The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Architecture and cakes|The company Marlenka, which is known for its traditional cakes, bought Lemberger's textile factory in Frýdek-Místek for CZK 94,500,000, Seznam Zprávy reports. The company plans to use the new location, which is one of the most significant and architecturally valuable buildings in Frýdek-Místek, to make its cakes, which follow traditional Armenian recipes and are now sold to 55 countries worldwide.

Shortage of antibiotics|The Ministry of Health is expecting half a million packages of antibiotics in January and February, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek said after a government meeting, according to iDnes. The antibiotics, which the Czech Republic had to import from elsewhere in Europe due to domestic shortages, will be fully covered by health insurance.

Covid drug|Scientists from Charles University and the BIOCEV research center have developed an inhalable drug that could be useful in the treatment of Covid-19, Czech Radio reports. The drug, called BAZE-X1, is based on an active ingredient called bazedoxifene, which is currently used to treat symptoms of menopause, such as osteoporosis. According to its developers, it is currently undergoing a second phase of testing.

Chinese universities|The rector of Charles University Milena Králíčková told ČTK today that the academic institution is checking its contracts with universities in China and mulls canceling risky ones. The analysis of the contracts will be done by summer. Kralickova added that some universities and institutions in China want to promote Chinese influence and propaganda, or they are linked to the Chinese arms industry.

RAF pilots|The last Czechoslovak Royal Air Force (RAF) airman living in the U.K. died in May 2022, the Czech Embassy in London wrote on Facebook yesterday, adding that it had only recently found out about his death. Born in 1923 in Moravská Ostrava, Jiří Roden (Rosenstein) arrived in the UK on the last Child transport in August 1939, and during the war joined the RAF. Roden settled in London after the war ended.

Green areas| A report from the Green Circle association of ecological organizations highlighted the shortcomings of the Czech government in the area of environmental protection. The latter “has made some progress in 11 out of 15 ecological areas,” said Jiří Koželouh, a member of one of the NGOs behind the report, adding that only four areas saw "a major overall shift." Read more in our story.

Prague transit|Tram services in the section Klárov – Újezd (to the west of Prague 1) ​​will be halted between Jan. 28 and until the end of March due to works replacing the tram lines, according to the Prague Transport Company (DPP). The work will happen in three stages, during which DPP will introduce replacement bus service X20, first in the section Újezd ​​– Malostranské náměstí, then in the Malostranská - Malostranské náměstí section.

Real estate|The Czech real estate market will have a challenging 2023 due to rising costs, which will impact both projects currently coming onto the market and plans for the future. All real estate sectors – industrial, office, and residential housing – will feel the changes, according to an analysis by real estate service firm Colliers. Read more in our story.

First snow|Czech road authorities said that the first snowfall of 2023 did not affect traffic in the morning, and that railway traffic was also normal, ČTK reports. Meteorologists cancelled a warning against snowfall that they issued for most of the territory of the Czech Republic until 3 p.m. today, which now only applies to the north of the country.