Daily news summary

Czech Republic has fifth largest increase in HIV cases in eight-year-period

The Czech Republic has the fifth largest increase in HIV cases in the period between 2010 and 2018, according to the results of a study published by Politico. It is an increase of 128 percent.

The Philippines top the ladder (203 percent), followed by Egypt (196 percent) and Madagascar (193 percent). Slovakia placed sixth with a 106 percent increase.

According to the National Reference Laboratory for HIV/AIDS there are currently 3,488 persons registered HIV positive in the Czech Republic, of which 3010 are men. 653 persons have developed full-blown AIDS and 307 have died of AIDS.

121 new HIV cases were registered in the Czech Republic in the first 6 months of this year.

Growing number of rapes being reported

The police is investigating the highest number of rapes in ten years, Czech Radio reported. 525 rapes were reported in the first eight months of this year which is a record number.

Experts say that thanks to the work of NGOs and the #MeToo campaign the stigma surrounding rape is gradually disappearing and more women have the courage to speak out.

Even so NGOs say that only a fraction of rapes gets reported in the Czech Republic, an estimated one in ten.

Cabinet to approve new national cultural monuments

The culture ministry has prepared a list of new national cultural monuments that is to be assessed by the government at its next session.

Among the seven new sites proposed are the grave of the country’s first president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk at Lány and the church of Cyril and Methodius in Prague’s Resslova street where the seven paratroopers who assassinated Nazi Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich hid until they were tracked down by the SS.

National cultural monuments are sites that are linked to significant milestones and outstanding personalities in the country’s history. There are close to 300 sites on the list to date.

Study: A fifth of Czech groceries rip off unsuspecting foreigners

Ripping off unsuspecting foreigners is a relatively widespread practice in Prague's grocery stores, according to the results of a study conducted by Czech economists and published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.

In the study, the authors put 260 Prague grocery stores to the test with the help of volunteers posing as foreigners who are not well acquainted with the Czech currency, and are therefore easy targets. They were ripped off in a fifth of the stores tested.

Deer Moat opens to public

Prague Castle has opened the otherwise inaccessible Deer Moat to the public in connection with the celebrations of Czechoslovak Independence Day on October 28th. The Deer Moat is open to the public from 10am until 3pm at the weekend.

It will be made accessible to visitors one more time this year on November 16 -17, on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

The Deer Moat has been completely closed to visitors this year, as have the Castle’s Southern Gardens due to reconstruction work.

Traffic restrictions in Prague due to repair work

A stretch of the C-line of Prague’s metro will be out of operation throughout the three-day weekend due to scheduled repair work on the tracks, the Prague Transport Authority says on its web page.

Trains will not run between the stations Muzeum and Pražského povstání from early Saturday until late Monday night. A substitute bus service XC will be in place.

There will also be traffic restrictions on Čechův bridge and Libeň bridge.

Weather forecast

Sunday should be partly cloudy with day temperatures reaching 19 degrees Celsius.