Consumer price inflation slowed slightly to 3.3 percent in August, down from 3.4 percent in July, according to the Czech Statistics Office. Postal services and telecommunications fell in price, but a range of grocery items drove up the cost of usual consumer basket, including hard liquor (up 9.5 percent), beer (3.7 percent), meat (9.5 percent) and fruit, which is nearly 25 percent more expensive than it was a year ago. Staples such as sugar are now 12 percent more expensive, while the prices of rent, water, electricity and gas also rose. The only relief came from items like transportation, which is down by 10 percent, while postal and telecom services are 4 percent cheaper than they were last August.
