Perseid meteor shower visible from Czechia on Saturday evening

French media began focusing on Babiš’s ownership last fall after confidential documents known as the Pandora Papers leaked. At the time, journalists had discovered that several heads of state and government were hiding their assets behind screen companies set up in tax havens. According to their findings, in 2009, Andrej Babiš transferred 15 million euros (381 million crowns according to the exchange rate at the time) in the form of loans between his companies in the British Virgin Islands, the United States and Monaco. .

The Perseid meteor shower peaks around 3 a.m. Saturday. At the time of peak rain frequency, there are about 80 meteors per hour. However, sightings will be complicated this year due to the Sturgeon Moon, the last full supermoon of the year, occurring a day before. People can see the meteors until August 24. Meteors, colloquially called shooting stars, can be seen coming from the direction of the constellation Perseus. Meteors are debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle that enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Visibility will be best away from city lights.

The interest rate for newly granted mortgages went from 5.4% in July to 5.4% in June. The average rate is the highest since mid-2010. Banks and building societies granted mortgages worth CZK 11.9 billion, down more than a third from June . The year-over-year decline accelerated to 73%.

An embankment lined with trees and shrubs will reduce the impact of coal mining in Poland’s Turow mine on residents of municipalities on the Czech side of the border. the embankment will be 1,012 meters long, five meters high and 20 meters wide. About 10,000 trees will be planted there. Residents of Uhelná, the nearest village to the mine, among others, will not have to see the mine as the embankment will block the view. Once preparations are complete, construction of the embankment is expected to begin this fall.

The Prosecutor General’s Office in Prague has accused the Russian Alexandre Franchetti of having helped in the annexation of Crimea. He is suspected of forming a spy group in Sevastopol, ČT24 reported.

Czech police arrested Franchetti on the basis of a Ukrainian arrest warrant last September. Ukraine accuses him of participating in the operation of an illegal armed unit. Franchetti pleaded not guilty. The High Court in Prague had not authorized Franchetti’s extradition to Ukraine because of the war.

In its latest forecast, the Czech Banking Association (ČBA) improved the estimate of the Czech economy’s growth for this year to 2.4%. In the previous May forecast, he expected gross domestic product to grow 1.8% this year.

The reason for the improved forecast is a more favorable development in the first half of the year, while a transition to a moderate recession is expected for the second half. Last year, the Czech economy grew by 3.3%.

About 20 Czech military pilots and engineers, who will have new American Viper and Venom helicopters from next year, are training in the United States, the spokeswoman for the General Staff told CTK Czech general, Vlastimila Cyprisová.

The Czech Republic is buying eight UH-1Y Venom general-purpose helicopters and four AH-1Z Viper combat helicopters from the United States, manufactured by Bell. The army is expected to put the first pieces into service next year.

According to the National Institute of Health (SZÚ), the number of monkeypox cases in the Czech Republic has risen to 35 so far, a press release said. The infected people come from six regions, including 27 from Prague.

“According to the analysis of the recorded data, so far all diseases have occurred in men aged 17 to 44,” said Kateřina Fabiánová, deputy head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at SZÚ.

As Andrej Babiš continues to travel the country in his van, his supporters and opponents prepare for the meeting with the politician. Thursday’s meeting of Andrej Babiš in Ústí nad Labem started with a fight between the two groups. According to the police director of Ústí, there were about 300 people at the rally, of which about 40 were opponents.

One of the opponents was whistling during Babiš’s speech when a passerby attacked him and started wrestling with him at the whistle, reports Seznam Zprávy. Babiš repeatedly called on his supporters to ignore opponents, but to no avail. Arguments took place between several groups, the situation had to be mitigated by the anti-conflict team.

Starting next week, it will be possible to apply for CZK 5,000 per child online on the ministry’s website or in person at Czech Point. The allowance is granted to families whose gross income for the previous year does not exceed CZK 1 million.