Czech morning news in brief: top headlines for June 15, 2021

Patrik Schick scored both goals for the Czech Republic on Monday in a 2-0 victory over Scotland at the European Championship; the second of the two goals set a record, according to the EFA which said at 49.7 meters it is the longest distance for a goal in the tournament. The long goal beats the previous record of 38.6 meters from Germany midfielder Torsten Frings at Euro 2004. Czech coach Jaroslav Šilhavý described the goal, which left goalkeeper David Marshall tangled in the net, as "out of this world." The Czech Republic will next face Croatia at Hampden Park on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden's speech at Monday's NATO summit, with its message that his administration will be fully engaged in the Alliance, was welcomed by Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek. However, pressure to increase defense spending will remain, Kulhanek said. The summit mainly serves to confirm the Allied unity and the commitment of collective defense, he added. The atmosphere was quite different than when the summit was attended by Biden's predecessor Donald Trump. "There was a sort of questioning of the Alliance by the previous administration. This is quite a different cup of tea," Kulhanek said. The NATO summit expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic and other countries hit by Russia's hostile acts.

The management of Prague has approved an agreement on lending Czech painter Alfons Mucha's Slavic epic to the castle in Moravský Krumlov. Officials however won't publicize the date on which the panels are moved for security reasons. The 'Epic' should be exhibited in the summer, councilor Hana Třeštíková told the press today. The agreement has yet to be approved by Prague's representatives. Moravský Krumlov has repaired the exhibition space which has been approved. The paintings will be lent for five years, then they will return to Prague. At present, the canvases are in the depository of the Prague City Gallery. The cycle consists of 20 large canvases, which Mucha has been painting for 18 years since 1910.

The Prague Castle Administration will get an additional CZK 200 million from the state budget reserve to compensate for its losses in income from tourism, leases, and staging of social events due to the Covid pandemic. The government approved the support package on Monday. As the Castle complex was closed for more than six months, the Prague Castle Administration became fully dependent on the provided contribution for its operation of CZK 211.1 million in 2021, says information released on the government website. The proceeds from its own activities in the first quarter of 2021 were minimal, as of March 31, 2021, they were CZK 4.3 million out of an anticipated CZK 289.59 million. The financial management loss as of the end of the first quarter amounts to CZK 70 million crowns, the report says.

The Czech Republic has had the coldest spring on record since 1987 this year as the average temperature was 6.2 degrees Celsius, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has said on its website. The meteorological spring lasts from March 1 to May 31. In 1987, the average temperature in the spring was 5.2 °C. The average spring temperature in the Czech Republic from 1981-2010 was 7.9 °C. The country saw relatively warm days only from March 29 to April 1 and on May 9-12. There were six "summer days" this spring, which are days when the temperature rises above 25°C. There were seven summer days In 2020, eight in 2019, and 36 in 2018 when the spring was extremely warm.