Czech morning headlines: Driver dies after a train to Prague collides with locomotive

A Czech engine driver died when a Pendolino train going to Prague crashed with a moving switch engine in Bohumín near the Polish border this early morning. A stewardess from the Pendolino train personnel suffered a light injury. Four CD Cargo workers on the switch engine also had injuries including a concussion, and leg or hand injuries. There were 16 passengers on the Pendolino and none of them were injured. The Czech Railway Administration said on Twitter that the circumstances of the crash are being investigated.

Phone company T-Mobile struggled with extensive outages of its services on Sunday. Customers had problems with mobile data and calls, they could not call the customer line, get to the company's website, or run the My T-Mobile application. At night, the company announced that it was facing a cyber attack. It has resumed operations of basic services, such as calling or mobile services, and continues to address issues with the My T-Mobile application and internal systems.

Dozens of Czechs got stuck in Barcelona over the weekend, news server iDnes.cz reports. Low-cost carrier Eurowings canceled their flight on Friday without explanation. Passengers eventually had to make their own arrangements to get back to Prague. The search for alternative connections was complicated by a strike in France, and some people could not get back until Monday morning.

Most parties in the governing coalition support the introduction of a special tax for energy companies that produce electricity from coal and nuclear power, according to the findings of the Czech Television. The reason is soaring energy prices and rapidly rising profits of energy companies. In the first quarter of this year alone, the semi-state-owned ČEZ, the largest Czech electricity-producing company, tripled its net profit year on year, from less than CZK 8.5 billion to more than CZK 26.5 billion. 

Holocaust survivor Lisa Miková, who was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, died in the Hagibor social care home in Prague on Tuesday at the age of 100 years. Miková received the German Cross of Merit, bestowed on her by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the German Embassy in Prague two years ago for her contribution to the reconciliation between Czechs and Germans and for conveying her memories to the young generation.

Just days ahead of appearing at Wimbledon, Czech tennis star Petra Kvitová won the Eastbourne International tournament on Saturday, defeating Latvia's Jeļena Ostapenko in dominant fashion 6-3, 6-2. The victory represents Kvitová's 29th career title and first since winning the Qatar Open in Doha last March.

"I'm glad it worked out and we finally have a trophy from this season," Kvitová told reporters after the win. "The last time I lost here in the final, but this time I'm happier. It was a tough match. I want to congratulate Jeļena, who also plays doubles in addition to singles." Kvitová will next face Italy's Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday at Wimbedon, seeking her third career title at the prestigious tournament.

The Czech Hydrometeorogical Institute has issued a low-level warning for high temperatures for most of the Czech Republic tomorrow. Temperatures are expected to exceed 31 degrees Celsius; the warning is valid in Prague and most other areas of the country from Monday at 11:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m.

Those in affected areas are advised to limit outdoor activity tomorrow afternoon, drink plenty of water, and avoid leaving children or pets in direct sunlight. In addition to the warning for high temperatures, a low-level fire warning has also been issued in most areas of Moravia from 11:00 tomorrow until further notice.

Shopping centers in the Czech Republic have begun to promote summer sales, with discounts traditionally lasting through mid-August. According to Fashion Arena Prague Outlet director Lenka Čapková, sales have launched with advertised discounts of up to 50 off, and they will gradually rise to up to 80 percent off.

Interest in sales is predicted to be greater than last year according to a survey conducted by ČTK, with shoppers expected to be on the lookout for discounts in the wake of high inflation. According to the Czech Statistical Office, year-on-year inflation rose 16 percent in May, with clothing prices up a whopping 22 percent.

A day of remembrance for victims of the communist regime falls on June 27th in the Czech Republic, with reverential events taking place across the Czech Republic. This morning in Prague, an event organized by the Association of Former Political Prisoners took place in the Ďáblice Cemetery. This afternoon, a ceremony will take place at the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Vyšehrad.

On June 27, 1950, lawyer and politician Milada Horáková, lawyer Oldřich Pecl, former National Security Corps staff guard Jan Buchal, and historian Záviš Kalandra were executed by the communist regime following a show trial. Their remains are believed to have ended up in a mass grave at Prague's Motol Cemetery.

A museum dedicated to Alice Garrigue Masaryk, the daughter of Czechoslovakia's first president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, has opened to visitors this weekend in Lány. The museum is also dedicated to the history of the Czech Red Cross. Lány is the location of the Czech Republic's Presidential Chateau, where current President Miloš Zeman has resided for much of the past years.

The new museum is in the same house that Alice Garrigue Masaryk had the Czech Red Cross build during the First Republic; it operated as a counseling center for mothers with children for more than 60 years. An exhibition currently presented at the museum features furniture that once belonged to Masaryk as well as historic equipment from the center.

Firefighters in Prague responded to more than 60 incidents related to last night's heavy thunderstorms, Prague's Fire Brigade writes on Twitter. Most of the incidents were related to flooding in basements and fallen trees. No injuries or evacuations were reported due to the storms.

According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, more than 100 millimeters of rain fell in Prague and other areas of Bohemia over the past 24 hours, resulting in elevated water levels in smaller streams and rivers in the area. A flash flood warning was issued for Prague and areas in Central and Southern Bohemia on Saturday morning, but it expired at noon.

Afaf Gabelotaud, Deputy Mayor of Paris, passed a baton to Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib outside of City Hall on Friday as a symbolic gesture ahead of France passing the EU presidency to the Czech Republic on July 1. This weekend and coming week, a number of events in Prague will mark the occasion.

Gabelotaud said that Europe must act as a superpower and guarantor of peace and stability during the current extraordinary events. Hřib said Prague can learn from Paris in the spheres of sustainability, dealing with public spaces, and working with data. Prague and Paris have been cooperating since 1997.

Just two days before the start of this year's Wimbledon tournament, Czech tennis star Petra Kvitová will play for the title at Eastbourne International. Kvitová will face defending champion and 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia; their match begins at 1:30 p.m. Prague time.

Kvitová, seeded 14 at the Eastbourne International, will play in her first final since last March, when she won the Qatar Open in Doha. Kvitová is seeking her 29th title today, a record which includes victories at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. After the Eastbourne International, Kvitová will kick off this year's Wimbledon tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday.

A commemorative plaque to composer Pavel Haas has been installed at his final address on Brno's Havlíčková street. Haas was transported by Nazis to the Theresienstadt Ghetto in December of 1941, and ultimately killed in a gas chamber in Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 45.

The plaque, made by Czech sculptor Jiří Plieštik, was commissioned by the current owners of the building. Haas came from a Brno-based Jewish family, and was the brother of famed actor and director Hugo Haas. Unlike Pavel, Hugo managed to flee Czechoslovakia and became a character actor in Hollywood during the 1940s.

Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has the highest number of outright supporters heading into the next presidential election, but he would be defeated by General Petr Pavel in the second round of the election, according to a new STEM/MARK poll carried out in June.

Among likely candidates for the next presidential election, which will take place no later than January of next year, Babiš has the support of 20 percent of voters while Pavel has the support of 16 percent, according to the poll. In the second round of an election between these candidates, however, Pavel would take 49 percent of the vote and Babiš 32 percent.