Czech news in brief for July 26: Saturday's top headlines

Most of Bohemia will face strong storms Saturday, and torrential rain is expected Sunday and Monday in Moravia and Silesia, meteorologists warn. Up to 110 mm of rain could fall in the Beskydy mountains. Rising river levels may reach flood stage, especially in Vsetín, Jeseník, and Moravian-Silesian regions. Flash flooding, road erosion, and landslides are possible, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said.

Raiffeisenbank’s mobile banking app experienced a partial outage Saturday morning, with some functions briefly unavailable. The bank resolved the issue by late morning, spokesperson Tereza Kaiseršotová said. Both clients and employees were affected, according to media reports. The bank apologized on social media around 10 a.m. Raiffeisenbank serves over 1.7 million clients in Czechia, with about a million using its mobile banking services.

Russian influence in Czechia persists through hybrid tactics like disinformation, experts contacted by Czech News Agency say. Though weakened since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the Vrbětice spy scandal, Russia continues narrative warfare and cyber operations. Czech intelligence reported renewed espionage activity under diplomatic cover and warned of covert Russian-backed sabotage and cyber threats ahead of October elections.

A new Europe-wide project aims to find descendants of people executed at Munich’s Stadelheim prison, including Czechs, and deliver their final letters. Nazi victims, like 81-year-old Marie Ehrlichová from Bohemia, wrote farewell notes that were never sent. German and Czech archivists are searching for families to share the letters. The effort seeks to restore the memory and voices of over 1,000 people executed there.

Russian Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin criticized a new Czech law banning the promotion of communist regimes, calling it an attack on Russia. Signed by President Petr Pavel, the law takes effect Jan. 1 and criminalizes support for ideologies suppressing human rights. Offenders face up to five years in prison. The law may apply to members of KSČM, the successor to the former ruling Communist Party.

Masarykovo nádraží in Prague is closed from July 26 to Aug. 1 for installation of new signaling equipment. Regional trains will terminate at the main station during this period. The station will reopen the first weekend in August, with trains running across the renovated Negrelli Viaduct to Bubny and Dejvice stations. The overall modernization includes a new platform and covered tracks and is scheduled to finish by August 2027.

The Czech Republic has joined 40 other Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) states in launching an independent investigation into Russia’s torture of Ukrainian prisoners, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. The inquiry uses the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism to address war crimes. UN data show 95 percent of released Ukrainian POWs reported torture. The European Court of Human Rights recently found Russia guilty of war crimes against civilians and troops.

Czech tennis players Linda Nosková and Marie Bouzková will face off in the final of the WTA Livesport Prague Open today in Stromovka. The singles final is set to start after 2 p.m. Top seed Nosková defeated fourth-seeded Wang Sin-yu of China 6-4, 6-1 in Friday’s semifinal, while fifth seed Bouzková overcame compatriot Tereza Valentová 6-4, 7-5. Bouzková aims to repeat her Prague victory from 2022.

The Prague Metropolitan Court will now allow public and media access to the trial of the pro-Russian paramilitary group Czechoslovak Reserve Soldiers for Peace, reversing an earlier decision. The hearing was moved to a larger courtroom after a surge of supporters disrupted Monday’s session. Defendants face terrorism-related charges, including sending a Czech ex-soldier to fight in Donbas in 2017. All deny wrongdoing.

Over 1,100 attendees from 63 countries will gather in Brno this weekend for the 110th World Esperanto Congress. The eight-day event features lectures, theater, and excursions under the theme “Esperanto and technology as a bridge of peace.” It’s the third time the congress is held in Czechia, following previous sessions in Prague in 1921 and 1996, organizers said Thursday.

A young man was injured in a bear attack Thursday near Oravská Jasenica in Slovakia’s Žilina Region, local officials confirmed. The incident occurred around midday just 250 meters from a vacation cabin. The man sustained scratches but avoided serious injury. Authorities believe the bear was a young individual displaced by older bears. Bear sightings near human settlements in the area are increasingly frequent.