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Czech President Petr Pavel began his visit to Berlin on Wednesday at the Plötzensee Memorial, once a Nazi execution site, calling for continued remembrance of World War II to prevent future atrocities.
The site saw the execution of 671 Czechoslovak resistance members during the Nazi regime. Pavel was joined by Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner and Tomáš Filip, descendant of one of the victims.
Later, Pavel met with his counterpart German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace. The two heads of state stressed the importance of shared remembrance and praised Czech-German reconciliation.
They also attended a reception for winners of the "Never Again!" student competition, marking 80 years since the war’s end.
The European Parliament has approved €114 million (about CZK 2.8 billion) in aid to Czechia to help cover damage from last year’s severe floods. The money comes from the EU Solidarity Fund, which supports recovery after major natural disasters.
Czechia applied for the aid in December, following floods in September and October that caused an estimated 70.6 billion crowns in damage—25 billion to private property and 45 billion to public infrastructure.
According to the Ministry of Finance, Czechia met the EU’s criteria for a major disaster and received the full expected contribution. The funds will go toward repairs of roads, schools, hospitals, cultural sites, and clean-up work.
Health officials report a sharp rise in hepatitis A cases in Prague, with 242 infections recorded in the first half of the year, up from 70 by April and just 37 in all of last year. A third of cases involve people without homes, and nearly 40 are children.
Authorities say this is not an isolated spike but a continuing trend, with the number of infected children particularly concerning. They’re urging better hygiene and encouraging vaccination, not only for vulnerable groups but also for the general public.
In response to the situation, health workers are partnering with non-profit organisations to vaccinate high-risk groups. So far, 400 people have received the shot this year.
The Czech government has received lists of local companies that, according to Ukraine, continue supplying goods or materials to Russia in violation of sanctions. Authorities are reviewing the information but won’t disclose company names, the Ministry of Industry and Trade spokesperson told the Czech News Agency on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy recently claimed that eight Czech and 13 German firms are still delivering machinery to Russia for weapons production. He called for sanctions against them.
In response, the Czech Industry Ministry said it’s verifying the claims and pushing for stricter controls on exports via third countries in the EU's next sanctions package.
Grid operator ČEPS will start rebuilding the V411 power line next year after its failure caused a major blackout last Friday. The project will cost CZK 1.7 billion and should be finished by May 2027, ČEPS spokesman told the Czech News Agency on Wednesday.
The line, which is the country’s highest-voltage route, failed due to a ruptured cable in the Ústí nad Labem region, cutting power to about one million people.
Instead of repairs, a new double-circuit line will be built, a plan that has been in place since 2016. A contractor will be chosen by year’s end. The exact cause of the failure is still under investigation.
Škoda Auto increased its second-quarter sales by 18.7% year-on-year to 270,800 vehicles, the highest growth among all Volkswagen Group brands, the company announced on Wednesday.
In comparison, the entire group saw just a 1.2% rise, delivering over 2.27 million cars.
Škoda also led in the half-year figures, with sales up 13.6% to 509,400 vehicles from January to June. The Volkswagen Group as a whole grew 1.3% in the same period, reaching 4.4 million units.
Rainfall in the eastern parts of Czechia has been lighter than forecast, despite warnings from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute of heavy downpours in the Moravian-Silesian and Zlín regions. Municipalities had braced for flooding, but Tuesday’s predicted deluge did not materialize.
River levels on the upper Ostravice and Olše are rising slowly; elsewhere, they’re stable or falling. The heaviest rain so far has fallen in the Beskydy Mountains - up to 45 mm -while Jeseníky has seen only light showers.
Radar shows most rain now over southern Slovakia and northeastern Poland. Showers are expected to continue through the day.
Thursday will be mostly cloudy, with occasional showers or light rain. High temperatures will range from 18 to 23 °C, and around 14 °C in the mountains.
Staroměstská, the central metro station on the A line for Prague’s Old Town, will be shut for one month, to repair the damage from a fire started by a group of young men on Saturday, July 5th.
The annual Festival of Planets in Brno has unveiled a brand-new inflated planetary model: the Lithosphere – a vision of Earth stripped of its water. It reveals the ocean floors and shows the tectonic plates on which the continents rest.
The historic building of Prague’s main train station is one of Czechia’s foremost Art Nouveau landmarks. Reconstruction has been ongoing here since 2021, and is now nearing completion with its southern wing also set for a revamp. This includes halls and lounges used by emperors, presidents, and other state officials.
The Safari Park in Dvůr Králové nad Labem is home to a wide variety of African animals, including lions, giraffes, hyenas, and many species of antelope. But the park is more than just a place to see animals. It also plays an important role in protecting endangered species, with many animals raised here in the hope that they’ll one day return to the wild.
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