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Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said on Wednesday that the recent incidents in Germany involving acts of sabotage by Russia point to the seriousness of the security situation. Speaking to journalists he said he wants to discuss further strengthening security with his European counterparts.

“Czechia is ready to cooperate with Germany and other European and transatlantic partners and support all necessary measures to strengthen joint security,” Babiš said.

According to the German Interior Ministry, Russia is responsible for espionage and sabotage operations across Europe, and the August attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport fits a “known pattern of Russian hybrid operations.” An unknown object exploded near the main railway station in the southern German city of Augsburg on Wednesday, injuring two people. Local police have not yet disclosed what exploded at the site.

Thursday is expected to bring partly cloudy skies, with some rain in the northern parts of the country, and daytime highs between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius.

This year's summer was the second-hottest in the Czech Republic since records began in 1961, according to data from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.  Temperatures repeatedly climbed above 40 degrees Celsius and the country also recorded a new absolute temperature record at the end of June, when the station in Doksany in the Litoměřice region registered 41.9 degrees Celsius on June 28. The average temperature from June through August reached 19.4 degrees Celsius, surpassed only by the year 2019, when the average was 19.5 degrees.

The coalition Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD) opposes plans to reduce unemployment benefits approved by the government on Monday. SPD leader Tomio Okamura said his party had not been consulted about the matter in advance and he wants to raise the issue at a meeting of the coalition council.

The government's plan has also drawn criticism from experts. They warn that cutting benefits in the first months of unemployment, as well as lowering the maximum benefit, could prevent jobless people from choosing the best available offer and settle for lower-paid jobs, meaning the state would collect less in taxes and social insurance contributions.

Under the amendment submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, unemployment benefits would fall from the current 80 percent of a person's previous net wage to 65 percent during the first two months. They would remain at 50 percent in the middle of the benefit period, while at the end they would rise from 40 to 45 percent.