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Recent rainfall has reduced the risk of wildfires in parts of Czechia, with the threat disappearing in southeastern Bohemia and dropping from high to low in South Moravia, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute informed on Friday. However, most of the country remains at risk due to persistent dry conditions.

Meteorologists also warn that the improvement may be short-lived. Tropical temperatures are expected to return on Sunday, with highs reaching 31 degrees Celsius, before climbing to around 33 degrees on Monday, potentially increasing the risk of wildfires again.

Czech hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers welcomed 6.4 million guests in the second quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 0.5 percent, according to new figures released by the Czech Statistics Office on Friday. The number of domestic visitors rose slightly, while foreign visitor numbers stagnated for the first time since spring 2021. Guests spent a total of 15.1 million nights in accommodation across the country.

By contrast, Prague saw a 1.2 percent decline in guest numbers. While the number of Czech visitors increased by 5.1 percent, foreign arrivals fell by 2.6 percent. Despite the drop in visitors, the total number of overnight stays edged up by 0.1 percent.

German tourists remained the largest group of foreign visitors both nationwide and in Prague, while hotels continued to be the most popular type of accommodation across the country.

Czech police concluded that MP and government climate policy envoy Filip Turek (Motorists) committed three criminal offences through Facebook posts and a video showing him apparently giving a Nazi salute, according to iROZHLAS.cz, the news website of Czech Radio. Investigators examined 85 posts from 2010 to 2017 and considered eight of them criminal, including incitement to hatred and approval of a crime. Police also concluded that a 2015 video showed Turek publicly giving a Nazi salute. However, the cases could not proceed because the alleged offences are more than five years old and therefore time-barred. Turek denies wrongdoing and disputes authorship of the posts.

The public paid their final respects to prominent Czech artist, musician and educator Milan Knížák at his funeral in Prague on Friday. The ceremony was held with state honours, including the Czech flag, the national anthem and three ceremonial volleys.

Former president Václav Klaus, a longtime friend of Knížák's, and Culture Minister Oto Klempíř (Motorists) delivered funeral speeches. Klaus described Knížák as a symbol of freedom and intellectual independence, praising his uncompromising character and his contributions to Czech art, music and literature.

Knížák, who died on July 26 at the age of 86, was part of the international Fluxus art movement and was active in the Czechoslovak underground before heading Prague's Academy of Fine Arts and the National Gallery in the post-1989 period.