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☆ Toyota halts production at Czech plant due to parts shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Toyota Logo is seen at a Toyota dealership in Zaventem, Belgium, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPRAGUE, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The Czech plant of Japan's Toyota (7203.T) halted production due to a parts shortage caused by a fire at a local supplier, a spokesperson for the carmaker said on Tuesday. "We had to stop production yesterday evening. The outage is the second this year at the plant which produces 1,000 cars a day after a break in February. The Czech Republic is heavily dependent on the auto industry, led by Volkswagen's Skoda Auto (VOWG_p.DE).

Persons: Johanna Geron, Tomas Paroubek, Robert Muller, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Toyota, REUTERS, Rights, Volkswagen's Skoda, Hyundai, Thomson Locations: Zaventem, Belgium, Czech, Czech Republic, KS

The company has also begun offering retired workers meals at the canteen so they can share knowledge of recently re-started lines producing Soviet-era ammunition for Ukraine, he added. Jiri Hynek, president and executive director of the Defence and Security Industry Association (DSIA) of the Czech Republic, told Reuters a lack of workers could push production out of central Europe. The association, which represents more than 160 companies, said exports accounted for around 90 percent of the industry's production of weapons and military-related supplies. Of that, Hynek estimated that supplies of military equipment to Ukraine accounted for 40% of exports. PITCHING PATRIOTISMOther sectors in Poland – emerging Europe's biggest economy – and the Czech Republic have struggled in recent years to find workers: a situation that has driven up labor costs and dampened growth.

Persons: David Hac, Hac, Jiri Hynek, Hynek, Lukas Visingr, Artur Zaborek, Zaborek, Michael Kahn, Anna Koper, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Europe's, STV, Reuters, European Union, Defence and Security Industry Association, WB Group, Central, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, WARSAW, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Policka, Prague, Czech, Central Europe, Stockholm, Poland's

[1/3] Writer Milan Kundera is pictured in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, May 6, 1963. CTK Photo/Frantisek Nesvadba via REUTERSPRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, has died at the age of 94. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Kundera was "a writer and a voice that we will miss". "Milan Kundera's work is at the same time a deep, human, intimate and distant exploration," she said. Fellow Czech writer Karel Hvizdala told Czech Television he saw his friend last November and he was already in poor health.

Persons: Milan Kundera, Frantisek Nesvadba, Kundera, Petr Fiala, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Elisabeth Borne, Milan, Karel Hvizdala, Albert Camus, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Philip Kaufman, Timothy Garton Ash, Monde, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Czechoslovakia's, Jan Lopatka, Robert Muller, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Kahn, Jason Hovet, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: CTK, REUTERS, Moravian, Prague Spring, Czech Television, Czechoslovak Communist, New York Times, Oxford University, Paris Mayor, Czechoslovakia's Communist, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czechoslovakia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, Paris, Brno, France, Communist Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak, Europe, Central Europe, French, Western

☆ NATO makes membership pledge to Ukraine as Zelenskiy drums up support
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Robert Muller | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visit the Velvet Revolution Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic, July 7, 2023. In Prague, he won a pledge of support for Ukraine to join NATO "as soon as the war (with Russia) is over", and in Sofia secured backing for membership "as soon as conditions allow". "There is strength in unity of NATO," he said, adding that undecided questions over Ukraine's future in NATO and Sweden's pending membership were "a threat to the alliance's strength". Zelenskiy has acknowledged that Kyiv is unlikely to be able to join NATO while at war with Russia. TALKS DUE IN TURKEYDespite Russia's anger, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told a news conference with Zelenskiy in Prague that he expected all NATO allies to support Ukraine in its membership aspirations.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Petr Fiala, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Zuzana Caputova, Vladimir Putin, Fiala, Tayyip Erdogan, Jason Hovet, Pavel Polityuk, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Presidential Press Service, NATO, EU Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, European Union, Thomson Locations: Czech, Prague, Czech Republic, Ukraine, PRAGUE, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Sofia, Bratislava, Vilnius, Lithuanian, Brussels, Russian, Russia's, TURKEY, Europe, Kyiv, United States, Istanbul

☆ US to send Ukraine cluster munitions, NATO makes membership pledge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The cluster munitions "will deliver in a time frame that is relevant for the counteroffensive," a Pentagon official told reporters. Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries.Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons. BOTH SIDES SHOULD STOP USING CLUSTER BOMBS -HRWHuman Rights Watch has accused Russian and Ukrainian forces of using cluster munitions, which have killed civilians. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting Zelenskiy that Ukraine deserved NATO membership and that Ankara would continue working on a negotiated end to the war. "Our summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russia's aggression will not pay," Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels.

