Czech news in brief for June 9: Tuesday's top afternoon headlines

Good afternoon, the world-wide recall of more than 1.3 million Jeep cars that might potentially catch fire could affect about 500 vehicles in the Czech Republic - so beware not to park too long next to a Jeep Wrangler or Jeep Gladiator, the two models at risk.

Meanwhile, Aleš Svoboda is set to become the first Czech astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, probably in the second half of 2027, the government announced. Now, let's move on to the main news driving the day.

Germany will contribute an additional EUR 300 million to the Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told his Czech counterpart Jaromír Zůna. The contribution could cover the purchase of about 50,000 pieces of ammunition, according to Pistorius, who also said that Berlin will buy 200,000 pistols for the Bundeswehr from Czech arms company Zbrojovka in a deal worth EUR 56 million.

What's the ammo initiative? Launched two years ago under the previous government of Petr Fiala, the ammunition initiative sees Czechia working as a coordinator between donors and suppliers to purchase large-caliber ammunition pieces for Ukraine. The new Czech government had vowed to cancel the project, but finally reversed course and said it would simply stop contributing financially to the initiative.

Brno customs officers seized a record 800 kg of kratom intended for illegal distribution in what Czech police have described as the largest drug bust "in the history of the Czech Republic." Authorities did not reveal any more details about the case or say if anyone had been detained over the seizure.

Meanwhile. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that the government was planning a dozen new measures to tighten Czechia's anti-drug policies, with possible proposals including removing kratom from legal sales, giving more powers to local police and municipalities in the fight against drug addiction, or tightening cannabis laws.

A group of lawmakers from government parties, including Filip Turek for the Motorists and Radek Vondráček for the ruling ANO party, have discreetly put forward a proposal to amend Czechia's Conflict of Interest Act. According to Seznam Zpravy, the reform could significantly facilitate the ability of Prime Minister Babiš' Agrofert group to receive public subsidies even while in office, with experts calling it "another chapter of state capture."

Hot buns. The move comes as police have proposed filing charges against Pekárna Zelená louka, a bakery chain that is part of Agrofert, in a CZK 100 million EU subsidy case.

People living alone in Prague will only have an average of CZK 6,919 crowns left for their daily and other expenses after paying rent and utilities, according to a new analysis by the Moore consulting firm. Although Prague salaries are higher than in the rest of Czechia, housing costs in the city amount to about 75 percent of the median wage. Ústí nad Labem is the cheapest region to live alone, with more than CZK 15,000 left for food, entertainment and more.

The bottom line. "In Prague, a person can achieve the highest standard of living out of all regions, but a person living alone has the hardest time," summed up Marcela Hrdá, a partner at Moore Czech Republic.

Czech MEP Markéta Gregorová (for the Pirates) has filed a written interpellation to the European Commission in the hope of cracking down on what many have long described as Euronet's fraudulent ATM practices and hidden withdrawal fees. "The question is whether this is an unfair business practice," she said, arguing Euronet might be in breach of EU law.

The big scam. Prague residents generally know best than to withdraw money from Euronet's yellow-blue ATMs, but many tourists still fall in the trap. Last month, the YouTubers from Kluci z Prahy documented a case where an elderly tourist was charged more than CZK 4,000 extra after withdrawing from a Prague ATM.