Czech news in brief for August 22: Saturday's top afternoon headlines

Rain has given Czech rivers a much-needed boost, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says the country needs better hospitals and transport before cutting spending, and a Czech-born transgender pioneer is honored in Berlin. Good afternoon, here's your headline mix.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms across Czechia on Friday and overnight Saturday have significantly improved water levels in many rivers, although dry conditions persist in some regions. The number of monitoring sites reporting drought fell from about half of the country’s 563 monitored locations Friday morning to 147 by Saturday morning. Dry conditions remain particularly around Vysočina and central Moravia.

Water levels rise: Smaller rivers including Prague’s Botič and Rokytka briefly reached first flood-alert levels, but some could quickly fall again if more rain does not arrive.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said Czechia should prioritize better hospitals, a completed transport network and higher salaries for soldiers and police before consolidating public finances. Finance Minister Alena Schillerová has said next year’s budget deficit will exceed this year’s CZK 310 billion but remain below CZK 400 billion.

Debt outlook: Czechia’s debt is forecast to reach 45.8 percent of GDP this year, up from 44.2 percent last year. Babiš rejected concerns over rising debt, noting that Czechia remains among the EU’s less indebted countries.

Two people were killed when a small aircraft traveling from Czechia crashed in Croatia near the coastal city of Zadar, with wreckage found in the mountains of Paklenica National Park. The search was launched after the aircraft lost its signal around 4 p.m. Friday and was complicated by bad weather. Croatian media reported the aircraft was a German-registered two-seat motor glider.

Czech connection: Czechia’s Foreign Ministry said neither victim was a Czech citizen. Rescue teams located the wreckage and two bodies around 10 p.m. Friday.

A memorial plaque honoring Dora Richter, a Czech-born transgender pioneer, has been unveiled outside Berlin’s Am Urban hospital, where she underwent gender-affirming surgery in 1931. Born in 1892 in Ryžovna in the Karlovy Vary region, Richter is considered the first known person to undergo a complete surgical gender transition.

Czech legacy: Richter later fled Nazi Germany and returned to Czechoslovakia, where officials legally recognized her as a woman. She spent World War II in Ryžovna before being expelled to Germany in 1946. She died in Bavaria in 1966.

Prague’s emergency medical service will hold a public day at Old Town Square on Tuesday, Aug. 25, with activities running from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event will offer visitors a chance to learn about the work of emergency crews, see their equipment and watch demonstrations.

Public event: The program is free and open to the public, making it an opportunity for families and others to learn more about how Prague’s emergency services operate.