Czech news in brief for June 9: Sunday's top headlines

Czech tennis player Kateřina Siniaková secured her third doubles title at the French Open and her eighth Grand Slam title this afternoon. Alongside American Coco Gauff, they triumphed in the final over Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, winning 7-6, 6-3. This marks their first joint title. Siniaková, who previously won in Paris in 2018 and 2021 with Barbora Krejčíková, praised Gauff as an amazing player and expressed hope for future collaboration.

Czech MPs are likely to approve a controversial bill introducing postal voting for Czechs living abroad this week. The extraordinary session on this coalition amendment will start on Wednesday and probably continue on Friday. The proposal allows Czechs abroad to vote by mail in presidential, parliamentary, and European elections, potentially starting in next year's parliamentary elections. Opposition parties ANO and SPD oppose the measure.

The Czech Statistical Office will announce the results of this weekend's European Parliament elections after 11 p.m. tonight. The delay is due to voting in other EU states, with Italy being the last to vote. Projections suggest ANO, along with the Together coalition, may secure the majority of the 21 Czech seats. A higher voter turnout is anticipated this year, potentially surpassing 30 percent.

The company A.W., which produces the traditional Czech cheese Olomoucké tvarůžky, plans to invest up to CZK 700 million in a new factory in Loštice to meet the growing demand for their product. Scheduled to begin construction in 2026, the facility will produce 3,800 tons of cheese annually. The company intends to export more to Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The popularity of Olomoucké tvarůžky has been rising significantly both domestically and abroad.

The Czech Philharmonic inaugurated the 66th Smetanova Litomyšl music festival on Saturday evening in front of a full festival hall. Conducted by Jakub Hrůša, they showcased compositions by Bedřich Smetana, commemorating his 200th birth anniversary. President Petr Pavel and other officials attended. The festival, running until July 7, features an extensive program including performances by renowned artists.

Enhanced security measures confirmed by Interior Minister Vít Rakušan on social media early today apply only to Prague, the Minister has clarified. The police are responding to potential terrorist threats but state there is no immediate danger to the public. The heightened alert follows recent incidents in neighboring countries including the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

As of today, summer train schedule changes are in effect throughout the Czech Republic. These primarily impact the Pardubice area but also affect other regions except Karlovy Vary and Vysočina. The changes, effective through Dec. 14, aim to improve connections for the summer season. In Pardubice, a new station, Pardubice Centrum, enhances access to Hradec Králové and Chrudim. Additional changes include new routes and revised departure times to improve punctuality.

Czech tennis player Kateřina Siniaková will compete for her third doubles title at the French Open today. She and American Cori Gauff face Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the final. Siniaková has previously won the doubles title in Paris in 2018 and 2021. In the men's singles final, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz will play Germany's Alexander Zverev. The tournament winner will earn €2.4 million (about CZK 59 million).

Year-on-year inflation in May likely slowed to 2.8 percent from April's 2.9 percent, according to analysts contacted by Czech News Agency. According to Cyrrus chief economist Vít Hradil, month-on-month food prices rose slightly, with fuel, clothing, and shoes also seeing price hikes, offset by stable recreation and declining energy prices. Raiffeisenbank analysts noted that April's unexpected rise in inflation was due to higher food prices. The Czech Statistical Office will release official inflation data on Tuesday.

This summer, about half of outdoor pools and swimming facilities in the Czech Republic have increased admission prices by 10-25 percent compared to last year. Pavel Košnar, head of the Association of Pools and Saunas, cited rising operational costs due to changes in work agreement systems as the main reason. Larger pools see more significant price hikes, while smaller village pools maintain last year's prices. Despite the increases, domestic tourism remains strong, particularly in South Bohemia and South Moravia.