News Czech Republik 21.12.2012 - 18.12.2012

CR: President Klaus signs government VAT hike into law

President Václav Klaus on Friday signed into law government legislation that raises the two VAT rates by one percentage point to 15 and 21 percent, respectively. The legislation comes into force on January 1. The package also includes a seven-percent hike in income tax for high earners and cancels tax brakes for economically active retired people. The Czech government based the state budget for 2013 on revenues from the tax hikes; Mr Klaus signed it into law despite his objections; earlier this year he said raising taxes at a time of recession was an “economic suicide”. Analysts estimate that on average, the hikes will cost Czech families around 1,000 crowns each year.

Prime Minister put in charge of defence ministry

President Klaus has temporarily put Prime Minister Petr Nečas in charge of the defence ministry. The move comes a day after Karolína Peake’s of the LIDEM party, from the post. Mr Nečas on Friday reinstated Vlastimil Picek to the position of first deputy minister; he said Mr Picek’s sacking by Ms Peake last week was a demonstration of “irresponsible dilettantism”, and said it was one of the reasons behind Ms Peake’s demise, after only eight days at the ministry.

Civic Democrats want coalition to continue

The senior ruling Civic Democrats want to approach the coalition LIDEM group to discuss ways of saving the current government. After a meeting of Civic Democrat leadership on Friday, Prime Minister Petr Nečas said negotiations with the LIDEM party could start early next month. Mr Nečas also said party leadership backed his decision to dismiss LIDEM leader Karolína Peake from the post of the defence minister, a move that triggered the latest government crisis. In a reaction to Ms Peake’s dismissal, the LIDEM party called on its two other government ministers to step down as of January 10.

LIDEM has no interest in remaining part of coalition

In related news, chairwoman of the LIDEM group Karolína Peake told the news website lidovky.cz on Friday her party had no interest in remaining part of the coalition. Ms Peake said the prime minister should have thought about the government’s future earlier when there was still time for negotiations, adding no cooperation with the Civic Democrats was possible in the current format.

Opposition calls for vote of confidence in lower house

Reacting to the tension among coalition parties, the opposition Social Democrats on Friday called on Prime Minister Petr Nečas to initiate a vote of confidence in his government in the lower house. Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka said if Mr Nečas refuses to do so, his party would try and instigate a vote of no-confidence, a plan supported by another opposition group, Public Affairs. Meanwhile, the Communists have asked for government to step down and early elections be held in the earlier possible term.

Some presidential candidates to suspend campaigning during Christmas

Some of the nine presidential candidates will suspend their campaigns during the Christmas holidays, the news agency ČTK reported on Friday. The frontrunner, Jan Fischer, said people should have some time off politics during the upcoming holiday season while Foreign Minster Karel Schwarzenberg will spend Christmas with his family and will resume campaigning in the New Year. Independent candidate Táňa Fischerová said Christmas was a spiritual holiday with no room for politics. Jana Bobošíková and Vladimír Franz also said they would suspend their campaigns until next month.

Czech telecommunications regulator to weigh in on mobile services market

The Czech Telecommunications Institute will take more steps to regulate the country’s mobile services market, the institute said in a press release on Friday. The regulator found little competition on the market and said the four existing operators acted co-ordinately to keep up relatively high prices for mobile calling and other services. The institute wants to facilitate the entry of so-called virtual operators on the market, and is planning to introduce stricter regulation of whole-sale prices. A spokesman for Telefónica O2, the largest mobile operator in the country, said the firm would respect any decision by the regulator but said its assumptions were ungrounded as prices for private end users had decreased by nearly 40 percent of the last five years.

Survey: Russian, German tourists support 50,000 jobs

Russian and German tourists coming to the Czech Republic support some 50,000 jobs in the local tourist industry, suggests a new survey by the firm Mag Consulting released on Friday. That accounts for more than 20 percent of jobs in the industry. Germans represent the largest group of tourists in the country; each year, around 1.4 million Germans visit the Czech Republic. The second highest number of tourists – around 700,000 – comes from Russia.

Schmallenberg cattle virus detected in Czech Republic

The Schmallenberg virus, which causes birth defects and miscarriages in livestock has been for the first time detected in the Czech Republic, Czech Radio reported on Friday. The virus was found at two sheep farms in western Bohemia near the border with Germany. A spokesman for the Czech veterinary authority said the virus was only detected with sheep and not cows and other cattle.

