Czech morning news in brief: Top headlines for October 27, 2021

There was no connection between police actions and the subsequent death of a Roma man in Teplice in June, an autopsy report has declared. On June 19, officers intervened in a brawl between two men. When one of the men became aggressive, police physically restrained him on the floor. The man died in an ambulance shortly afterwards.

The incident led to several demonstrations against alleged police brutality, and the Council of Europe asked for an independent investigation into the death. Czech police leadership and political figures expressed support for the police actions. The autopsy just completed found no signs of organ injuries or suffocation. Methamphetamine was found in the man’s system.

People who let off fireworks at sports events will face fines of up to CZK 100,000 and even a ban on entering sports stadiums under a law approved by the Czech parliament today. The new punishments were added as an amendment to an existing misdemeanour law, which also includes provisions for protecting children from incidents of domestic violence.

The amendment will see initial fines of CZK 10,000 to CZK 50,000 for letting off fireworks at sports events, going up to CZK 100,000 for repeated offences. The Interior Ministry has also proposed that such actions be entered into the criminal register. The use of fireworks during sports events is considered a risky behavior because of the danger of fire, the high noise levels and the strength of firework explosions.

Otto Wichterle, the Czech inventor of contact lenses, is today being honored with a Google Doodle. Google has chosen to celebrate the life and legacy of the Czech chemist on the occasion of his 108th birthday. Wichterle was born in 1913 in Prostějov.

Wichterle taught as a professor at the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology during the 1950s, while developing the first contact lenses. His other innovations also laid foundations for state-of-the-art medical technologies such as “smart” biomaterials, which are used to restore human connective tissues, and bio-recognizable polymers, which are used for drug administration.

The Prague Transport Company (DPP) is bringing trolleybuses back to the city’s public transport system after fifty years. The company has already selected several routes for which trolleybuses could replace existing bus lines. The return of trolleybuses is also being considered by the wider Central Bohemia Region, from the capital city to Brandýs nad Labem.

From next year, trolleybuses should replace Prague bus line 140 from Palmovka to Miškovice. An overhead electrical line is already being installed at Palmovka. DPP plans to buy fifteen trolleybuses and introduce them in other locations too. A line is being considered, for example, to Václav Havel Airport. Trolleybuses used to be a regular sight in the capital, with the first line introduced in 1936 and the last discontinued in 1972.

Madeta, the largest Czech dairy producer, will raise product prices by more than ten percent in January 2022. The reason for the price hike is the dramatically increasing price of fuel and energy affecting the whole of Europe.

Madeta’s CEO said that until recently the company assumed it could raise prices by only two or three percent, but it has since realized that increased operational costs necessitate a much larger increase. A number of factors are affecting the profitability of the business, including increased utility costs, packaging costs, decreased purchasing power for the Czech Republic, and an anticipated competitive struggle between Czech dairy products and imports. Last year, Madeta’s profit after tax grew to CZK 311 million.

The Penny supermarket chain has launched its own e-shop, called PennyDomů. The service is currently only available in Plzeň, but it may be expanded to other locations if the trial run is successful. The Penny e-shop offers delivery within two hours of ordering, as well as the possibility to order deliveries three days in advance, with cancelation possible up to four hours before the scheduled delivery time.

The minimum order amount is CZK 500, while shipping costs are CZK 69. Penny has said it does not plan to use a special warehouse for preparing deliveries, preferring to deliver goods from its network of around 400 stores. The COOP retail network also launched an e-shop last year and is expanding its online operations. Albert meanwhile launched a trial e-shop service in Brno in the Spring, while Billa plans to open an e-shop soon.