The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

New city councilors|Last evening, the Prague City Assembly voted in Bohuslav Svoboda, who is the leader of the Spolu coalition, as mayor of Prague. Svoboda received 50 votes out of 65. The assembly also voted for five deputy mayors and five city councilors, who together with the mayor make up the CIty Council. Read more in our article.

Metro disruption|Operations on the Metro C line were interrupted this morning for almost an hour after a man fell on the tracks. The man  suffered head and leg injuries and was conscious, Jana Poštová, spokeswoman for the Prague rescue service, told ČTK. Metro traffic was restored shortly before 9 a.m., according to DPP.

LGBTQ+ rights|Czech government officials met with representatives of Prague Pride and other NGOs yesterday to discuss the urgent need to improve laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities from hate crimes. Similar protection already applies to victims of crimes motivated by prejudice against race, ethnicity, nationality, and political or religious beliefs. Read more in our article.

Valentine's travel|What were the most popular travel destinations for Czechs this Valentine's Day? According to Prague Airport, London led the top, while Paris, which is traditionally considered the city of love, also featured in the top five, together with destinations in warmer places, such as Dubai, Marsa Alam and Hurghada.

Sushi champion|Chef Richard Tomáš from the Prague restaurant Yamato won the final of 10th World Sushi Cup Japan 2022 , which was held from Jan. 19 to 21, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. According to iDnes, Tomáš used the Japanese national symbol, the Manchurian crane, as inspiration for his culinary creations, which included nigiri sushi with tuna marinated in ten-year-old port wine and with red miso and dark chocolate sauce.

Film festival|Between Feb. 17 and 19, the Kinomixer film showcase will show horror, fantasy and science fiction films at Bio Oko in Prague, before moving to Brno between Feb. 20 and 22 at the Kino Art. Its program includes a selection of the best films in those genres made in recent years, such as "Mad Heidi," "Unicorn Wars," and "Huesera: The Bone Woman"

Visitor landmark|The Museum of Public Transport in Prague is preparing to welcome its 500,000th visitor during the coming weekend. The museum announced on Facebook that the visitor will receive a small gift in addition to becoming part of its history. Opened in 1993, its permanent exhibition shows historical vehicles as well as models, photographs, historical documents, tickets, and maps.

Car stunt|Viral stunts captured on video didn’t originate with TikTok. In 1947, Czech-made cars and motorcycles braved Prague’s Nusle steps to showcase their endurance under rugged urban conditions. The event was not only documented in the auto magazine Svět motorů (World of Motors), it was seen around the world in a newsreel by British Pathé. Reads its story in our article.

Census anniversary|The first census in Czech lands happened under Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa on Feb. 17, 1754. The ruler's titles included that of queen of Bohemia and margrave of Moravia, and she was the only ruling woman on the Czech throne in history.