Some 30 percent of Czechs believe in God: poll

Some 30 percent of Czechs believe in God, according to a new poll by the STEM agency. The survey suggests a 2-percent decrease compared to last year while in 1995, when the agency carried out first such poll, some 39 percent of those who took part said they believed in God. Some 34 percent of people said they were planning to visit a church during Christmas.

Prague night clubs owner charged with organizing prostitution

The police have charged the owner of two night clubs in central Prague, along with 14 other people, with organizing prostitution, a spokesman for the organized crime unit of the police said on Friday. The police said the people worked as an organized group that for several years profited from prostitution they organized in the clubs, located in Prague’s unofficial red-light district off the central Wenceslas Square. The charges were raised following a raid the clubs which took place last month. All the accused are Czech citizens; however, the 46-year-old alleged head of the group reportedly lives in Thailand. If convicted, the 15 people could be sentenced to ten years in prison.

Study: shopping main reason for crossing Czech-German border

Shopping is the main reason for the inhabitants of the west Bohemian and German border areas for the crossing the frontier between the two countries, according to a new study by West Bohemian University in Plzeň. The survey found that every other German visitor to the Czech Republic and more than two thirds of Czech visitors to Saxony came to shop. Czechs buy mostly groceries, cleaning products, cosmetics, clothes and shoes in Germany while Germans mainly come to buy fuel and tobacco products. On their shopping trips, Both Czechs and Germans spend between 50 and 100 euros on average.

Weather

The weekend will be mostly overcast with snow and freezing rain in places. Daytime highs should range between -2 and +2 degrees Celsius.

 

Peake calls on ministers to quit government by early January

Following her dismissal from the post of defense minister, LIDEM party chairwoman Karolina Peake has called on her party’s ministers to resign from the government by 10 January, which would mean the fall of the governing coalition. Beside Ms Peake, who still holds the post of deputy prime minister, LIDEM has two other members in the government – Minister for Regional Development Kamil Jankovský and minister without portfolio Petr Mlsna. The party holds eight seats in the Lower House. Shortly before the LIDEM party's announcement, Mr Nečas said that he is still interested in cooperating with LIDEM within the coalition and said that Ms Peak will keep her position as deputy prime minister.

Peake’s sacking causes government crisis

Karolina Peake was sacked on Thursday afternoon eight days after taking up the post of Defense Minister. Prime Minister Petr Nečas has announced that he decided to fire the LIDEM chairwoman because of her unwillingness to cooperate with the government. The premier said Ms Peake did not comply with his request to withdraw her dismissal of her first deputy Vlastimil Picek, which she issued the next day after her confirmation.

Lessy unhappy with verdict from closed hearing

Former police president Petr Lessy has expressed disagreement with the verdict of the Prague 7 court, which pronounced him guilty of slandering a subordinate and abuse of office. Mr Lessy claims he is innocent of the charges leveled against him and has protested against the fact that the court decision came after a closed hearing, not a public one. He told the press on Thursday that he would most likely appeal the court’s decision. Mr Lessy was accused of giving his press secretary documents that were damaging to the then deputy police chief in Zlín, Jaroslav Vaňek. The documents, that were later passed on to a journalist, allegedly presented proof of Mr Vaňek’s links with the Tofl gang.

Interior ministry under fire over signature verification procedure

The Interior Ministry is said to have published information making it possible for presidential candidates to cheat the ministry’s verification procedure of their list of supporters. The randomized system for controlling the signature sheets was created by Hewlett Packard, which won in a public tender. Czech Radio said on Thursday that by placing the full text of the contract between the ministry and Hewlett Packard on the internet, including the formula used to randomly select signature sheets to be checked, the Interior Ministry allowed candidates to calculate exactly which sheets would be picked, and prepare those sheets more carefully. The ministry defended itself saying that it is obliged by law to place the full text of the contract for any public tender online, and that signature sheets were given internal numbers at the ministry, which prevented any possible fraud in this respect. Three candidates who submitted petitions with more than the necessary 50 thousand signatures were originally disqualified for having too many unverifiable signatures, though Jana Bobšíková was later registered as an official candidate.

