News in brief for May 21: Prague event remembers defense of Mariupol

Areas in Moravia and parts of North Bohemia are expected to be hit by thunderstorms this evening, reports the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Up to 30 millimeters of rain is expected to fall, and areas that have been previously saturated by rain are at risk of flooding.

In these areas, a low-degree flood warning has been issued by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Elsewhere, parts of the Czech Republic are seeing the highest temperatures of the year, with a high of 27 degrees Celsius reported on Saturday.

A live installation called "Azovstal: A Year in Captivity" organized by Voice of Ukraine (Hlas Ukrajiny) took place on Prague's Charles Bridge on Saturday. It paid tribute to the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol, many of whom still remain in Russian captivity one year after the battle for the Azovstal steel plant.

The sight of a chain of individuals dressed in black and bound together drew attention to the torture and harsh conditions endured by soldiers still held captive in Russia. "The human chain symbolizes Russian captivity,"Anastasiia Sihnaievska, co-founder of Voice of Ukraine, told Czech News Agency. "We selected this spot because people from all over the world visit it. We want to convey the message that the Ukrainian army fights not only for their country but for everyone."

The Czech Republic's national hockey team secured placement in the quarterfinals at this year's IIHF World Championship with a 2-0 victory over Norway on Saturday. Forward Dominik Kubalík scored a power play goal during a five-on-three advantage in the opening period, while Jakub Flek added a goal as well.

Under the guidance of coach Kari Jalonen, the team currently holds the second position in Group B, trailing leaders Switzerland by two points and maintaining a two-point lead over Canada in third place. The Czech team will next face Switzerland on Sunday at 19:20 p.m. Prague time and conclude their group stage against Canada on Tuesday at 15:20 p.m. The outcome of these matches will determine their quarterfinal placement and potential relocation to Tampere for the next stage.

A police helicopter rescued five Czech climbers, who were completely exhausted, in the Austrian Alps on Friday evening, reports Austria Press Agency. One of the climbers was later hospitalized. The Czech climbers were part of a three-day excursion from Salzburg that they had found advertised on the Internet. An Austrian investigation revealed that their mountain guide did not have proper professional training.

Austria's mountain rescue service was alerted by the climbers themselves in the Tennen Mountains at around six o'clock in the evening. Winter conditions still persist in the area, with slow progress and waist-deep snow in some places. Due to extreme exhaustion and hypothermia among some group members, the Czech climbers decided to seek assistance. Five climbers were airlifted by helicopter, while three managed to make their way back on their own.

Trade unions want to work together to set rules for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Czech education, members of the Czech and Moravian Trade Union of Workers in Education announced at their congress in Prague today. Among other things, they want to push for generative AI technologies to be developed carefully and with respect to ethics, humanity, and credibility.

According to the trade union representatives, AI can cause violations of the intellectual property rights of teachers as well as academic and research workers. The education union will therefore aim to minimize the risks, its chairman František Dobšík said. "Technology can help teachers, but it also brings risks and can disrupt traditional educational processes," Dobšík told journalists.

Students who do not continue their studies in secondary schools after finishing their primary school education should start paying for health insurance after the summer holidays, General Health Insurance (VZP) spokeswoman Viktorie Plívová tells Czech News Agency. The Czech state will only continue to pay it for them only if they register with the Labour Office.

Health insurance is compulsory in the Czech Republic. The state pays it for children and students up to the age of 26, as well as for the unemployed or pensioners. If a student does not continue to secondary school after the end of the ninth grade, the last year of primary school, the obligation to pay health insurance passes to them.