Czech news in brief for June 14: Saturday's top headlines

Tropical temperatures over 30°C are forecast for much of Czechia on Sunday, mainly in Bohemia. A cold front will bring strong thunderstorms from the west by late afternoon, with heavy rain, wind gusts up to 70 km/h, and hail. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute issued a low-level warning for Prague and several western and central regions from 3 p.m. Sunday through early Monday.

The second revived edition of Prague Museum Night takes place today, with over 60 museums, galleries, and cultural venues open free from 7 p.m. to midnight. The main building of the Prague City Museum will temporarily reopen after years of renovation. Four special public transit lines will connect venues. The event, originally launched in 2004, resumed last year after a pandemic hiatus. About 35,000 people attended in 2024.

Authorities recorded 10,155 cases of abused, neglected, or exploited children in 2024, the highest figure in two decades, the Labor Ministry said Friday. Eight children died due to mistreatment. Neglect remained the most common form, with over 7,000 cases. Experts attribute the rise to greater awareness and reporting. Parliament recently backed legal reforms banning corporal punishment and introducing lifetime records barring violent offenders from working with children.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský spoke with Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar about Israel’s military strikes on Iran. Lipavský said he understood Israel’s security concerns and that they would remain in contact. Israel struck nuclear and military sites; Iran responded with missile attacks. Czech politicians expressed support for Israel. Analysts warned that further escalation could disrupt supply chains and raise energy prices, affecting the Czech economy.

Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said Thursday that internal border checks in the Schengen Area should remain temporary. Speaking in Luxembourg, he stressed the importance of preserving Schengen’s open-border principle, calling it a “concrete value” for EU citizens. He urged stronger protection of external borders to manage illegal migration, warning that long-term internal controls would undermine the essence of the EU’s border-free zone.

Czech Army Chief Karel Řehka received Ukraine’s Order of Merit, second class, from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Prague on Thursday. President Zelenskyy awarded Řehka the medal in 2023 for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and defense. Czechia is among Ukraine’s strongest military backers, training over 7,000 Ukrainian troops and facilitating major arms deliveries. Řehka called the award a tribute to the Czech Army’s continued commitment.

Czechs spent an average of 143 minutes per day on social media in 2024, down one minute from last year, according to the Ami Digital Index. Generation Z led with 220 minutes daily, while users over 60 averaged 88 minutes. YouTube remained the most used platform, followed by Facebook and Instagram. TikTok and Snapchat surpassed X (formerly Twitter) in user popularity for the first time.

The Christian Democrats will vote against the no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s government next Tuesday, party leader Marek Výborný said. The party criticized ex-Justice Minister Pavel Blažek over the bitcoin donation scandal but affirmed coalition unity. New Justice Minister Eva Decroix pledged to clarify the case. The vote, initiated by the opposition ANO party, follows public outrage over the controversial donation.

Smoke from Canadian forest fires caused elevated air pollution levels in Czechia this week, scientists at the Czech Academy of Sciences confirmed. Aerosol samples showed spikes in carbon and other pollutants. The skies turned gray Monday, with a red morning sun. Similar pollution was observed across Europe. Fires in Canada’s Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario provinces have led to evacuations and disrupted oil production.

Police detained a 24-year-old foreign woman Thursday at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts in Prague for filming a video expressing admiration for the perpetrator of the December 2023 mass shooting that killed 14 people. She is being charged under a summary procedure for approving a criminal act. Authorities said another person was detained but later released. The investigation remains ongoing, police confirmed.