Czech Railways sues Transport Ministry

Czech Railways are suing their only shareholder – the Transport Ministry – in an effort to prevent it from making public the amounts with which it subsidizes the trips made by Czech Railways trains. Owners of private companies that have begun competing with the national train operator, like Radim Jančura of RegionJet, say that the Transport Ministry has to release information about the exact amount of money it costs the state to run every kilometer of vital train lines. So far, the ministry has released only an average figure, but Czech Railways want to completely block the release of this information. One of their cases has already been turned down by the Prague Municipal Court.

Former minister Dobeš founds new political movement

Former Education Minister Josef Dobeš has founded the New Movement for Sport. The Public Affairs Party member has said that the New Movement will be engaged politically and has aspirations to run in parliamentary elections in 2014. The group’s main goals are to push for a new law on the financing of sports, and in general strengthen the sporting community in the country. At a press conference on Thursday, Mr Dobeš said that a number of famous Czech sporting personalities support the movement, and that they also have popular support in a number of regions.

Václav Havel Library supports Schwarzenberg

The presidential Václav Havel Library has publicly announced its support for the presidential candidacy of Karel Schwarzenberg. The mission of the Prague-based library, that was founded in 2004, is to disseminate information about former Czech and Czechoslovak President Václav Havel and his works, as well as collecting an archive of materials by and about him. Karel Schwarzenberg, who is currently the finance minister, at one point served as the chancellor in President Havel’s cabinet.

Prague City Hall wants to get better rental price for administrative building

Prague city hall has announced that it will try to re-negotiate the contract it has with the owners of Škodův palace, where many of the central administrative offices are located. The city hall has previously announced that the rent and terms of the contract are disadvantageous. Rent prices in the surrounding buildings are allegedly almost half of the 196 million crowns that the city paid last year for renting the Škodův palace in Jungmannová street. If the palace’s owners will not offer a better price, city hall officials will consider filing a legal complaint.

Olympic javelin champion Špotáková named Czech Sportsperson of Year

The Olympic javelin champion Barbora Špotáková has been named Czech Sportsperson of the Year. Špotáková, who is 31, received the award, which is voted on by members of the Club of Sports Journalists, at a ceremony in Prague on Wednesday evening. She also won the prize four years ago, when she took her first Olympic gold. The athlete recently announced she was taking a year out in 2013 to have her first child.

 

Chamber passes VAT changes that will now go before president

The Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday approved changes to the Czech Republic’s VAT rates that will come into effect next year. The Senate had previously rejected the plan to raise the basic VAT rate to 15 percent and the higher rate to 21 percent. The legislation now goes before the president, Václav Klaus, who has criticised the change. If Mr. Klaus does veto it, a previously approved single VAT rate of 17.5 percent would come into effect in January, raising the prices of foodstuffs, medicines, health supplies and other items. At present the country has VAT rates of 14 and 20 percent.

Jailed MP Pekárek not to quit seat until legal avenues exhausted

Civic Democrat MP Roman Pekárek, who has been jailed for five years for corruption, says he will not give up his seat in the Czech lower house until he has exhausted all legal means of fighting his sentence, the news website ihned.cz reported. However, he cannot appeal a verdict handed down on Tuesday in connection with bribe-taking over a land deal. Mr. Pekárek only entered Parliament recently, when another member of his party resigned. He is set to receive an MP’s salary while in prison, though the Civic Democrats have proposed annulling the pay of convicted deputies.

Local authorities get right to ban repeat offenders with official residence elsewhere

Local authorities in the Czech Republic are set to receive the power to impose a three-month residency ban on individuals who repeatedly commit selected misdemeanors, such as prostitution, drinking alcohol or begging in spots where such activities are forbidden. At present, only courts can impose residency bans. The new powers will not relate to places where perpetrators have permanent residence. The lower house narrowly approved the Civic Democrat-submitted legislation on Wednesday, overturning a veto by President Václav Klaus; he described the measure as populist and possibly unconstitutional.

Vote confirms North Bohemian communities will not be forced to move over coal deposits

The expropriation of property in connection with the mining of mineral resources such as coal will no longer be possible, after the Czech lower house overturned a veto by President Václav Klaus. This confirmed an amendment to the law on mining that did away with the use of eminent domain in such cases. This is good news for communities in North Bohemia that had faced the threat of being forced to move, and a spokesperson for Greenpeace said they could not have received a better Christmas present.

