Czech news in brief for August 3: Monday's top morning headlines

The 16th annual Prague Pride festival opens today on Střelecký Island, running through Aug. 9 and culminating in Saturday's rainbow parade, this year rerouted from Wenceslas Square through Old Town Square and Pařížská Street to Štvanice, with organizers expecting around 50,000 participants.

Security stepped up: Organizers have tightened security this year in direct response to the car-ramming attack at a Pride-related event in Berlin days ago; all arrivals at tonight's opening event will pass through security checks, and police presence will include a helicopter.

The State Institute of Health (SZÚ) website was hacked Saturday evening and is expected to remain down for at least 48 hours; the National Cyber and Information Security Authority (NÚKIB) confirmed the attack.

No data compromised: SZÚ says no sensitive information or institute operations were affected since the site runs on external hosting. The attack is part of a pattern of recent hacks on Czech state and municipal sites, including Šumperk's city network earlier this week.

Small municipalities, including Putimov in the Vysočina region, are seeing wells run nearly dry, with only about a third of normal water flow reaching reservoirs; the village now imports drinking water by tanker from nearby Pelhřimov.

Not the first time: Officials point to a combination of low well inflow and aging pipeline infrastructure. Locals are attempting repairs, but the shortages recur regularly, including weekends when water sometimes stops entirely.

The Czech Republic has built a public charging network with capacity for three and a half times more electric cars than are actually on the road: 73,500 pure EVs and 45,000 plug-in hybrids against roughly 7,700 charging points, largely funded by EU subsidies.

Betting on the future: Operators say they're building ahead of demand deliberately, reserving market position before competitors do, with experts predicting the surplus could flip to a shortage within three to four years as EV sales grow exponentially rather than linearly.

Discounted public transport is back for Prague residents receiving the living allowance component of Czechia's new state social assistance benefit; eligible passengers can buy a monthly PID pass for CZK 165, effective Aug. 1. The whole process runs through PID Lítačka: passengers need a digital confirmation from the Labor Office (via the Jenda system) uploaded to their account before purchasing, and the discount can't be applied retroactively to a full-price ticket already bought.

More discounts apply: Free or reduced fares also remain in place for children, students, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Honey, honey. DPP's urban beekeeping project at the Vokovice depot had its best season yet, producing 110 kilograms of honey from three hives, over 50 percent more than last year. The company credits Divoká Šárka's greenery and treats the honey as a sustainability showcase, mostly used as gifts for partners and visitors.

Christmas in August. Prague's hunt for this year's Old Town Square Christmas tree is on, with ten tips submitted so far, mostly from the Liberec region. Owners of oversized or condemned spruces can send tips to info@taiko.cz through Sept. 15; the winner gets a cash reward, and the tree gets lit on Old Town Square Nov. 28.

Samba on the streets. Brno's Brasil Fest brought a samba parade through the city center this weekend, led by a dancer from Rio's carnival-winning samba school and a female drummer breaking into the traditionally male drumline role. Organizers battled the heat with sprinkler trucks and misting stations, and the festival wrapped with family activities in Lužánky park.