relating to security and social issues, is attended by leading politicians, economists and academics.

Wednesday is expected to be mostly overcast with occasional rain showers. Daytime temperatures will be ranging between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius.

Chinese film Mosaic Portrait by director Zhai Yixiang will be among the highlights of this year’s main competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the organisers said on Tuesday. The main section will include 10 world and two international premieres, though this year it will have no Czech contenders.

The Czech Republic will be represented in the East of the West competition by Michal Hogenauer’s drama A Certain Kind of Silence. Award-winning Czech documentarist Martin Mareček will be competing for a prize in the documentary competition with his intimate road movie Over the Hills.

The 54th Karlovy Vary festival will run in the West Bohemian spa town from June 28 to July 6.

The 2019 International Documentary Film Festival Elbe DOCK gets underway in Ústí nad Labe on Tuesday. The main theme of the second edition of the festival is absurdity.

For the first time this year, ELBE DOCK will award prizes for the best Central European debut. The festival is also in charge of presenting the annual Pavel Koutecký award for best Czech documentaries. The festival will run in the north Bohemian city until June 2.

The Czech biathlon star, Gabriela Koukalová has announced the end of her career. The double Olympic silver medallist at Sochi and two-time World Championship winner made the announcement on social media on Tuesday. The 29-year-old athlete said she decided to focus on other areas of life.

Koukalová last competed in March 2017, when she came second in the mass start event at a World Cup meeting in Oslo. She stopped competing due to an ongoing problem with her calves.

A US military convoy, which is heading to a military exercise in Romania and Hungary, will enter the Czech Republic on Tuesday. The convoy, made up of around 350 armoured combat vehicles and over 800 personnel, is due to cross the Czech-German at border in Rozvadov near Plzeň in the evening.

The US troops will be crossing the country in the late evening and night hours to avoid traffic disruption. A smaller part of the convoy passed through the Czech Republic at the weekend.

The government has approved a Finance Ministry proposal to impose a higher consumer tax on tobacco, spirits and gambling.

The tax on cigarettes and tobacco should go up by 10 percent, that on spirits by 13 percent. Certain forms of gambling should also see a tax increase from 23 to 25 or even 30 percent.

The proposed hikes would increase state revenues by approximately 10 billion crowns a year. If approved by Parliament and signed by President Zeman the amendment would come into force as of January 2020.

A meeting of the tripartite –government officials, employers and trade unions –on Monday failed to reach agreement on wage hikes in the public sector in 2020.

The Finance Ministry is proposing a 2 percent wage hike for public sector workers next year, with teachers alone getting a 10 percent increase.

The proposal won support from employer representatives, but was vehemently opposed by trade unions who are demanding an 8 percent increase for civil servants, a 15 percent hike for teachers and a 10 percent increase for non-teaching school staff.