Lower house approves bill on judges’ salaries

The lower house of Parliament has passed a bill which will raise the salaries of judges and state attorneys. The bill, which sets a legal framework for the calculation of salaries in 2013, was passed under an accelerated mechanism known as legislative emergency, in view of the fact that the current system has been abolished by the Constitutional Court as of the end of the year. Under the draft proposal, which still needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by the president, judges will receive 2.7 times the average wage in the public sector.

Forty-one percent of babies born in Czech Republic in 2011 outside marriage

Forty-one percent of babies born in the Czech Republic in 2011 were to unmarried couples, according to official figures released on Wednesday. The percentage of babies born outside marriage has been growing since the end of 1970s, but has accelerated in recent years. Parents have also been getting older, with the 30 to 34 age category the most common for mothers last year. Around 17 percent of babies were born to women of 35 or older.

Former Czech Radio head Václav Kasík dies at 65

A former general director of Czech Radio, Václav Kasík, has died at the age of 65. After first working at what was then Czechoslovak Radio as a freelancer in the 1980s, Mr. Kasík headed the station from 1999 to 2009, when he was dismissed, partly in connection with a renovation of its main building on Prague’s Vinohradská St that was over-budget. Originally a musician, he was named director of the Czech Philharmonic in 2010, a position he only held for three months.

Dalai Lama set for 2013 Forum 2000 conference in Prague

The Dalai Lama is set to attend a Forum 2000 conference in Prague next September, the organisers have announced. The last time the Tibetan spiritual leader was in the Czech capital was in December 2011, when he held a meeting with the former president, Václav Havel, shortly before his death. The two had been friends and Mr. Havel frequently invited the Dalai Lama to Prague. Forum 2000, which was founded by Mr. Havel and others, brings together leading international thinkers for a series of debates. Next year’s edition will be the 17th.

Joan Baez performs We Shall Overcome at Havel memorial

Joan Baez sang at an outdoor memorial to Václav Havel at Prague Castle on Tuesday evening, in one of a series of events commemorating the first anniversary of the late president’s death. The US folk musician, who had appeared with Mr. Havel in the Czech capital on the 20th anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution, led a sing-along of We Shall Overcome. Baez had previously been in Prague three months ago to take part in the ceremonial launch of Forum 2000; her programme this time around includes event linked to the launch of a Czech-language version of her memoirs.

Civic Democrat MP sentenced to five years for corruption

 

The Prague High Court has sentenced Civic Democrat MP Roman Pekárek to five years in prison for bribery and abuse of office. As deputy mayor of Kolín, central Bohemia, Pekárek allegedly received a one million crown bribe for selling municipal land to a businessman under price. While the price was officially set at 41 million crowns, Pekárek pushed through a 15 million crown deal, arguing that the value of the land substantially decreased due to the economic crisis. Pekárek received a six year sentence from a lower court in May, but he appealed the verdict. The verdict of the Prague High Court is definitive.

Coalition and opposition MPs call on Pekárek to resign

Coalition and opposition politicians have called on MP Roman Pekárek to vacate his seat in the lower house without delay. Under Czech law an MP cannot be forced to do so under any circumstances. The case has renewed debate on a proposal to amend the law so that an MP would automatically lose his mandate if found guilty of a crime. Deputy Pekárek’s continued presence in the lower house would not only be a public disgrace but the governing coalition could lose its fragile majority in the lower chamber. Roman Pekárek has refused to say what his intention is.

Czechs commemorate Václav Havel

Events have been held around the country in remembrance of the late president Vaclav Havel on the first anniversary of his death. A mass is to be celebrated in memory of the country’s first post-communist president in the Church of Our Lady before Týn and around 300 people joined a commemorative procession through the city centre on Tuesday. People have been lighting candles in places associated with the late president and in the Moravian metropolis Brno members of the public attended the unveiling of a wax heart made of the thousands of candles lit in the wake of Václav Havel’s death a year ago. A requiem mass celebrated by Cardinal Dominik Duka was held at the Church of St. Anne on the eve of the anniversary and broadcast live by Czech Television.

