Czech news in brief for September 6: Saturday’s top headlines

Prague saw more than 50 millimeters of rain in the past 24 hours, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said Saturday. Heavy rainfall also hit the Brdy area and western Vysočina. A flood alert was briefly triggered at Nusle Botič, but no warnings remained by morning. Rain is expected to ease during the day, with Sunday forecast to be sunny and around 25 degrees Celsius.

The Czech crown strengthened Friday to CZK 20.78 per U.S. dollar, its strongest level since 2018, and to CZK 24.39 per euro, its firmest since December 2023, according to Patria Online. Analysts said a weaker dollar and U.S. labor data supported Central European currencies. The crown hovered near 24.40 per euro all week and could test further highs, according to experts.

Czech PM Petr Fiala called for revising EU climate policy to avoid harming industry during talks with European Council President António Costa in Brno Friday. Fiala also stressed lowering energy prices, boosting Europe’s economy and cutting red tape. Costa said their meeting covered Ukraine, the Middle East and global partnerships. The talks took place at Arnold Villa as part of Costa’s Tour de Capitales.

Paramedics in Kroměříž district treated several boys on Friday who ate berries from deadly nightshade, one of the most toxic plants in Europe. Two were hospitalized in Kroměříž, while another was examined and left at the scene, rescue officials said. Doctors warned that just three to five berries can be fatal for children. Poisonings with the plant are rare, experts noted Friday.

A Berlin court gave a six-month suspended sentence to a 35-year-old man after police found 200 kilograms of illegal fireworks in his flat, DPA reported Friday. The cache, bought in Czechia for EUR 500, included ball bombs and 800 cannonballs used in displays. German authorities warn against buying fireworks abroad, citing accidents that killed five people last New Year’s.

A statue of Moravian Margrave John Henry of Luxembourg (1322–1375), brother of Emperor Charles IV, will be unveiled Sept. 14 in Brno’s Královo Pole district, organizers said Friday. The sandstone monument, initiated by local winegrowers, marks the 650th anniversary of his death and the founding of a Carthusian monastery. Another statue will be installed in Mělník in November, facing toward Brno.

The World Ploughing Championship returned to the Czech Republic Friday in Horoměřice, with 48 competitors from Europe, Australia, Kenya and Canada vying for the trophy. The 70th edition judged quality over speed on prepared stubble and grass fields. Among participants was Sweden’s Fanney Bengtsdottir, the only woman in the competition. Visitors can also see agricultural machinery, historical ploughing demonstrations, and a “world ploughing mound” monument.