Czech news in brief for July 7: Monday’s top headlines

Severe storms swept through South Moravia Saturday night, toppling trees and blowing off roofs. Firefighters responded to 80 incidents, especially in Hodonín and Břeclav. In Hustopeče, roof damage at a grammar school required extended intervention. In Zlín and Olomouc regions, emergency units handled dozens more calls, mainly for fallen trees and loose electrical wires. The storm front moved northeast and was expected to calm after midnight.

Grid operator ČEPS is blaming a ruptured line for the major power outage that hit central and northern Bohemia on Friday, affecting a million users. The company denies it received early overflow warnings. ANO party officials claim forecasts predicted problems days earlier. Power was restored by evening. Industry Minister Vlček called for urgent grid modernization, citing decades-old infrastructure. The outage is among the worst since 2006. The State Security Council may review the incident Monday.

Firefighters extinguished an escalator fire at Prague’s Staroměstská metro station Saturday morning. The small fire involving renovation equipment caused smoke inhalation in one transport worker. Around 80 people were evacuated. Four fire crews and transport company staff responded. No serious injuries were reported. The station was ventilated and inspected with thermal cameras before resuming normal operations. Metro trains continued passing through during the incident.

Daily viewership of traditional TV in Czechia fell from 94 percent in 2014 to 83 percent in 2023, while streaming and digital viewing jumped from 26 percent to 69 percent, a new Kantar survey finds. Though still dominant, linear TV is losing ground, especially among youth. The study also shows that younger viewers prefer subtitles over dubbing and shorter online formats over films.

Actress Dakota Johnson received the President’s Award on Saturday at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. She presented two films: Materialists and Splitsville. Johnson greeted the audience with thanks in Czech and said she hoped her films would move viewers. She stars alongside Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in Materialists.