Substation failure leaves capital in dark and halts parliament
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Large parts of Prague experienced a significant power outage on Friday morning, affecting areas on the left bank of the Vltava River, including Prague 1, 5, and 6. The disruption, caused by a technical problem at two power substations, halted tram services and notably interrupted parliamentary sessions discussing electricity issues.
Adding to the day's developments, a hospital is alleged to have concealed a 280 million CZK contract by listing it alongside purchases of fish, needles, and chairs. Meanwhile, the Czech National Bank has revised its outlook, predicting a worsening public finance deficit for the current and next two years, projecting this year's deficit at 2.8% of GDP.
In local political news, Tomáš Chovanec is poised to become the new mayor of České Budějovice, following the formation of a new coalition. In other developments, industrial production grew by 6.2 percent in September, marking the highest monthly growth in four years, primarily driven by the motor vehicle and electricity sectors.