Czech news in brief for August 14: Friday's top morning headlines

The government is putting real money behind Czechia's water crisis this week, reviving a coalition last active under a different administration and promising billions for new reservoirs. Meanwhile, bats are turning up in bedrooms across the country, and Prague's food delivery wars have a financial winner. Good morning, here's your headline mix.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is reviving the National Coalition Against Drought, first created in 2018, and pledging four billion crowns toward new reservoirs, water network connections, and irrigation measures. The government plans a special law this autumn to formalize 20 planned reservoirs and artificial lakes, with initial funds also going toward early-stage work on waterworks projects in North Moravia, North Bohemia, and South Moravia.

Not enough, say critics: Opposition figures note the previous government allocated CZK 26.8 billionto drought measures last year – more than six times what's now on the table – and flow rates on many Czech rivers have hit record lows, worse than the 2018 drought that first prompted the coalition.

Education Minister Robert Plaga has sparked an online debate over whether the current two-month summer holiday, unchanged since 1925, still fits modern family and school life. Reactions have split sharply: some parents want the break shortened or spread through the year, citing overheated classrooms and the cost of summer camps, while others say families without childcare options need the long stretch as-is.

Not a done deal: Plaga floated the idea on Facebook while on vacation rather than announcing a policy, and some school directors have proposed shifting days toward autumn, Christmas, or Easter breaks instead of cutting summer outright.

Foodora's Czech operation turned a net profit of CZK 26.9 million in 2025, a sharp reversal from an CZK 18.7 million loss the year before, as turnover climbed 16.8 percent to CZK 2.21 billion. The company credits its PRO subscription program and expansion beyond meal delivery into pharmacy items, cosmetics, and flowers, alongside a pilot robot-delivery service in Prague.

Beyond the burger run: Every third order now comes from a PRO subscriber, and the company says the loyalty program saved Czech customers over CZK 281 million this year.

Manufacturers and retailers now have to track responsibility for packaging composition and labeling under new EU rules covering pizza boxes, coffee cups, and yogurt containers, with new limits on PFAS chemicals in food packaging. Businesses warn of added bureaucracy and costs that will likely be passed on to consumers, while the EU says the changes will cut waste and improve recycling.

Slow rollout: Customers won't notice much yet – the visible changes, like a uniform EU sorting label, don't arrive until 2028.

Doctors at Pilsen University Hospital have vaccinated eight people against rabies this year after bat bites, compared with just two cases in all of last year. Ostrava's university hospital has logged 15 bitten patients since June, most after bats flew into rooms and were caught by hand. Animal rescuers describe the surge as unusual and expect more incidents as migration season picks up.

If one gets in: Turn off the lights, open a window, and leave the room a healthy bat will usually fly out on its own within half an hour. Never handle one bare-handed; call a rescue station if it's injured or won't leave.

TrutnOff draws thousands to honor Havel. The long-running music festival opened its 2026 edition dedicated to the late president, with Pražský výběr, Jasná páka, and other veteran acts filling out day one alongside exhibits on Havel's life.

Kvitová hosts tennis legend Navratilova. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová welcomed Martina Navratilova to her home and shared the visit online, delighting fans who tallied up the pair's combined 11 Wimbledon titles.