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Around 3,000 people took part in the Brno Pride Parade on Saturday, bringing this year's Brno Pride Week festival to a close. According to organisers, it was the largest turnout in the event's history, helped by good weather and growing support for the LGBT+ community.

Participants carrying rainbow flags and banners marched through the city centre, expressing support for equal rights, including marriage equality and transgender rights. Some of the signs also reflected current social and political issues. Organisers said the event passed without major incidents.

Brno Pride Week began on May 31 and culminated in Saturday's parade and evening programme. This year's festival was held under the motto "There is always something that connects us" and focused on respect, safe spaces and community solidarity.

Czech canoeist Martina Satková won silver at the Canoe Slalom World Cup event in Prague-Troja on Saturday. She was beaten only by Australia's Jessica Fox, the most successful paddler in the sport's history, who completed a golden double in the Czech capital after winning the kayak event on Friday.

Satková produced a clean run but still finished 0.27 seconds behind Fox, despite the Australian receiving a four-second penalty.

Fellow Czech Tereza Kneblová finished seventh and was unable to repeat her victory from last week's opening World Cup race in Tacen, Slovenia. Tereza Michalová, competing after a maternity break, placed ninth.

The Czech Army has recruited around 1,400 new soldiers since the start of the year and is on track to meet its target of 1,800 professional troops and 450 active reservists by the end of 2026. Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna, Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka and his designated successor Miroslav Hlaváč announced the figures on Saturday at Bahna Day, the Czech Army's annual ground forces event near Strašice in western Bohemia.

The army currently has around 25,000 professional soldiers and 5,500 members of the active reserve. Military leaders said recruitment has improved in recent years while efforts to reduce the number of soldiers leaving the service have also been successful. The Defence Ministry is expanding training capacity to accommodate growing numbers of recruits.

Army officials said troop numbers will need to continue rising in response to the current security situation. Under long-term development plans, annual recruitment could eventually increase to around 3,000 professional soldiers a year.

Catholic priests Jan Bula and Václav Drbola, who were executed by the communist regime in the 1950s, were beatified during a special Mass in Brno on Saturday. The ceremony marked the culmination of a process that lasted more than two decades. Beatification is a major step towards sainthood in the Catholic Church.

Bula and Drbola were among the victims of communist persecution following the so-called Babice events. They will now be commemorated annually on June 17 in the Church's liturgical calendar.

More than 13,000 people attended the ceremony, which was led by Cardinal Michael Czerny on behalf of Pope Leo XIV. During the Mass, the cardinal formally proclaimed the two priests Blessed in the name of the Pope.