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The Czech Republic switched to daylight saving time overnight on Sunday, when clocks moved forward by one hour at 02:00, making the night an hour shorter. Standard Central European Time will return on October 25.

The time change affected 13 Czech Railways services, mostly international trains. The shift in time made these services appear an hour late, though operators tried to reduce delays by shortening stops at stations.

Daylight saving time was first introduced in the Czech lands in 1915 and 1916. It returned during the Second World War in 1940 and lasted until 1949, before being reintroduced during the energy crisis in the late 1970s. Since 1996, the time change has followed European Union rules and lasts seven months.

US figure skater Ilia Malinin won the World Championships in Prague on Saturday, claiming his third consecutive world title. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama finished second and his compatriot Shun Sato took bronze.

Malinin, who led after the short programme, also delivered the best free skate and finished with 329.40 points, nearly 23 points ahead of Kagiyama. Czech skater Georgii Reshtenko placed 22nd.

Malinin landed five quadruple jumps in his free skate but did not attempt his signature quadruple axel. He ended his programme with a backflip, drawing loud applause from the crowd in the sold-out O2 Arena.

The Czech Army has already filled nearly two thirds of its recruitment target for this year in the first quarter. It plans to recruit 2,250 new soldiers in 2026 and has so far reached 65.5 percent of that goal, up from 49 percent two weeks ago.

Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna said this on TV Nova’s debate programme on Sunday. He also defended the defence budget, which the government coalition has faced criticism over from the opposition.

According to the Defence Ministry, there were 28,285 professional soldiers at the start of last year, including members of Military Intelligence and the Military Police. The army aims to have 30,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 members of the active reserve by 2030.

People in the Czech Republic will take part in Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights and joining activities to help nature. Some cities will switch off illumination at landmarks for an hour from 8:30 p.m., including Prague’s Žižkov Television Tower, Brno’s Špilberk Castle and the tower of Ostrava’s New City Hall.

The global environmental campaign, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is being held for the twentieth time worldwide and the seventeenth time in Czechia. Individuals, schools and communities are also encouraged to spend 60 minutes doing activities such as cleaning up nature or planting trees.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 and has since spread to more than 180 countries. It is traditionally held on the last Saturday in March to highlight the need to protect the climate and nature.