Czech news in brief for April 28: Tuesday's top afternoon headlines

President Petr Pavel signed an amendment to include Czech Flag Day in the official list of so-called "significant days" in the Czech calendar. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had pushed to celebrate the Czech flag on March 30, the same date the official Czechoslovak state symbol was enacted back in 1920, although the move was met with resistance from the opposition who called the measure unncessary and falsely patriotic.

More than 70 percent of Prague residents are overall satisfied with living in the capital, according to a new survey by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPR). The availability and cost of housing are however as seen one of the key problems of life in Prague. Both car drivers and cyclists aren't too satisfied with transport infrastructure, and less than half of Prague residents trust their fellow citizens, according to the poll.

With 4.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted last year, the Počerady coal-fired power plant is the largest polluter in the Czech Republic, according to a new analysis by the European Commission, shared earlier today by Czech environmental NGOs. Located near Most in north-western Bohemia, the Počerady plant was due to close down at the end of 2026, but its operator recently postponed its end-date to later in 2027 at the earliest.

Breweries across the Czech Republic produced a total of 19.96 million hectoliters of beer last year, according to the Czech Association of Breweries, a drop of more than 4 percent compared to the previous year as domestic consumption continues its decline. At the same time, 1.68 million hectoliters of non-alcoholic beer were brewed last year, a 4 percent increase compared to 2024.

Almost half of the Czech territory is suffering from high levels of dry soil after a winter that saw unusually low levels of snow and rain and an unexpected early spring drought, Seznam Zpravy reports. About 60 percent of forests in the Czech Republic are already facing high to extreme water shortages, experts from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute also warned.