Senate speaker criticized lack of communication between upper and lower chambers

The speaker of the Senate, Milan Štěch, has criticized what he called “the poor level of communication” between the coalition and opposition parties. Addressing the upper house on occasion of the 16th anniversary of its founding Mr. Štech said that the lack of communication not just with the lower chamber by also with government ministers contributed to the public’s flagging trust in political institutions. The Social Democrat senator said that in the past 16 years the upper chamber had justified its existence in reviewing proposed legislation and noted that the government proposed reforms would be more widely accepted by the public if criticism and recommendations from the Senate were given greater consideration instead of just being overruled by a majority vote in the lower house.

Police crack downs on bootleggers

The police have uncovered the biggest storage of bootleg liquor in the country’s history. According to a police statement a raid on a former construction warehouse revealed 1.2 million liters of illegal spirits. The state would have lost 330 million crowns in tax revenues. The police have detained several people for questioning.

Army chief-of-staff decorates soldiers on observer missions

The Czech army chief-of-staff, Petr Pavel, on Tuesday decorated six soldiers who served on observer missions in the Congo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Egyptian-Israeli border zone. General Petr Pavel thanked them for the courage and dedication with which they served their countries noting that while observer missions were not generally perceived as dangerous they could be extremely challenging with international observers coming under rebel attacks and falling prey to diseases such malaria.

Marek Benda to head Civic Democrats’ deputies group

Marek Benda will replace Zbynek Stanjura as head of the Civic Democrats’ deputies group in the lower house of Parliament. The forty-four-year-old Benda was nominated for the post by the party’s leadership and received 33 out of 44 votes in a secret ballot. Jan Bureš is to serve as his deputy. Zbynek Stanjura left the post after being appointed transport minister last week. The Civic Democrats’ deputies group currently has 49 members.

Education Ministry approves Comenia Script

The Education Ministry has approved the use of a newly-designed script to facilitate reading and writing. The so-called Comenia Script is being presented as an alternate to the traditional script where letters must be slanted to the right, perfectly formed and linked up. The simpler Comenia Script, created by a graphic artist, has already been tested in several schools and has won wide approval both from teachers and students. The new handwriting also offers easier versions as regards capital letters, with fewer loops and twirls. The new script was tailored to those used in Great Britain, the US and Scandinavia.

Prague to build more shelters for the homeless

Prague is planning to build more day centers and shelters for the homeless, a spokesperson for the city council said on Tuesday. Councilors approved the plan in view of statistics indicating that the number of homeless people in the Czech capital could triple by 2020. At present there are approximately 4,000 homeless people in Prague and in harsh winter weather the facilities for them are woefully inadequate. The city council is also planning to introduce programs which would help as many of them as possible return to a normal life.

Fire fighters respond to blaze at Špičák

Firefighters on Tuesday responded to a blaze at a restaurant – part of a local train station - at Špičák Mountain in the area of Klatovy. The fire brigade had to overcome icy sections of road to get to the fire. On site, fire fighters pulled two pressurized canisters from the building. Damages have been estimated at around one million crowns.

 

Nečas supports Serbia, says talks need to be held with Kosovo

Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, on an official visit to Serbia, has reiterated Czech support for Serbian accession to the European Union but stressed that direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina in Kosovo would play a key role. Mr Nečas made the statement after meeting with Prime Minister Ivica Dačič. Besides EU membership, the prime ministers discussed Czech-Serbian ties, agreeing there was significant potential for political and economic cooperation. The Czechs have consistently backed Serbia’s plans to join the EU; the country received candidate status in March of 2012.

Neon heart to commemorate Havel at European Parliament

A neon heart echoing one that adorned Prague Castle 10 years ago has gone on display at the European Parliament building on Monday evening to mark the first anniversary of the death of former president Václav Havel. The work of art, designed by Czech artist Jiří David, was inspired by a small heart Havel used to draw below his signature. Originally, the sculpture went up at Prague Castle at the end of Havel’s final term as president in 2002. The heart in Brussels is based on the same design but produced in lighter materials. A number of representatives of the European Parliament, the city of Prague, as well as other prominent personalities in Czech and European public life will be present at Monday’s ceremony.

Plaque commemorating Havel unveiled

A new plaque commemorating late ex-president Václav Havel close to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial in Prague was unveiled on Monday evening. Several dozen people were present including Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and former defence minister Alexandr Vondra. The plaque was paid for by 258 Czech and Slovak artists living in the United States and the project was put together by the American Friends of the Czech Republic. As soon as the weather allows, the plaque will receive permanent moorings at the site. Speaking at the unveiling, the foreign minister – a close friend of Mr Havel’s – noted that his influence abroad had always been greater than many at home realised.

