Daily news summary

Babiš and Orban want V4 meeting before EU summit

The Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, and his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, say they want to hold a Visegrad Four meeting prior to an informal European Union summit in Salzburg in mid-September. The two politicians made the comment after bilateral talks in Budapest on Friday evening that focused on economic cooperation, migration and the EU budget.

Mr. Babiš said that the last time Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak leaders had held a V4 meeting was back in June. He also told reporters that Mr. Orban had accepted an invitation to Prague and would visit the city at the end of October.

Cheaper travel for students and seniors comes into effect

Cheaper train and bus fares for people under 26 and over 65 were introduced in the Czech Republic on Saturday. They will now have to pay just a quarter the price of regular tickets.

The move represents the fulfilment of one of the promises made by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO party in pre-election campaigning. It will cost the state up to CZK 6 billion crowns, though no precise estimate can be made, iDnes.cz reported.

The news website said Czech Railways had set aside 50 extra carriages with a capacity of 4,000 seats in case there were a sudden spike in traveller numbers.

Illnerová: Ending daylight saving time would have little impact on health

A former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Helena Illnerová, says a European Commission proposal to end daylight saving time would not have a significant impact on people’s health. The biochemist and physiologist said changing the clocks twice a year was not in itself problematic.

However, it was better when – until the year 1995 – summertime lasted six months in the Czech Republic, not seven months as at present, Mrs. Illnerová said.

For its part the Czech branch of environmental organisation Friends of the Earth said daylight saving time was a marginal issue and the European Commission should focus on more important matters.

Renovation work begins on 1930s Slovak Arrow train

Work is about to begin on the renovation of a famous interwar express train known as the Slovak Arrow. A dilapidated model that stood for years in front of the Tatra museum in Kopřivnice in the Moravian Silesian Region has been transported to Hranice in the Olomouc Region, where it will be completely renovated at a cost of CZK 35 million over two years.

The train will then return to Kopřivnice where it will be installed at a new museum of Tatra cars in a former foundry. It will stand on tracks and be put into operation on special occasions.

Introduced in 1936, the Slovak Arrow ran on the line between Bratislava and Prague as the flagship train of Czechoslovak Railways.

International air show underway in Hradec Králové

A two-day air show got underway at an airfield outside Hradec Králové in East Bohemia on Saturday. Around 40 planes and helicopters from eight states are on display at the 25th edition of the CIAF international aviation festival.

Among the attractions is an acrobatic show by the Latvian Baltic Bees group, flying L-39 Albatros planes, and a Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jet.

Plíšková advances at US Open but Strýcová, Muchová bow out

The Czech Republic’s Karolína Plíšková has reached the fourth round of tennis’s US Open in New York. The 26-year-old overcame the American Sofia Kenin 6-4 7-6 to make it to that stage of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year for the third time in a row.

However, Plíšková’s compatriots Barbora Strýcová and Karolína Muchová failed to make it out of round three at Flushing Meadows. Strýcová lost 3-6 6-7 to Elise Mertens of Belgium and Muchová, who was playing in her first Grand Slam tournament, was beaten 3-6 4-6 by Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.

Weather forecast

It should be rainy in the Czech Republic on Sunday, with temperatures of up to 22 degrees Celsius. Similar weather is expected over the coming week.