Fire at Alzheimer’s center kills two, hour-long blackout hits central Prague

The nearly hour-long power outage that hit parts of Prague this morning was caused by a technical fault on a substation. It affected thousands of homes, public transport, some hospitals, schools, ministries and offices. Hospitals have their backup power generators and none of them had to restrict operations. The outage occurred at 08:48 a.m. and lasted until 09:40 a.m., when PRE energy company personnel corrected the fault at the Chodov substation.

Due to the breakdown, tram operation collapsed in the city on the right bank of the Vltava, and metro line C did not operate for nine minutes. It also caused minor internet network outages in part of Prague, but most operators are coping with it through their backup generators. Some websites have temporarily gone offline.

The Czech Republic fully supports Sweden’s and Finland’s bid for NATO membership, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde during his visit to Stockholm today. His debate with Linde and with Swedish European Affairs Minister Hans Dahlgren also touched on Turkey’s negative stance on the plan. They also discussed the reconstruction of Ukraine and the interest of some Balkan and Eastern European countries to join the EU. Topics on the agenda also included plans for the upcoming six-month Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, which begins on July 1. From 2023, the rotating presidency will be held by Sweden.

A devastating fire in the Alzheimer’s center in Roztoky on Wednesday evening killed two people and injured 55, including two in serious condition, the regional emergency service said. The fire broke out on Wednesday evening but was not brought under control until Thursday morning at 4 a.m. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Firefighters evacuated the elderly from the burning building on ladders. The whole building was consumed by flames and no one was able to get out inside. Staff left the building before rescuers arrived. Preliminary estimates suggest the fire caused CZK 70 million in damage. The Roztoky Alzheimer Center has a capacity of 60 beds.

Prague was hit by a massive power outage this morning following a substation failure in Chodov. The center of Prague and parts of Prague 4, 5 and 10 are affected. The reason for the outage is unknown. Trams stopped in the city center and along the entire right bank of the Vltava. Prague firefighters tweeted that they were rescuing people stuck in elevators. Energy company PRE said it was trying to bring electricity to the affected areas from other substations, such as Malešice, but did not yet know how many households and businesses are without power . Up to a quarter of PRE’s 800,000 customers could be affected.

The percentage of unemployed in the labor force reached 2.4% in April 2022. It decreased by 1.0 percentage point year-on-year. The unemployment rate for men reached 1.9% while that for women reached 3.0%, according to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ). Of all people aged 15 to 64, some 75.6 were employed in April 2022. This represents an increase of 2.5 percentage points from April 2021. The employment rate for men was 82, 3% and that of women 68.5%. The employment rate for people aged 15-29 was 45.3%, in the age group 30-49 it was 87.6% and in the age group 50-64 years, it was 80.0%.

A total of CZK 39.32 billion will be earmarked for science and research in 2023, some CZK 250 million more than today, according to the draft budget approved by the government. The government’s Council for Research, Development and Innovations approved the draft budget in April, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. According to the Minister of Science, Research and Innovation, Helena Langšádlová, the proposal respected the turbulent situation and increased demands on the budget related to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Former military intelligence analyst Petr Mlejnek will become the new head of the Office for External Relations and Information (ÚZSI) on July 8, replacing Marek Šimandl who will leave at his own request the day before, the Czech Ministry of the Interior in a press release. Šimandl was appointed head of ÚZSI by former Interior Minister Jan Hamáček in September 2018. While serving in the Defense Ministry, Mlejnek was in charge of finances for military units, including those participating to NATO’s SFOR operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. and KFOR in Kosovo.

The Heritage Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture will investigate a complaint about the appearance of part of the Old Town Clock after reconstruction. She requested documents from Prague City Hall, which owns the astronomical clock, and from the National Heritage Institute. The complaint, filed last week by For Old Prague Club member Milan Patka, was brought to the attention of Deník N.

After the reconstruction of the astronomical clock in 2018, the individual figures depicted on the clock underwent a total transformation as they appeared with different hairstyles, facial expressions and clothing. According to experts, compared to the original, the changes are so significant that they seem to have been made intentionally or even as a joke by the restorer. In the meantime, the municipality has ordered a certified copy of the work.

The main themes of the Czech Republic’s half-yearly Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will begin on July 1, will be European cooperation, sustainability, as well as Ukraine, said Head of the Czech Centers Ondřej Černý. He also said that sustainability, creativity and innovation are the main aspects that connect the ten projects that the Czech centers have prepared on the occasion of the upcoming Czech EU Presidency with the aim of strengthening the positive representation of the Czech Republic in the world.

The state budget deficit amounted to CZK 189.3 billion at the end of May, compared to CZK 100.1 billion in April. Last year, at the end of May, the budget showed a deficit of 255 billion crowns. On the expenditure side, the year-on-year improvement in the balance of 65.7 billion is mainly explained by lesser restrictions linked to the evolution of the epidemic and the corresponding compensations compared to the beginning of last year. The revenue side was helped by tax revenues up 19%. Influenced by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ministry expects a more pessimistic development for the rest of the year, reports iDnes.cz.

From June 15, Prague will close the Regional Assistance Center for Ukrainian Refugees in Vysočany, said Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib. According to him, due to the lack of accommodation capacity, it does not make sense for other refugees to register in the metropolis. Negotiations between local governments and the Ministry of Interior did not provide a solution for housing refugees in other areas.

Foreclosed debtors are likely to have another chance to repay their debt without interest or penalties, based on the government bill introducing a new merciful summer, which the Chamber of Deputies adopted in summary proceedings by the votes of 152 of the 153 deputies present. today. . To enter into force, it must still be adopted by the Senate.

Three-month merciful summer will start from September. It will enable citizens to get rid of debts imposed on them by public institutions and public and state-controlled enterprises, including autonomous municipal and regional authorities, public funds, schools, municipal or state and semi-public enterprises. institutions, health insurers, Czech Radio and Czech Television.