Czech morning headlines: Summer temperatures to continue this week

Temperatures in the Czech Republic will still reach a summer-like 25 degrees Celsius this week, with heavy rain forecast for Thursday. The weekend will bring cooler temperatures according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). Following a warm and sunny weekend, today's forecast looks mostly clear with temperatures ranging between 14 and 10 degrees Celsius; morning mists and low clouds will dissipate during the morning and temperatures may rise to 25 degrees.

Not only pro-Russian extremists, as Prime Minister Peter Fiala remarked but also those who wanted to express dissatisfaction with the government's steps toward controlling the energy crisis attended the big Saturday protest rally in Prague, political analysts told ČTK following the protest. Lubomir Kopeček, of Masaryk University in Brno, said the government parties could pay dearly for dissatisfaction in larger towns, where the upcoming local elections will be a test of confidence in Fiala's government.

"At the rostrum, there were people who are really connected with very strong pro-Russian attitudes and Fiala's words that they are close to extremism do reflect reality," Kopecek said. On the other hand, Kopecek said, 70,000 participants in the demonstration reflect "significant dissatisfaction" with the government's approach to the energy crisis.

Political have criticized Fiala's comments about the protests in Prague which demanded the resignation of Fiala's government and called for an early election. Speakers criticized the soaring prices of energy and the pro-Western orientation of the current government.

A memorial devoted to Czech excellent pilot Josef František, who died in action on October 8, 1940, when returning from a flight was unveiled in the English county of Surrey today. The project was organized and financed by the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee (PAFMC). František was one of the 88 pilots from Czechoslovakia who fought in the RAF during the Battle of Britain alongside over 2,300 British and several hundred foreign pilots. He is credited with having shot down 17 German aircraft and fought in the 303 Polish Squadron until his death.

A Czech climber has died in the ascent of the Ortler, the highest mountain in South Tirol, the news channel Rainews said today. The woman was in a group of six climbers at the altitude of 3,300 meters above sea level when she slipped. In the 100-meter fall she pushed into another two climbers, who did not fall "as if by a miracle," the news server said.

The mountain rescue service said instead of the routine path, the climbers set out to a gorge that was slippery due to the thawing of fresh snow. The rescuers also said the woman did not have the right shoes and was not properly equipped for the demanding ascent. In early July, another Czech climber died on the ascent of the same mountain. A few days before, 11 people died in the glacier collapse of Marmolada in Italy, including two Czechs.

The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, and other news agencies across the globe all reported about yesterday's anti-government demonstration at Prague's Wenceslas Square, which was attended by 70,000 protesters according to police estimates. The demonstration targeted soaring energy prices and inaction by the Czech government.

"Organizers of the demonstration from a number of far-right and fringe political groups including the Communist party, said the central European nation should be neutral militarily and ensure direct contracts with gas suppliers, including Russia," wrote Reuters.

Czech tennis stars Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková both won their matches in New York yesterday to advance to the sweet 16 at this year's US Open. Kvitová topped Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza after losing the first set 5-7, 6-3, 7-6, while Plíšková accomplished the same feat against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, coming back from a deficit to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The Czech stars will next play on Monday in efforts to make it to the US Open quarterfinals. Kvitová will take on eighth-seeded American Jessica Pegula, while Plíšková will match up against 26 seed Victoria Azarenka from Belarus.

A swing ride attraction at a festival in Havířov malfunctioned yesterday, leaving 17 people injured, most of them minors. Two people suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries. The attraction rose 15 meters in the air and spun riders on chain swings before lowering them back to the ground. It appeared to suffer a mechanical malfunction, and continued to spin riders on the ground after its descent, resulting in the injuries.

Police are now investigating the incident. The accident thankfully resulted in no deaths, but organizers immediately cancelled the Havířovské slavnosti 2022 festival, which had been going on since Friday. Performances by bands including Kabát, Wanastowi Vjecy, and Lucie Bílá were cancelled.

As of September 8, the Czech Republic will have access to a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of the Netherlands. The country has leased a third of the total capacity of the terminal through energy company ČEZ, and it is expected to provide a third of the Czech Republic's total annual gas consumption, three billion cubic meters of gas.

According to Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela, the new terminal will provide 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the upcoming winter season. ČEZ has already secured transport routes for the liquefied gas so that it can be delivered to the Czech Republic in modified tankers, where it will be heated and converted from liquid to gas.

Prague hosted a concert in honor of the Czech Republic's EU Presidency from a floating stage on the Vltava river by Slovanský ostrov yesterday. In addition to seating for 1,200 people on the stage, spectators watched the concert from Prague's riverside embankments, nearby bridges, and smaller boats and canoes on the river.

The concert began with ringing from the commemorative Bell #9801, unveiled earlier this week, which was cast by an Austrian foundry in honor of thousands of bells confiscated by Nazis during WWII. During the concert, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra played Beethoven's Ode to Joy as well as pieces by Czech composers Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, and Leoš Janáček. You can watch the full concert here.

The next Prime Minister of Britain, expected to be Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former finance minister Rishi Sunak, will be invited to attend an EU summit in Prague in October, European Council President Charles Michel tells the Guardian. The incoming PM will be officially appointed on Tuesday.

Michel added that he had no doubt the incoming PM would be invited to Prague regardless of "difficulties" on talks regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol, which regulates the transport of goods between Ireland and Northern Ireland. “Even if we have discussions and difficulties on [the Northern Ireland Protocol]; in the broader perspective, there is no doubt that we are friends and that we need to continue to act together.”

Czech tennis stars Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková will both play today in New York seeking a spot in the sweet sixteen at this year's US Open. Of the nine Czechs competing in this year's women's singles tournament, only Kvitová and Plíšková remain. Kvitová advanced to the third round automatically after opponent Anhelina Kalinin dropped out of the tournament due to illness, while Plíšková topped compatriot Maria Bouzková.

Kvitová, the top-seeded Czech in this year's tournament at 21, will match up against ninth-seeded Garbiňa Muguruza from 5:00 p.m. Prague time, while Plíšková (a 22 seed) will face 13th-seeded Belinda Bencic from 9:00 p.m. Prague time.

An estimated 800 Harley-Davidson motorcycles rode through the center of Prague this morning during the annual parade for Prague Harley Days, which began on Friday and will run through Sunday at Prague Exhibition Center.

From 9:00 a.m., bikers rode the classic American vehicles from Výstaviště to Wenceslas Square and Masarykovo Nábřeží before returning to the Exhibition Center. This year's Harley Days coincides with the American street food festival Burgerfest, which runs also through Sunday at Výstaviště.

A demonstration against the current government of the Czech Republic will take place today from 2:00 p.m. at Prague's Wenceslas Square. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to participate according to the organizers, a group called The Czech Republic is in First Place.

The group's demands include a stance of military neutrality by the Czech Republic, reforms to energy regulation, and direct contact with gas suppliers, especially those in Russia, to ensure lower prices for Czech consumers.