News in brief for June 18: Heatwave to hit the Czech Republic this week

Hundreds of people gathered in Prague on Sunday to commemorate the Czechoslovak paratroopers who successfully carried out an assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich during World War II. Heydrich died from his wounds on June 4, and the paratroopers hid out and made their final stand at Prague's Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, where they were overwhelmed by Nazi forces on June 18.

Today's commemorative event took place at the Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Resslova Street, and was attended by members of the military, military veterans, relatives of the deceased paratroopers, politicians, and the general public. A panykhida, an Orthodox memorial service, was held inside the church for the fallen paratroopers and all the victims of subsequent repressions.

Tolls on Czech highways for vehicles over 3.5 tons could increase from 10 to 15 percent starting from March next year, according to Minister of Transport Martin Kupka. During a televised interview on Sunday, Kupka stated that the increase is made possible by a change in European regulations, allowing for tolls to be raised based on emissions charges.

The minister emphasized the need for the increase to fund investments in transportation infrastructure, as over 100 kilometers of highways are expected to be opened next year. The proposed toll increase is estimated to generate an additional 1.4 to 2 billion Czech crowns.

There are significantly fewer women wearing gowns than men in higher courts in the Czech Republic. According to Daniela Zemanová, who is currently the only female constitutional judge and a long-standing judge of the Supreme Administrative Court, this shows the court leadership does not consider changing this a priority.

None of the country's high or supreme courts is headed by a woman. At the beginning of this year, 66.7 percent of district judges were women, and 54.3 percent of regional judges were women. The Supreme Court had 12 female judges out of a total of 69 judges, or 17.4 percent.

The Czech Republic's men's national football team secured a crucial victory in their third Euro qualification match against the Faroe Islands, winning 3-0 with goals scored by Václav Černý and Ladislav Krejčí. With this win, coach Jaroslav Šilhavý's team maintains their position at the top of Group E.

Šilhavý expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Czech national team in their Euro qualification match against the Faroe Islands. According to the coach, the players executed their game plan effectively and played with determination throughout the match. The victory not only pleased the coach but also the fans, who witnessed a dominant display by the Czech team.

Czech President Petr Pavel will meet with Marek Výborný, a candidate to fill the vacant position of Minister of Agriculture, on Tuesday, June 20, the president stated in an interview with CNN Prima on Saturday. Pavel had previously confirmed that he will officially appoint Výborný to the position on June 29.

The President also expressed concern about the development of the state budget, criticizing both the composition of this year's budget and the government's communication methods, during the Sunday interview.

Approximately a thousand people, according to police estimates, gathered on Saturday afternoon in front of the Janáček Theatre in Brno to remember the Roma man who was murdered last weekend, allegedly by a Ukrainian attacker. The atmosphere carried the spirit of an anti-government demonstration, according to a Czech News Agency correspondent on site.

"What happened was done by an individual, we must not condemn the entire community. As they condemn us, we will not do that," Jozef Daniel said to the crowd on behalf of the organizers. However, anti-Ukrainian sentiment was also felt, with a chant of "we don't want them here" breaking out at one point.

Temperatures throughout the Czech Republic have hit up 28 degrees Celsius this weekend, but the real heatwave is expected to arrive next week. According to the forecast, temperatures are set to rise with 'tropical' days of temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in the forecast for mid-week. The hottest days are expected to be on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As the temperatures continue to rise, it is important to stay hydrated and take necessary precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. Local authorities have issued reminders to the public to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day and to avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

Czech President Petr Pavel is expected to attend the UN General Assembly in the United States in September, his adviser Petr Kolář said in the interview with newspaper Právo on Saturday. Kolář, a former diplomat, declined to speak about other potential trips related to the visit to the states.

"The president is scheduled to visit the United States in September for the UN General Assembly. Whether anything more will come of it remains to be seen," Kolář said. The UN General Assembly brings together heads of state, and in the past former presidents Václav Havel, Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman had each attended it.

Police in South Bohemia have charged a 29-year-old man, who injured four employees at a hospital in České Budějovice in a machete attack on Friday, with aggravated assault. After being subdued by hospital staff and police, the man was taken into custody immediately following the attack.

The accused man was a visitor at the psychiatric facility, not a patient. He faces a potential sentence of approximately five to twelve years in prison. On Saturday afternoon, four victims were being treated with serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to a police spokesperson.

According to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office, weakening inflation may be on the horizon. A significant drop in agricultural producer prices gives hope for a quick decline in consumer inflation. Agricultural producer prices decreased by 5.2% on a monthly basis and were 10.2% lower compared to the previous year.

"After 26 months, agricultural prices have experienced a decrease. Year-on-year, prices in agriculture have decreased by 10.2 percent, primarily due to a significant decrease in plant production," says BHS Chief Economist Štěpán Křeček who adds that the decrease "offers potential relief for consumer inflation."

A dead pregnant wolf was recently found in a forest near Broumov, east Bohemia, and most probably died by human intervention, according to the Czech Nature Conservation Agency. The agency has filed a criminal complaint against the unknown perpetrator, spokesperson Karolína Šůlová tells Czech News Agency.

She said this is not the first case of illegal killing of a wolf in the Broumov region. "The autopsy report shows that the death [of the wolf] most likely occurred due to general exhaustion of the organism," Šůlová said. "The animal apparently got caught in a poacher's snare or noose with its left leg and was unable to free itself. This led to dehydration and starvation."