The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Presidential elections|Businessman and mathematician Karel Janeček is the latest person to submit his presidential bid, ČTK reports. Janeček collected over 73,000 signatures, which he submitted this morning to the Czech Ministry of the Interior in Prague. True to his background, he said "I am convinced that my chances are greater than the golden ratio of pi, or the square root of five minus one, divided by two." The deadline for submitting bids was today at 4 p.m.

Controversy|Communist party presidential candidate Josef Skála faces up to 3 years in prison for statements about the World War II Katyn massacre, Seznam Zprávy reports. Skála said that Katyn, the location of a mass murder of Polish war prisoners orchestrated by the Soviet Union, was a "Nazi-constructed story."

Jobs|The unemployment rate for October stood at 3.5 percent, the same as for September, according to data from the Labor Office of the Czech Republic cited by ČTK. Unemployment numbers are likely to go up in the coming months due to the decline in seasonal work.

Energy|The Pražská energetika company plans to increase the price of electricity and gas supplies from January 2023, ČTK reports. Thanks to government price caps, Prague household in Prague will pay hundreds of crowns less per month than the current average

Sharing is caring|Neighbors could soon share electricity under a proposed amendment to the Energy Act, which introduces the principle of community energy, iDnes.cz reports. Its main tenet takes the focus off profits and places it on covering each other's demand and supply for electricity. An example of how this could work in practice is schools, which could produce electricity using solar panels, which nearby buildings then use during holidays.

Another legislative proposal under consideration at the Ministry of Labor could allow neighbors to babysit each other's children, ČT24 reports. Those interested in making a few extra crowns on the side would first have to take a course in health science and psychology that would ensure they are fully qualified for the task.

Pirate problems|A video that politician Ivan Bartoš filmed for the Meta company as Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization landed him in hot water with members of his Pirate Party, Novinky.cz reports. Lukáš Doležal from the Pirates' foreign department wrote that Meta "embodies a multinational corporation that we should fight against, not advertise for" because it profits from "violating the privacy of its users" and "abuse (of) tax havens."

Unbearable conditions|Animal rights supporters are ringing alarm bells over the behavior of a bear living in the castle moat at the Konopiště castle, iDnes reports. Jirka the bear has been walking in circles around the enclosure, which experts suggest might be a sign of psychological distress. A petition asking the management of Konopiště to put an end to the tradition of keeping bears in the castle enclosure has gained 2,500 signatures so far.

Czechia gets a veggie dispenser| A machine dispensing vegetables in the Řečkovice district of Brno is a hit with locals, Novinky.cz reports. The first and possibly only such vending machine in Europe, according to its owners, Bramat is stocked up about once a day with fresh organic vegetables from domestic growers. The owners check the stocks through an app, which also tells them how long the current stock is expected to last.

Heavy metal giants return to Prague|Iron Maiden are playing in Prague on May 30, 2023, at the O2 arena as part of their "Future Past" tour, according to Brno Daily. In addition to hits from their career spanning more than four decades, with an emphasis on their 1986 iconic album "Somewhere In Time," fans will also enjoy songs from their latest studio album “Senjutsu.”