Persons: Washington's, Vladimir Putin, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Igor Ovcharruck, Clodagh, It's, Colin Kahl, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Biden, Putin, Martin Griffiths, Griffiths, Robert Muller, Jason Hovet, Pavel Polityuk, Mike Stone, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool, Diane Craft, David Gregorio Our Organizations: NATO, United States, Rights, United Nations, Pentagon, Cluster Munitions, White House, Watch, U.S, Washington, TASS, REUTERS, Treaty Organization, CNN, UN, Initiative, U.N, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, U.S, United States, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Zelenskiy, Ankara, Prague, Sofia, Brussels, Vilnius, Lithuanian, RUSSIA, Moscow, Odesa, United Nations, Kyiv, Washington

PRAGUE, July 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in the Czech capital Prague on Thursday as part of a tour to drum up support for a fast track to NATO membership for Kyiv ahead of a summit next week. "At the meeting, the presidents should coordinate their positions before the NATO summit in Vilnius, where it is expected to discuss, among other things, security guarantees for Ukraine." His arrival follows a visit to Bulgaria for talks on security and the NATO summit. Zelenskiy's diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva said Kyiv had secured the backing of Bulgaria for its membership of the military alliance "as soon as conditions allow. " During the visit, Zelenskiy urged Sofia to continue military support and moved to dispel the notion that supplies of Western weapons to his country had expanded the scale of the war.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Zelenskiy, Ihor Zhovkva, Jason Hovet, Robert Muller, Ronald Popeski, Alan Charlish, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang, Conor Humphries Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, European Union, Air Force, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, Prague, Ukraine, Vilnius, Russia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Sofia

☆ China warns Europe against official ties with Taiwan ahead of minister's visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationBEIJING/PRAGUE, June 9 (Reuters) - China urged Europe on Friday not to have any official exchanges with Taiwan or support "independence forces" ahead of a planned trip to the continent next week by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky confirmed Wu was due to visit Prague next week, saying on Friday state officials were not expected to shift from their existing policy towards Taiwan. Taiwan, which is claimed by China, has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican. Asked about the visit on Friday, Czech Minister Lipavsky said he had "been informed" about Wu coming to Prague. In January, then-Czech President-elect Pavel and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen spoke by telephone shortly after his election, in a diplomatic coup for Taiwan that infuriated China.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joseph Wu, Jan Lipavsky, Wu, Petr Pavel, Lipavsky, Wang Wenbin, Wang, Pavel, Tsai Ing, Marketa Pekarova Adamova, Liz Lee, Robert Muller, Ben Blanchard, Simon Cameron, Moore, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Taiwan Foreign, Reuters, Foreign Ministry, Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, PRAGUE, China, Europe, Taiwan, Joseph Wu . Czech, Prague, Vatican, Beijing, Czech, Czech Republic, Brussels, Slovakia

TAIPEI/PRAGUE, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will make a previously unannounced visit to Europe next week, four sources briefed on the matter said, and is expected to appear with the Czech president at one event in a diplomatic breakthrough. Taiwan, which is claimed by China, has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican. Taiwan's foreign ministry declined to comment on Wu's Europe travel plans. In January, then-Czech President-elect Pavel and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen spoke by telephone shortly after his election, in a diplomatic coup for Taiwan that infuriated China. Beijing views Taiwan as being part of "one China" and demands other countries recognise its sovereignty claims, which Taiwan's democratically-elected government rejects.

Persons: Joseph Wu, Wu, Petr Pavel, Zdenek Hrib, Pavel, Tsai Ing, Ben Blanchard, Robert Muller, Ryan Woo, Andrew Gray, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Taiwan Foreign, European Union, Service, Prague, Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, PRAGUE, Europe, Czech, Taiwan, China, Vatican, Beijing, Central, Eastern, Ukraine, Brussels, Prague, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bratislava, Copenhagen, Denmark, Vilnius, Lithuania

☆ Kosovo open to new elections in municipalities hit by unrest, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, June 6 (Reuters) - Kosovo is open to the possibility of new elections in four northern Serb-majority municipalities following unrest, but other steps need to be taken before then, Kosovan Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said on Tuesday. Gervalla-Schwarz, speaking after meeting the Czech foreign minister in Prague, said an end to the violence was the first condition to consider new elections. "Yes, we are open to elections in those four municipalities but to have new elections we need steps in between," she said. Reinforcements for NATO's peacekeeping force began to arrive in Kosovo this week following the unrest. Kosovo declared internationally recognised independence from Serbia in 2008, although it was rejected by Belgrade.

