The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Ukrainian refugees | The Chamber of Deputies announced earlier this week that it would evict Ukrainians from a designated housing facility for refugees in Harrachov in the Liberec region. A number of public figures, including Prime Minister Petr Fiala, spoke out against the decision. Read more in our story.

Slovak border checks | The Czech government decided to prolong the border checks with Slovakia, which have been in place since September, by another 14 days until Dec. 27. They were put in place due to foreign migrants, mainly from Syria, who use the Czech Republic and Slovakia as a transit country on their way to western Europe. Read more in our story.

Chinese police stations | China has informed Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský that it has closed two "police stations" illegally operating on Czech territory, Deník N reports. Czechia suspected that China used the stations for controlling and monitoring its minority abroad. The Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic did not comment on the issue.

Model behavior | For the first time ever, the behavior of Czech teachers will be regulated by a code of ethics, Seznam Zprávy reports. The initiator is a pedagogues' association, the Učitelská platform, which also invited representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Czech School Inspectorate and the Deans' Association to participate in the initiative.

Bankrupt university | A private university of political sciences went bankrupt, ČTK reports. According to representatives of the National Accreditation Office, Academia Rerum Civilium - University of Political and Social Sciences "did not fulfill the conditions of accreditation and other obligations stipulated by law." In addition to failing to pay its employees, due to non-payment of rent and utilities this year, the school lost its premises in the Jesuit College in Kutná Hora.

Flu alert | After recording 2,048 cases per 100,000 people, health authorities from South Moravia announced the outbreak of an epidemic of respiratory diseases, Seznam Zprávy reports. Petr Šonka, chairman of the Association of General Practitioners, told Seznam Zprávy that the flu is back after two years of practically no cases "thanks to the hygiene measures we took due to Covid - social isolation, social distancing, wearing masks."

JZP to temporarily close | Due to renovation works, starting on Jan. 14, 2023, the line A metro station Jiřího z Poděbrady will be closed, and trains will only pass through it, the Prague transport company (DPP) announced on its website. DPP and the contractors, the companies STRABAG and AŽD Praha, said they would start replacing the escalators of the station, which will take about ten months.

Misguided creativity | The Railway Administration is looking for the person who made changes to the departure board for the Benešov u Prahy station, iDnes.cz reports. The official form of the timetable available on the website of the Railway Administration contained a new pictogram with the added sentence: "Whoever reads this is an ox," in English, Czech, and German, which has since been removed.

New horizons | Starting in August 2023, the České Budějovice Airport will offer flights to Greece and Turkey, Novinky.cz reports, citing he Governor of the South Bohemian Region Martin Kuba and the CEO of the travel agency Čedok Stanislav Zeman. The offer, which includes trips to the sea as well as sightseeing tours, will last until the end of September.

Music with a stand | Colours of Ostrava has announced American rapper and Grammy-winner Macklemore as the latest musician to headline the festival in July. The musician earned worldwide fame thanks to his rap, which fused with intoxicating pop entertainment. Macklemore also earned praise for opposing racism, and supporting the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community.