Czech news in brief for August 11: Tuesday's top afternoon headlines

A magnitude-7.4 earthquake in Colombia has killed at least 164 people, and the Czech Foreign Ministry is urging registered travelers to stay clear of affected areas. Closer to home, July inflation ticked up to 1.7 percent, still among the lowest in Europe, and the state is asking citizens to help stress-test the glitch-prone eDoklady app before autumn's municipal vote. Here's what's happening now.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has told citizens registered in Colombia not to travel to areas hit by Monday's magnitude-7.4 earthquake, which has killed at least 164 people with the toll expected to rise. Some 45 Czech travelers are currently registered in the country through the ministry's Drozd system, and none had contacted the emergency hotline as of today. President Petr Pavel sent condolences to Colombia's government and praised rescue workers searching for people trapped under collapsed buildings.

Getting help: Czechs in Colombia can reach the embassy in Bogotá during business hours or call the Foreign Ministry's 24-hour emergency line at +420 222 420 222.

Consumer prices rose 1.7 percent year-on-year in July, up from 1.5 percent in June, driven by fuel costs while falling food prices offset the increase. That still left Czechia with the fifth-lowest inflation rate among 42 countries tracked, behind only Sweden, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and one other economy, though every neighboring country posted higher inflation than Czechia.

Under the hood: Core inflation is running just under 3 percent, and analysts expect the headline rate to climb toward 2–3 percent by year's end as service prices keep rising.

The Interior Ministry and Digital Information Agency are inviting eDoklady users to log in simultaneously at 1 p.m. Thursday, aiming to replicate the surge that crashed the app during last year's parliamentary elections. Officials hope for around 40,000 participants, roughly the turnout expected for municipal elections this fall.

Before you test: Users are asked to update to the latest app version and confirm their PIN in advance, since forgotten PINs, not technical failures, caused most problems in earlier trial rounds.

The Heat Waves monitoring site now breaks down heat stress by individual Czech city rather than just region, letting residents check local conditions and a nine-day forecast. As of today, conditions are moderate nationwide, a step down from Monday's severe stress levels in Moravia and the Elbe region.

Why it matters: Tropical nights, when temperatures stay above 20°C, are especially hard on the body since they block natural cooling, so the city-level tool is aimed partly at helping vulnerable residents plan around specific local risk.

The Czech sports drama Invincible, based on the 2019 Para Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, is getting an English dub and a US release through distributor Highland Film Group. Producer Petr Jákl says the film, which drew over 155,000 Czech moviegoers and a wide Netflix audience, has real tools to reach American viewers, including Hollywood actor Til Schweiger.

Oscar angle: Invincible is also one of five finalists in the running to become Czechia's official Best Foreign Language Film submission, with the pick due Aug.19.