News: Sunday, October 3rd, 2021

Average monthly salary in state sector to rise by CZK 1,491

The government plans to spend 252.4 billion crowns on state employees’ salaries next year, which is 13.3 billion more than this year, the Czech News Agency reported on Sunday. State employees could see a rise of around 1,491 crowns per month, bringing their average monthly salary to 41,561 crowns.

According to draft state budget for next year, the average salary in the state sector should increase by 3.7 percent in nominal terms next year. According to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office, the average wage in the Czech Republic rose to 38,275 crowns in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 11.3 percent year-on-year.

ANO party places first in STEM election poll

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO placed first in a newly released election poll by STEM with 27.3 percent of the vote, CNN Prima News reported on Sunday.

The opposition coalition Spolu comprising the Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and TOP09 placed second with 21.4 percent of the vote, followed by the Pirate Party and Mayors and Independents election coalition with 17.4 percent.

According the poll, three more parties would pass the five-percent threshold needed to win seats in the Czech Chamber of Deputies, namely the right-wing Freedom and Direct Democracy party with 12.3 percent, the Communist Party with 6.5 percent and the newly formed grouping Oath with 5.7 percent.

Elections into the Czech Chamber of Deputies are set to take place this year from October 8 to October 9.

Highest weekend rise in Covid cases recorded on Saturday

Some 550 new cases of Covid 19 were registered in the Czech Republic on Saturday, which is the highest daily increase for a weekend day since mid-May, according to data released by the Health Ministry.

The reproduction number has slightly dropped to 1.29.

The average seven-day incidence rate increased to 41 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Prague has the highest number of infected with 60 new cases per 100,000 people. There are currently 217 people hospitalised with Covid, 37 of them in serious condition.

Documentarist Petr Záruba wins Pavel Koutecký Award

This year’s Pavel Koutecký Award for Best Czech Documentary has gone to Petr Záruba for his film Traces of a Landscape about the Czech painter, filmmaker and photographer Jan Jedlička, who emigrated in 1968 and settled in the desolate landscape of the Tuscan lowlands of Maremma. The Award for Best Short Documentary went to Czechia Deforested by Mikoláš Arsenjevic.

The award giving ceremony took place within the third edition of ELBE DOCK festival in Ústí nad Labem on Saturday night. Pavel Koutecký was a filmmaker who died in 2006 at the age of 50, halfway through filming Citizen Havel, a portrait of the late president that subsequently became a great success.

Exhibition presenting František Kupka’s homeland on display in Czech House Jerusalem

A new exhibition called 'František Kupka’s Homeland' has got underway in the Czech House Jerusalem. The event, organised in cooperation with the East Bohemian town of Dobruška, presents a series of 50 photographs introducing the homeland of the well known Czech painter.

The co-founder of abstraction art was born in Opočno in 1871 and spent his childhood and youth in neighbouring Dobruška, a picturesque landscape in the foothills of the Orlické Mountains. The photographs were taken by Jan Ježdík, a Czech Press Photo winner, who is also a native of Opočno.

Czech actress and dubbing artist Blanka Bohdanová dies aged 91

Czech actress and dubbing artist Blanka Bohdanová has died at the age of 91 in Prague. In her career spanning over half a century, Mrs Bohdanová starred in over 80 roles at the prestigious National Theatre in Prague.

In 2015, she received the Thalia Award for her life-long contribution to theatre. She was also a two-time recipient of the František Filipovský award for her work as a voice actress.

Weather

Monday will be partly cloudy with day temperatures ranging between 19 and 22 degrees Celsius.