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Czech President Petr Pavel has granted patronage to the Meeting Brno festival, which this year will host the convention of the Sudeten German association for the first time in Czechia. The presidential office said the backing applies to the festival as a whole, supporting dialogue about history rather than endorsing every interpretation of it. The event promotes reconciliation and open discussion, it said. The gathering remains politically controversial. The lower house recently called for its cancellation, while Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said no government representative would attend. Bavarian premier Markus Söder is expected to visit both Brno and Prague.

Former president Václav Havel remains the Czech public’s top-rated president since the fall of communism, according to a new STEM/MARK poll. Václav Klaus ranked second, while current President Petr Pavel slipped to third after placing second in the previous survey. Former president Miloš Zeman remained last. Respondents gave Pavel an average school-style grade of 2.9, down from 2.6 last autumn. Pollsters say his decline may reflect tensions with some government supporters. Havel remains especially popular among better-educated voters, while Zeman performs better among less-educated respondents. The survey questioned just over 1,000 adults.

Thirteen suspects, including Karviná midfielder Samuel Šigut, have admitted involvement in a football corruption scandal in Czechia, according to police documents cited by Czech Radio. The case involves alleged match-fixing, bribery and betting manipulation, mainly in Moravia-Silesia. Police charged 32 people in March. Investigators say some players accepted bribes to influence matches, while others were motivated by financial hardship or hopes of better contracts. Police believe the wider network included intermediaries recruiting players and overseas bettors, with possible links to the Balkans.

Czech banks and building savings institutions issued mortgage loans worth CZK 61.5 billion in April, up 11 percent from March and 90 percent higher than a year earlier, according to the Czech Banking Association’s Hypomonitor. New mortgages, excluding refinancing, rose to CZK 44.2 billion, while the number of newly issued loans climbed to just over 9,000. The average mortgage rate edged up to 4.52 percent from 4.43 percent in March. Analysts say demand was partly boosted by borrowers rushing to secure financing before tighter conditions for investment mortgages and further rate increases. The average newly issued mortgage reached CZK 4.89 million, about 20 percent higher than a year ago, reflecting continued pressure from high property prices.