Czech daily news roundup: Monday, December 27, 2021

Czech President Miloš Zeman spoke out about the Green Deal and the withdrawal from Afghanistan in his annual Christmas address, delivered on Sunday afternoon from his residence in Lány. Zeman said claimed the Green Deal had resulted from ecology having become a religion, and called it the primary cause of soaring energy prices in the Czech Republic.

Zeman called the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan a 'NATO surrender', and claimed it would increase the risk of terrorist attacks. "This 'Afghan Munich' will obviously enhance the flow of migrants from Afghanistan and increase the risk of new terrorist attacks, also in Europe," he stated. The Czech President also spoke out in favor of mandatory vaccination in his annual address to the country.

After a chilly Christmas weekend, temperatures in the Czech Republic are forecast to soar back up to highs of up to 15 degrees by New Year's Day, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. As we enter 2022, weather is expected to be warm and relatively dry.

At the beginning of the week, fluctuating conditions carry the risk of ice forming on local roads before temperatures significantly increase by Friday. "In the last two days [of 2021], afternoon temperatures will reach record values ​​of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius; during New Year's Eve, the temperature will occasionally be kept just below 10 degrees Celsius," the CHMI writes on Facebook.

Two tourists from the Czech Republic were rescued by helicopter after being stranded in Austria's Rax mountains on Sunday. According to the Austria Press Agency, the tourists went hiking without sufficient equipment and were injured after a fall on icy surfaces sent them tumbling hundreds of meters down the mountain.

The two tourists, a 24-year-old woman and 23-year-old-man, were hiking from Preiner Gscheid to Heukuppe peak, which sits over 2,000 meters above sea level. After slipping on an icy surface, the woman managed to catch onto a rock ledge, while the man landed in a snowy trough after falling some 300 meters down the mountain. The man was rescued by helicopter and taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries.

Post-Christmas sales in the Czech Republic have begun, according to information from online retailers. Sales are expected to run through February. "The sale on our website starts just after Christmas Day," Alza.cz spokesperson Daniela Chovancová tells iDnes.cz. "It is important for us to guarantee customers fair discounts, so we only offer sale products that offer a minimum discount of 10 percent compared to the normal price. We verify the price electronically, which is calculated as the lowest price over the past 30 days."

Mall.cz, which competes with Alza as one of the Czech Republic's largest e-shops, has also launched post-Christmas sales offering products at discounts of up to 80 percent. "Products will change continuously and we will certainly include an assortment that will make the time spent at home more pleasant or simpler for customers," says Mall.cz spokesperson Pavla Hobíková.

An estimated 360 swimmers took part in the 75th annual Alfred Nikodem Memorial race in Prague's Vltava River at Slovansky ostrov on Sunday. The annual race, which takes place after Christmas, is known as the oldest and biggest winter swimming race in the Czech Republic.

Alfred Nikodem Memorial president Tomas Prokop told CTK that before the race, the water measured 3.4 degrees Celsius. Because of the temperature, the race could be classified as a winter swimming event, which is only possible at temperatures between 0-4 degrees Celsius. The air temperature in Prague measured six degrees below zero.