Czech news in brief for August 1: Saturday's top morning headlines

Good morning. After another day of record-breaking heat, Czechia's drought is worsening, with river levels falling to historic lows and some streams drying up completely. While slightly cooler weather is expected in western parts of the country today, forecasters warn dangerous heat, wildfire risk, and worsening water shortages will continue, especially in Moravia. Here's your Saturday morning roundup of the latest headlines.

River levels across Czechia have fallen to historic lows as extreme heat and a lack of rainfall deepen the country's drought, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute warned. Officials said 136 monitoring sites recorded record-low water levels for July 31, with some smaller streams drying up completely.

Key details: The institute said groundwater levels in deep wells are the lowest since 1961 and warned conditions are likely to worsen as hot, dry weather continues into next week. Similar drought-related water shortages are also affecting other parts of Europe.

Czech lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura sharply criticized President Petr Pavel in an interview published Friday, calling him a "backstabber" and a "crook." The SPD leader accused Pavel of acting like an opposition politician and criticized his public comments on government policy and international affairs.

No response: The Presidential Office declined to comment on Okamura's remarks, saying the public can judge politicians' language for itself. Okamura also renewed criticism over comments Pavel made during the 2023 presidential campaign, when he described Okamura as a potential moral risk if appointed education minister.

Czech musician Markéta Irglová has paid tribute to Irish singer Glen Hansard, who died Wednesday in a car crash in Dublin at age 56. In an Instagram post, Irglová offered condolences to Hansard's family, with whom she shared a long personal and professional relationship.

Oscar-winning duo: Irglová and Hansard won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song for Falling Slowly from Once. The pair, who were also partners for several years, continued performing together as The Swell Season and released a new album last year.

A ceremony in Ústí nad Labem on Friday commemorated victims of the 1945 massacre of ethnic Germans that followed an ammunition depot explosion shortly after World War II. Church leaders, local officials, diplomats, and survivors gathered to honor those killed in one of the deadliest acts of postwar violence in Czechia.

Wider context: Prague Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl said remembrance helps heal historical divisions, while historians note the exact death toll remains unknown. The cause of the depot explosion has never been conclusively established, and the massacre remained largely unexamined until after 1990.

Temperature records were broken once again on Friday at 108 long-running weather stations across Czechia, reaching new highs for July 31. The highest reading was 39.4 degrees Celsius in Pilsen. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said one-fifth of stations in the country also set new overall July records as the heat wave intensified.

Weather outlook: Forecasters expect slightly cooler weather in Bohemia on Saturday, while eastern Moravia and Silesia could still see highs of 36 degrees. Officials also warned of severe drought, an elevated wildfire risk across most of the country, and historically low river and groundwater levels.