The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Good neighbors|Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger asked his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala to represent Bratislava at an upcoming summit of EU leaders in Brussels, according to Radio Slovakia International. The Slovak prime minister's spokesperson Ľubica Janíková said that Heger cannot attend the summit, whose main topics are the Ukraine and the energy crisis, due to the developing situation in Slovakia.

Rue Havel|Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala inaugurated yesterday a street in Luxembourg named after former Czech President Václav Havel. Located in the Kirchberg district, the Václav Havel street includes an interactive work by Czech artist Jiří David, inspired by Havel's well-known quote “Truth and Love Must Prevail over Lies and Hatred." Read more in our story.

Parting gifts|Outgoing Lány Forestry Administration head Miloš Balák concluded a number of contracts for the coming years, Seznam Zprávy reports. Balák was sentenced to time in jail for manipulating public procurements, then controversially pardoned by President Miloš Zeman. These included the purchase of two deer to "revive the blood" in the park, weeks after the forest administration said it had to kill the existing animals due to budget cuts.

Happy Czechs| Czechs were slightly less satisfied with their lives in 2021 than in 2018, according to data from EU statistics office Eurostat. The score for 2021 was 7.3 (on a scale from 0 for very dissatisfied to 10 for very satisfied), a drop of -0.2 compared to 2018. This placed them higher than the EU average of 7.2 in 2021, which also slightly dropped from 7.3 in 2018.

Iconic car|One of the cars featured in Czech film director Jiří Menzel’s 1966 Oscar-winning film "Ostře sledované vlaky" (Closely Watched Trains) now sits in the center of Prague's central train station. The exact model is the Tatra T 15/52 from 1951, and it replaces another car from the 1940s that had previously been on display. Read more in our story.

Price caps| Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela said that the Czech government will discuss later today caps on electricity and natural gas prices for large firms, which could put prices on the same level as already existing ones for households and small firms, according to Reuters. To promote savings, this would apply to 80 percent of past consumption.

Cybersecurity|The number of cyberattacks on medical facilities this year is less than last year, ČTK reports. Tereza Navrátilová from the National Office for Cyber ​​and Information Security (NÚKIB)'s communications department told ČTK that the number was "in the low tens," while last year it was 26, and the year before 17. NÚKIB head Lukáš Kintr said that the healthcare sector has been one of the most frequent targets of cyber attacks since 2020.

Bird flu|A ban on outdoor poultry farming came into effect today across the entire Czech Republic, Seznam Zprávy reports. The ban is due to six outbreaks of bird flu so far this month in Czechia. Spokesman of the veterinary administration, Petar Vorlíček, said it was necessary to limit the contact of farmed poultry with wild birds as much as possible. Exceptions only apply to pigeons and ostriches.

Damien Rice|The Irish singer and songwriter will perform at Prague's Hybernia Theatre on Mar. 26, 2023. The event is all the more special given the artist's rare concerts and tours, which last brought him to Prague in 2016. His three albums "O" (2002), "9" (2006) and "My Favorite Faded Fantasy" (2014) won several platinum and gold awards, while his songs featured on the soundtrack of movies such as "Closer," "Deliverance," "Shrek," and many TV series.