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The Czech Army is currently testing unmanned systems and defenses against them at the Březina Military Training Area near Vyškov and at a testing ground in Lipník nad Bečvou in the Přerov region, exercise director Michal Peterek told reporters on Tuesday.

More than 70 companies from 17 countries, along with observers from NATO countries, including Slovakia, Latvia and the USA, are participating in the third edition of the Drone Shield 2026 exercise.

The goal of the exercise is to gain an overview of current market technologies and determine the direction the military will take in the future, Mr. Peterek said.

Human rights organisations have called on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to revoke the appointments of Jakub Kříž, a lawyer for the anti-abortion group Movement for Life, Daniel Black, an advocate for a ban on medical gender reassignment, and former Miss World Taťána Kuchařová to the Government Council for Human Rights.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the human rights organisations warned against undermining the expertise of the advisory body and said they were concerned that some rights already secured may be curtailed.

Fifty experts resigned from the government’s human rights councils at the end of June over the transfer of the agenda from the Office of the Government to three ministries. They said they feared this would weaken the focus on the issue and lead to a shift away from protecting vulnerable groups.

The Czech crown jewels were returned to the Crown Chamber at Prague’s St. Vitus’ Cathedral in a ceremony involving seven key-holders on Tuesday. Members of the public were allowed to view the valuable artefacts from September 15 until Monday, with the first four days being reserved for schoolchildren.

Nearly 37,000 people saw the jewels at the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle over the two-week period, a smaller number than last year.

Keys to the Crown Chamber, where the jewels have been kept for many years, are held by the president, the prime minister, the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the archbishop of Prague, the mayor of Prague and the dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus.

Prominent figures who have excelled in their fields or contributed to Czechia’s reputation abroad received silver commemorative medals from Senate President Miloš Vystrčil on Monday, as part of Czech Statehood Day celebrations. This year, Vystrčil honoured 17 people, selected from more than 100 nominations.

The recipients included economist Jan Švejnar, ice hockey players David Pastrňák and Jakub Voráček, emergency responder Petra Homolová, who founded the Ambulance of Fulfilled Dreams project, and human rights defender Elena Gorolová. The tradition of awarding the medals on St Wenceslas Day began in 2012.