Czech news in brief for August 6: Tuesday's top headlines

German police have apprehended two Syrian men linked to the rape of two Czech women, aged 17 and 18, who were in the city of Gera on a student exchange last November. Local authorities reported that the women encountered the men at a dance event, after which they were assaulted in different apartments. The first suspect was arrested in July 2024. In an earlier report on the case, German public broadcaster MDR said last November that the women had entered the apartment against their will and that they had to submit to a hospital examination after being raped. 

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has issued a warning for Prague and parts of the Central Bohemian and Ústí Regions as temperatures are expected to reach tropical levels on Wednesday, with a high of 32 degrees Celsius. A cold front from the west may bring showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. The hot weather will continue until the end of the week, with a chance of thunderstorms across the country. Temperatures will also be high next week, hitting 34 degrees Celsius.

Experts have discovered the invasive Asian hornet for the first time in Moravia-Silesia. The nest, found in a garden, has already been removed by specialists. This species poses a threat to bees, which it attacks in their hives. Last year, the hornet was also found in Pilsen. According to the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency, the recent discovery is concerning as it is far from the previous location. According to Environment Minister Petr Hladík, the ministry is preparing special plans to eliminate their occurrence in our country as much as possible.

A study by the Research Institute of Labor and Social Affairs found that in 2023, the Czech minimum wage of CZK 17,300 per month was inadequate for covering basic living expenses and housing. EU member states are required to regularly assess their minimum wage, and this was the first analysis done in the Czech Republic. The experts recommended that the minimum wage should be increased by at least one-third, to CZK 23,500-27,700 per month, to cover basic needs and housing. This was especially important for those who rented their homes. About 150,000 people in the country were earning minimum wage at the time.

The 14th Prague Pride festival kicked off on Strelecky ostrov island Monday evening, featuring over 200 events centered around the theme of "family." The festival aims to showcase the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals and reclaim the word "family" from those who use it to exclude and marginalize the community. The festival will culminate in a pride parade on Saturday and is expected to attract up to 70,000 participants. The US ambassador and French charge d'affaires were among the speakers at the opening ceremony.

The Czech Interior Ministry has expressed concerns over Prague City Hall's proposal to ban animal begging and plans to modify it to only apply in certain areas, mainly in the city center. The city also intends to ban street performances. The Interior Ministry raised objections, citing potential violations of human rights, while Prague Deputy Mayor Jiri Pospíšil stated that the ban may only apply in certain places. However, the ministry had no objections to the ban on busking.

Two passenger trains were involved in a near-collision on Sunday evening on a railway line between Ústí nad Orlicí and Mlýnský Dvůr in the east of Bohemia. The Railway Inspectorate stated that the Leo Express train passed a signal prohibiting travel and ended up on the path of an oncoming train. Fortunately, both trains were stopped in time and no one was injured. Leo Express admitted that their employee was at fault and stated that they will terminate his employment. The incident caused several hours of interruption in railway traffic.

The Czech Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging its citizens to exercise caution in Israel, citing the deteriorating security situation following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. They also cautioned that some flights to Israel on the X network may be cancelled. According to Prague Airport's director of communications, Eva Krejčí, there have been no flight cancellations so far this week. The Foreign Ministry's voluntary registration system Drozd currently registers 110 Czech citizens in Israel and another 95 in Lebanon.

According to the Federation of Jewish Communities, there was a 90 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the Czech Republic last year, with 4,328 recorded cases compared to 2,277 the previous year. The majority of these incidents took place online, mainly on social media platforms. However, the organization stressed that the Czech Republic remains a safe country for the Jewish community. The federation also noted that there were no violent attacks recorded last year.