Students hold 24-hour hunger strike

Sixteen students in southern Bohemia are holding a 24-hour hunger strike beginning on Monday to protest against the regional coalition of the Social Democrats and the Communist Party. Above all, students oppose the recent naming of Vítezslava Baborová as the new regional councillor for education and culture. The protest was instigated by 18-year-old high school student Dominik Hořejší, who has met with the governor of South Bohemia, Jiří Zomola of the Social Democrats. The student said that while he hadn’t experienced life under the former regime, he had heard and learned enough and remained unconvinced there was justification for a coalition with the Communists.

Okamura to file complaint with Constitutional Court

Presidential candidate Tomio Okamura, disqualified from running in the upcoming election by a Supreme Administrative Court decision, has said he will file a legal complaint with the Constitutional Court. The senator made clear he would take the step after the Christmas holidays. Mr Okamura has taken issue with the decision, not least over words by one of the justices, Vojtěch Šimička, who said the candidate had the most falsified names on a list of supporters in his candidacy bid. For candidates to register they needed to gather 50,000 signatures to run. Mr Okamura finished below the 50,000 needed, after discrepancies were found. According to the justice, many of the names were written in the same handwriting. Mr Okamura has responded by saying voters’ rights were being trampled on. Another candidate who was rejected, former finance minister Vladimír Dlouhý, meanwhile, has not taken a final decision on his next step.

Online vehicle registration system slows

The online vehicle registration system on Monday was able to continue operation following the adding of local registry branches without lapses or collapse, officials said. The system, however, did slow in places. The electronic system, which has been plagued by glitches since the summer, was only operating at 60 percent. Continuing problems were responsible, at least in part, for the recent departure from government of former transport minister Pavel Dobeš of LIDEM; he has been replaced by Civic Democrat Zbyněk Stanjura.

New Octavia goes into production

Mladá Boleslav-based carmaker Škoda Auto began serial production of the third generation Octavia on Monday, the most important model in the company’s line-up. Production capacity has been raised from 800 to 1,200 vehicles a day. The new sedan is meant to improve brand recognition abroad, the carmaker said, and is expected to follow the success of the previous models. Octavia is Skoda’s best seller, representing 44 percent of global sales, for example, in the first 11 months of this year. The redesigned vehicle will be released onto the European market at the end of January.

Temelín tender: France’s Areva wants ‘back in’

France's Areva is aiming to continue its fight to be included in a lucrative tender for the completion of the Czech Republic’s Temelín nuclear power plant, Czech daily Mladá fronta Dnes reports. According to the daily, the firm sees the manner in which it was excluded from the tender as problematic and far from standard procedure. Areva representatives say the price offered by the firm was in order and stress the company will push its case even at the highest instance court. Thomas Epron, Areva's regional head for Central Europe, said the French company had provided guarantees in supplied documentation that the final price of Temelín´s expansion would not exceed a certain level and the cost of the project, between 200 and 300 billion crowns, would not see manifold growth. ČEZ spokesman Ladislav Kříž told the paper that Areva´s bid had failed to meet defined criteria on a number of points.

STEM: opposition Social Democrats would win elections

The Social Democrats continue to dominate in public opinion polls: a new survey released by the STEM agency suggests if elections were held today the opposition party would secure 26.5 percent of the vote, followed by the right-of-centre Civic Democrats with 13.9 percent and the Communist Party with 12.7. Other results in recent weeks have regularly placed the ruling Civic Democrats third. The new STEM poll suggests two other parties would make it into the Chamber of Deputies: TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats, with parties like the Greens and the Civic Rights “Zemanovci” Party finishing not far below the five percent threshold.

R10 sees 15 car pile-up

The R10 route in the direction of Liberec, near an exit for Stará Boleslav saw a pile-up of at least 15 cars after 6 am on Monday. Two people suffered light injuries. The section of road was completely closed off and will be reopened at around 11 am, the authorities said. Three cars also crashed in the opposite direction, towards Prague. One lane there, however, remains open. Icy conditions contributed to the accidents. Freezing rain, ice, and fog are complicating the situation on Czech roads in areas across the country.