Persons: Donika Gervalla, Schwarz, Joe Biden, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Robert Muller, Jason Hovet, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Kosovan, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Kosovo, Czech, Prague, Serbia, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo's

☆ Czech government will try to meet 2023 budget deficit target, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, June 4 (Reuters) - The Czech government will try to meet its 2023 budget deficit target of 295 billion crowns ($13.4 billion) although the gap almost expanded to that level already in May, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Sunday. The central state budget deficit reached 271.4 billion crowns in January-May, its highest level ever for that period, hit by higher pension payments, spending on energy price subsidies and growing debt servicing costs. "It has not been evolving well, but I still cannot say that we will not meet (the deficit target)," Fiala said in a live debate on CNNPrima News TV station. Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura said on Thursday that his ministry will next week propose savings worth at least 20 billion crowns in this year's budget to stem the swelling deficit. ($1 = 22.0100 Czech crowns)Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petr Fiala, Fiala, Zbynek Stanjura, Robert Muller, Emelia Sithole Organizations: CNNPrima News, European Union, Finance, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech

☆ Czech central banker Holub: raising rates more would still makes sense
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, May 28 (Reuters) - Raising the Czech National Bank's interest rates further would still make sense as it could serve as a signal that the central bank has not given up on its efforts to tame inflation, board member Tomas Holub said on Sunday. The central bank has kept its main interest rate at 7.00% since last June when it delivered the last hike in a year-long tightening cycle. When asked if a hike would make sense at the next monetary policy meeting on June 21, Holub, who has consistently backed rate hikes, said yes. "If we have the risk of a wage-inflation spiral here, then sending the signal is still meaningful to me," Holub said. The central bank expects inflation, which eased to 12.7% year-on-year in April, to come down nearer its target early in 2024.

☆ Czechs cancel Soviet-era decrees giving Russian embassy free land
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRAGUE, May 17 (Reuters) - The Czech government on Wednesday cancelled Soviet-era decrees that granted the Russian embassy free use of land in Prague and other cities, a further step in a more than two-year diplomatic spat with Moscow worsened by the war in Ukraine. The Russian embassy in Prague did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Russia will now have to pay leases to use of the land, the foreign ministry said. Prague has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 2022 and has supplied it with military aid. The Czech parliament designated "the current Russian regime as terrorist" in November.

☆ Czech president: Ukraine could have our L-159 jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, May 10 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic could give Ukraine some of its L-159 fighter jets to support its planned counter-offensive, Czech President Petr Pavel was quoted as saying on Wednesday. "It is worth considering whether we could provide Ukraine with our L-159 aircraft," Pavel told Czech public radio in an interview. "As direct combat support aircraft, (the planes) could also help Ukraine significantly in the counteroffensive," he said. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last week that talks on a potential donation of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine were progressing, but no decision has been made. Slovakia and Poland provided Ukraine with Soviet-era MIG-29 fighter jets in March.

☆ Slovak foreign minister quits in fresh blow to ailing cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Slovakia's foreign minister offered his resignation on Friday, the president said, dealing a fresh blow to the centre-right cabinet which has already been serving in a caretaker capacity ahead of elections in September. Rastislav Kacer's departure follows a string of other ministerial resignations and piles pressure on Prime Minister Eduard Heger, who had been facing mounting opposition calls to quit and make way for a technocrat government. Caputova, whose role gives her the power to appoint a new prime minister, said she would discuss the situation with Heger and parliament speaker Boris Kollar on her return. SaS joined a leftist opposition party in voting through a no-confidence motion in December, accusing the government of not helping people cope with the higher energy costs. The prime minister said he would not comment until he meets the president.

☆ ECB rates will need to rise but possibly at a slower pace - policymakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT, March 29 (Reuters) - European Central Bank interest rates will likely have to rise further to contain inflation, policymakers said on Wednesday, but at least one outspoken conservative floated the idea of a slowdown in the pace of increases. ECB chief economist Philip Lane, who makes the formal policy proposals to his 25 colleagues, said that his baseline is for the turmoil to dissipate and then rates would need to rise several times. "If the financial stress we see is non-zero, but turns out to be still fairly limited, interest rates will still need to go up." Slovak central bank chief Peter Kazimir, a proponent of rapid rate increases, meanwhile made the case for slower rises following three straight 50-basis point hikes. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet and Robert Muller; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ VW's Skoda would cut 3,000 jobs if 'Euro 7' implemented in current form
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, March 19 (Reuters) - Czech carmaker Skoda would have to cut 3,000 jobs and axe some models if the European Union's "Euro 7" emissions scheme is implemented in its current form, a Skoda board member warned in a TV debate on Sunday. Daimler Trucks (DTGGe.DE) chief Martin Daum for instance said on March 10 it would cost the industry "billions". Overall, more than 10,000 jobs would be at risk in the Czech Republic, including at Skoda's suppliers, Jahn said. The three smaller models represented nearly a third of Skoda's deliveries to customers in 2022. Transport ministers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia met on Monday to discuss their efforts to change the Euro 7 proposal.

