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A scandal has broken out in Kyrgyzstan over the government’s decision to hand a billion dollar contract for an energy project to a Czech company that Kyrgyz diplomats deem highly unreliable. The said company was moreover recommended to Kyrgyzstan by President Zeman’s Chancellor Vratislav Mynář.

The number of long-term unemployed in the Czech Republic in June was less than half the figure for the same month three years previously. Indeed, according to figures released by the national Office of Labour, the long-term jobless rate is way below the number of positions being offered.

The Czech Republic stands in line to land another major investment connected with the auto industry. German carmaker BMW is reported to be weighing up Czech locations for its future test centre for self drive vehicles.

An increasing number of Czech tourists are spending their holidays on luxury cruise liners, the daily e15 reported on Thursday. The interest in cruises has nearly doubled over the past five years. Czechs are not interested only in the Mediterranean but they also look for more exotic destinations, such as French Polynesia, the daily wrote.

A test of 21 products sold in different European states conducted by scientists in Prague has found that despite all having similar packaging only three had the same composition. The research comes against a backdrop of widespread perceptions that multinational companies deliver inferior products, in particular foods, to consumers in the former Eastern Bloc.

Czech breweries are no longer doing good business just exporting the country’s famous golden brew –they are exporting Czech beer culture and tank pubs are becoming a hit across Europe. The news site idnes.cz created a map of emerging Czech style tank pubs and Great Britain definitely comes out top of the pile.

A crackdown on the Czech outposts of multinational companies means that they have never paid so much tax to the state as in 2016, the business daily Hospodářské Noviny, reported on July 7.

Air traffic above the Czech Republic is getting heavier and heavier, a fact reflected in the results of the company Air Navigation Services, the news website iDnes.cz reported. The biggest players remain Lufthansa and Emirates, though their share is declining as low-cost airlines account for more and more of the flights through Czech airspace.

More Czechs are choosing to holiday abroad this year with Croatia, Slovakia and Italy the most popular tourist destinations. The interest is driven by the stronger currency, following the end of forex interventions, and an increase in wages.

The Czech Republic has the highest percentage of unfilled jobs in the entire European Union, according to data from Eurostat cited by iHned.cz. In the first quarter of this year, Czech companies were seeking to fill 3.1 percent of all positions – and the share was even higher in some industries, the news website reported.