Czech news in brief for November 11: Tuesday’s top afternoon headlines

A STEM/MARK survey shows former President Václav Havel is still regarded as the best post-revolutionary Czech leader. Current president Petr Pavel ranks second, overtaking Václav Klaus, while Miloš Zeman is fourth. Pavel is praised for public appearances and representing Czech interests abroad, though partisan views affect evaluations of his political negotiations. Supporters of opposing candidates still rate his public performance relatively positively.

The Christmas Tree Growers Association has said that trees in Czechia will cost about 5 percent more this year, starting at CZK 750 for popular firs, after May frosts damaged new shoots. This limits supply. Retailers confirm Danish imports are also pricier, while Polish trees remain steady. Domestic supply is expected to meet demand, with full market availability by early December as sales gradually begin across major chains.

Starting Wednesday this week, the psychoactive drug kratom and its extracts can be sold only to adults in licensed shops under new government rules. Vending machine sales are banned, and sellers must provide product details and dosage information. The regulation, part of the new Psychomodulatory Substances Act, requires all vendors to hold official licenses.

The Trutnov court handed Bohuslav Kozišek, 82, a three-year suspended sentence for bullying Jehovah’s Witnesses in the late 1970s while serving as a prison educator. He forced inmates to renounce their faith under the Communist regime. According to lawmakers, the man forced his victims to revoke their faith by various methods of gross psychological pressure.

Inspectors found KFC employees in Prague-Dejvice defrosting chicken in stagnant water, raising microbiological risks, the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority (SZPI) reported. The violation involved nearly nine kilograms of chicken and breached mandatory food safety procedures. This follows a September incident at the Liberec branch involving expired marinated meat.

Prague is in the top 40 major livable cities in the whole world, a new study has found.