☆ Slovakia sends MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Slovakia on Friday became the second of Ukraine's allies to provide MIG-29 fighter jets which Kyiv believes are crucial to repel Russia's year-long invasion. Its fleet of 11 MiG-29 planes was retired last summer and most of them are not in operational condition. On Thursday, Poland announced it would send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. Western countries that have provided Ukraine with arms have so far declined to send fighter jets. Slovakia ordered F-16 fighter jets from the United States in 2018 to replace the ageing MiG-29 planes.

☆ Slovak government to send MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 17 (Reuters) - The Slovak government approved sending MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said on Friday, stepping up its military assistance to Kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion. Slovakia is the second country to send war planes to Kyiv after Poland, which announced on Thursday it would do so. Its fleet of 11 MiG-29 planes was retired last summer and most of them are not in operational condition. On Thursday, Poland announced it would send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft. Western countries that have provided Ukraine with arms have so far declined to send fighter jets.

☆ Czech central bank: can cut countercyclical buffer rate if uncertainties decrease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PRAGUE, March 10 (Reuters) - The Czech National Bank (CNB) can lower the countercyclical buffer rate set for banks if geopolitical and cyclical uncertainties decrease, the central bank said on Friday. "Should these uncertainties decrease, the CNB is ready to start gradually lowering the countercyclical capital buffer rate if it concludes that the size of the cyclical credit risks in banks' balance sheets covered by the countercyclical capital buffer rate is decreasing," the central bank said. On Thursday, the central bank decided to leave the extra buffer rate for banks, applied in periods of excessive lending growth, at 2.50%. The rate rose to 2.00% at the start of the year and is set to increase to 2.50% from April, based on past decisions. Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Biden said the West was never plotting to attack Russia and the invasion was Putin's choice. "It is a big mistake," Biden said of Putin's decision before his session with eastern European allies known as the Bucharest Nine. We will defend literally every inch of NATO, every inch of NATO," he said. The Kremlin says it regards NATO, which could soon expand to include Sweden and Finland, as an existential threat to Russia. It said the leaders looked forward to further strengthening unity and collective defense at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

☆ Czechs and Slovaks see storms disrupt traffic and cut power
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Gale-force winds and snow storms cut power supplies to thousands of Czech households on Saturday and closed the main east-west highway in Slovakia, officials and local media said. In Slovakia's Zilina region, authorities called on people to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel, especially to the north of the country, as winds reached more than 120 km per hour in the Tatra mountains. A section of the D1 highway near the Tatra mountains was closed for several hours after around 30 cars were caught in an accident due to heavy snowfall, local media reported. In the Czech Republic, 15,000 households were still without electricity in the afternoon - down from around 90,000 in the morning - after strong winds brought down trees and disrupted the grid, while dozens of train services were canceled, CTK news agency reported. Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Czech parliament chief assures Taiwan of her support after outcry in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on a conference call in Taipei, Taiwan January 30, 2023 in this handout picture. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERSPRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Czech lower house of parliament speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova on Wednesday assured Taiwan of her country's support for partner states who respect human rights and liberal democracy, ahead of a visit to Taipei planned for March. The Czechs have been intensifying relations with the self-ruled island, which giant neighbour China claims as its own, and President-elect Petr Pavel spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen on Monday, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing. "I assured the minister that systematic support of partners who respect human rights and the principles of liberal democracy belongs among priorities of our parliamentary diplomacy," she said in a statement issued through her spokesman. Most countries avoid high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world's second largest economy.

☆ Czech president-elect to speak to Taiwan president in diplomatic breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRAGUE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Czech President-elect Petr Pavel is due to speak with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday, Pavel's spokeswoman said, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei that is likely to anger China. Most countries' leaders avoid high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world's second largest economy. In 2016, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by telephone with Tsai shortly after winning the election, setting off a storm of protest from Beijing. Pavel's spokeswoman said he and Tsai were expected to speak at 1000 GMT. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no official diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the two sides have moved closer together as Taipei seeks new friends in Eastern and Central Europe.

☆ VW's Skoda Auto cuts production due to chip shortage - trade unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PRAGUE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) Czech subsidiary Skoda Auto is cutting production this week due to chip shortages, trade unions at the carmaker said. Some shifts will be cancelled in the production of the Octavia, Enyaq, Fabia, Scala and Kamiq models, the unions said. "After optimistic first weeks of the year, the production situation has been worsening again," the unions said in weekly bulletin Skodovacky Odborar. Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/9] Czech presidential candidate Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlova react at his headquarters, after results are announced for the country's presidential election, in Prague, Czech Republic January 28, 2023. Pavel, a 61-year-old retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote with all voting districts reporting final results, defeating billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis, a dominant but polarising force in Czech politics for a decade. Pavel has also fully backed continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion. Babis, 68, a combative business magnate who heads the biggest opposition party in parliament, had attacked Pavel as the government's candidate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated Pavel on his election on Twitter and said he looked forward to close cooperation.

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