Early Bird: Ratajkowski gave birth to a son. Beer bikes abolished in Prague. Covid stimilus checks are being distributed in the US

The ban on the operation of beer bikes in Prague is still in force

Open in gallery (5)

The measures of the City Hall of The Capital City of Prague that banned the operation of bikes where tourists used to drink alcohol continue to apply. With this week's judgment, the Municipal Court in Prague sided with the capital and dismissed the lawsuit of the operators of this tourist attraction to annul the measures.

"It's good that cities have the power to enforce traffic safety, order on the streets and peace for people who need to concentrate on work during the day and sleep at night. Beer bikes are degrading for the city as such, and especially for the people who live here,"

says Deputy Mayor for Transport Adam Scheinherr. The Municipal Court in Prague has thereby reconsidered its original verdict and dismissed the lawsuit of the bike operators. The capital is open to all people who come here to explore it, but not to those who are only interested in cheap alcohol.

Prague is mapping the know-how of companies with added value

Open in gallery (5)

Prague has started researching startups and mapping the innovation potential of companies operating in its territory. It will focus on startups, innovative companies and growing companies, keeping track of key areas such as biotechnology, biomedicine, artificial intelligence and IT services, as well as energy and low-carbon technology.

"The new ecosystem map will show us which sensitive points we can push as a capital to achieve the greatest leverage effect and provide Prague startups and the economy in general with the most effective support possible,"

says Councilor of the Capital City of Prague for the field of education Vít Šimral. The Prague Innovation Institute will cooperate on the project with the National Education Fund, which will prepare an initial study for mapping both startups and established companies. In total, up to 250 companies will be interviewed. The aim will be to find out how Prague companies can use the current state of the art and how exactly they apply it to the production process.

Pronájem bytu 3+kk - Praha 1 - 108, Praha 1

Show property

Before the pandemic hit, household incomes had been on the rise

Open in gallery (5)

The so-called income poverty rate was 9.5% before Covid-19, and there were 5% materially and socially deprived households. This follows from the results of a regular survey of living conditions and household incomes published by the Czech Statistical Office. The indicators are based on income data for 2019, i.e. before Covid-19 appeared.

For each individual person in the household, the average net income in 2019 was 209.8 thousand crowns, i.e. 14,700 crowns more than in the previous year. Due to rising incomes, the threshold from which the at-risk-of-poverty rate is derived has also risen. The number varies according to the type of household. For individuals, for example, it amounted to 13,640 crowns, and for parents with two smaller children, it was 28,644 crowns per household per month. The share of persons who found themselves below the aforementioned income threshold fell from 10.1% to 9.5%.

The number of persons living in materially deprived households also decreased year-on-year. Materially deprived households are those that, for financial reasons, cannot afford a certain number of predetermined items. The results of the survey showed that, in the first place, they could not afford to replace their worn-out furniture with new one, and about a fifth of households also could not afford an unexpected expense of CZK 12,000 or a week's holiday.

Emily Ratajkowski gave birth to a son

Open in gallery (5)

Twenty-nine-year-old model Emily Ratajkowski became a mother. Together with her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, she welcomed her first child, Sylvester's son Apollo Bear, on Monday. She announced the joyful news on Instagram a few hours ago.

"Sylvester Apollo Bear has joined us earthside. Sly arrived 3/8/21 on the most surreal, beautiful, and love-filled morning of my life,"

the model wrote under her post. When announcing her pregnancy in October, she had stated that she would not make the baby's gender public. Eventually, however, she revealed that she's given birth to a son. At the same time, however, she claims that she wants her child to decide for themselves which gender they want to identify with.

Direct deposits from the US COVID account will drop this weekend

Open in gallery (5)

Direct deposits in the amount of $ 1.9 trillion from the COVID-19 relief regulations signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday will drop this weekend, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. By signing the stimulus law, Biden commemorated the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the pandemic.

"People can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend. This is, of course, just the first wave,"

said Psaki. She added that payments to eligible Americans will keep coming over the next few weeks. The White House estimates that almost 160 million households will receive the stimulus. The check includes, among other things, an extended tax bonus of up to 66 thousand crowns per child, or 80 thousand crowns for each child under 6 years of age. Making one-off payments to those who regularly file tax returns should not be a struggle for the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), tax experts said.

That's all from our Early Bird. We hope you enjoyed your work week and are looking forward to the weekend. Don't be afraid to share your joy, because as the composer Ján Spálený said:

"Joy is shared, while sorrow is borne alone."