Czech morning news in brief: top stories for Jan. 12, 2021

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, will likely discuss an extension of the state of emergency due to the coronavirus epidemic in the Czech Republic at its first session this year, to be held on January 19. Prime Minister Andrej Babis already said the government would ask the MPs to extend the state of emergency that will expire on Jan. 22 by another 30 days. The government has asked the MPs for the extension four times so far.

From Friday, Austria will require people traveling to the country to fill in a form with contact details or information about the place and, if possible, the length of their stay in Austria. The APA reported today that, for example, commuters will be exempted from this coronavirus pandemic requirement. But it will also apply to Austrians returning from abroad. From Friday, the obligation to register will be added via a form, which according to the APA will be available online in German and English. Read more here.

People from the Czech regions bordering on Germany who drive across Saxony to shorten their way and their transit violate no Saxony quarantine rule, Saxony Social Affairs Minister Petra Kopping, who is also in charge of health affairs and quarantine rules, told CTK. In the Sluknov Hook area, people driving from one Czech place to another Czech place can save up to tens of minutes by driving across Saxony. But several Czechs recently reported that they had to pay a fine in Saxony for their transit as this violated the restrictions introduced against the spread of the COVID-19 infection. The Czech consulate in Dresden did not recommend to drive across Saxony because of this. Read the latest here.

Lowering emissions of harmful substances and greenhouse gases and more efficient use of water are among the priorities of the draft State Environmental Policy 2030 (SPZP) that the Czech government approved on Monday. The text includes ten strategic and 32 specific goals for the next decade and visions for 2050. The Environment Ministry says a platform will be set up to annually assess the environmental policy fulfillment in reaction to current reports on the state of the environment in the Czech Republic. The current document follows up the State Environmental Policy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020. Read the latest document here.

An unusual approach has helped Czech scientists find hundreds of rare undescribed objects in space. For the first time in astronomy, researchers used an artificial intelligence method called active deep learning. In contrast to commonly used procedures, the network in this case asks a person for advice when he is the least sure. The article was published by the prestigious journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the catalog of newly discovered stars is part of the worldwide Vizier database. It was confirmed in a press release on behalf of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Read more here.

A large part of the western half of the Czech Republic will be hit by snowfall on Tuesday, which will also bit hit with strong winds. Falling temperatures on Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, risk icing or freezing on roads and sidewalks throughout Bohemia. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) said on its website. See the full story here.

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