News

Czech tennis players Adam Pavlásek and Patrik Rikl missed four match points before losing a dramatic Davis Cup doubles match to Christian Harrison and Austin Krajicek 7–5, 3–6, 6–7 in Prague on Saturday. The defeat leaves Czechia trailing the United States 2–1 in the tie. The hosts must now win both remaining singles matches at Prague’s O2 Arena to reach the Davis Cup quarter-finals. Jakub Menšík will first face world number four Ben Shelton. If he wins, Jiří Lehečka is due to play Learner Tien in the deciding match.

President Petr Pavel said the participation of allies and partners at NATO Days in Ostrava was a symbol of mutual support and solidarity. Speaking at the event on Saturday, he stressed that solidarity must work both ways and that national security should be seen as a shared responsibility. Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (Freedom and Direct Democracy) said security could not be taken for granted and required continuous investment. He highlighted Czech military modernisation projects, including Leopard 2A4 tanks, CV90 and Titus armoured vehicles, Spyder air-defence systems and MADR radars.

The two-day NATO Days and Czech Air Force Days at Mošnov airport near Ostrava drew tens of thousands of visitors on Saturday. Heavy traffic formed around the venue on Saturday morning, with the longest queue stretching around nine kilometres from the D1 motorway and waiting times reaching up to two hours. Military, security and emergency units from 14 countries are taking part, with more than eight hours of demonstrations each day. Highlights include the British Red Arrows, a German Tornado fighter and the Czech public debut of the C-390 Millennium transport aircraft. Admission to the event is free.

Czechia’s National Cyber and Information Security Agency has warned IT professionals and organisations about cyberattacks by the North Korean group WaterPlum using fake job offers. The group poses as employers or recruiters, often representing supposed AI or cryptocurrency companies, to gain access to devices and sensitive information. During job interviews, applicants may be instructed to download and run malicious files disguised as programming assignments. According to an international analysis highlighted by the Czech agency, WaterPlum has compromised at least 30,000 devices in more than 100 countries and obtained funds or credentials from over 7,000 cryptocurrency wallets.