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Czech car-maker Škoda Auto on Wednesday launched serial production of its first plug-in hybrid, Škoda Superb iV.

The company invested some 12 million euros to prepare the Kvasiny plant for the specific requirements of manufacturing its first electrified production model.

The market launch of the Škoda Superb iV, which combines a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor, is set for the beginning of 2020.

The Czech branch of the NGO Social Watch, an international anti-poverty advocacy group, has criticized the Czech Republic for cheap labour, gender pay gaps and inequality in access to education. In its annual report for 2019 released on Wednesday, the group also criticizes the Czech government for not adopting any measures to reduce the effects of climate change.

According to the report, the Czech Republic is lacking long-term strategies to solve these problems and any improvement of the situation would be due to external influences rather than by the Czechs’ efforts.

The decision to halt an investigation into suspected fraud by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and members of his family is legally binding, since no one has lodged a complaint against it, a spokesman for the Prague State Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday. However, it may still be reversed by the country’s Supreme State Attorney, Pavel Zeman, who has three months to make a decision. The anti-government protest movement A Million Moments for Democracy on Wednesday urged the Prague State Attorney’s Office to make public the full text of the decision. According to its leader Mikuláš Minář, the movement still insists on Mr Babiš’s resignation. Another public protest against the government is due to take place at Prague’s Letná plain on November 16.

Thursday will be partly cloudy with daytime highs ranging between 11 and 15 degrees Celsius.

Czech citizen Karel Šroubek, who is serving a six-year punishment in New Zealand for drug smuggling has been denied parole, the Czech News Agency reported on Wednesday, quoting the New Zealand Herald. According to the authorities, Mr Šroubek poses a high risk of reoffending due to his association with criminals in the Czech Republic and with the Hells Angels in New Zealand.

Mr Šroubek is wanted in his home country in connection with a murder committed in 2003. He will be deported once his six-year prison sentence on drug charges, which was handed in 2016, comes to an end.

Czechs’ financial literacy has slightly improved on the previous year, according to an annual survey commissioned by the Czech Banking Association. According to the index, Czechs picked up 57 points out of a possible 100.

The survey also suggests that the number of Czechs who are saving for rainy days has increased. However, one third of respondents couldn’t survive on their savings for more than three months and one in five would run out of funds in a month.

The Czech Republic will not breach the agreement on friendly relations with Moscow by moving the controversial statue of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev from its current site in Prague 6, as long as it finds a suitable new location for it, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček said on Wednesday.

Mr Petříček also said he didn’t know about any retaliatory measures Russia had warned to take over the decision of Prague 6 authorities to move the statue and replace it with a new monument to the liberators of Prague in 1945.

The American C-5 Super Galaxy transport aircraft landed at Mošnov Airfield near Ostrava on Wednesday morning. The giant airplane will be one of the highlights at the upcoming NATO Days and Czech Airforce Days military show, which is to take place at the site on Saturday and Sunday.

This year’s edition of the event, which is one of the largest military air shows in Europe, will commemorate 70 years since the foundation of the North Atlantic Alliance and 20 years since the Czech Republic’s accession to NATO. Last year it was attended by around 220,000 people.

The Czech Republic ranks 24th out of 149 states in terms of quality of life, according to a survey conducted by consultants Deloitte in cooperation with the non-profit Social Progress Imperative. The country climbed two places compared to last year’s Social Progress, even though it received fewer points than in 2018.

The Czech Republic made most progress in economic indicators. It finished ahead of the USA in the survey, in which Norway ranked first, followed by Denmark and Switzerland.

Slavia Prague drew 1:1 away with Inter Milan in their first group stage game of football’s Champions League on Tuesday night. The Czech side opened the scoring through Peter Olayinka on the 63rd minute. They were on the verge of a major upset before Inter’s Nicolo Barella equalised in time added on.

Slavia’s next game in the top European club competition is at home to Borussia Dortmund in a fortnight’s time. After that they visit the remaining team in the group, Barcelona.