Czech news in brief for August 8: Saturday's top morning headlines

Good morning, Europe’s drought crisis is deepening as another hot and largely dry week is forecast, with critically low soil moisture and unusually low river levels affecting much of the continent. Czechia is also facing a significant rainfall deficit.

Meanwhile, Prague Pride will culminate today with its annual rainbow parade, a newly discovered play by Václav Havel is set for its world premiere in New York, and a Czech court has punished a man for making death threats against a journalist on Facebook.

Europe's drought is deepening as another hot, largely dry week is forecast across much of the continent over the next seven days. Soil moisture is critically low in parts of Central, Southern, and Western Europe, while major rivers including the Rhine and Danube are experiencing unusually low water levels, affecting shipping, hydropower, and other industries.

Czech effects: Czechia has recorded a rainfall deficit since the start of the year, with much of the country receiving just 50–75 percent of normal precipitation. More heat and little rain next week could further worsen conditions and increase wildfire risk.

Prague Pride will culminate Saturday with its annual rainbow parade, as thousands are expected to gather in central Prague before marching from Wenceslas Square to Štvanice. Organizers have strengthened security measures following a deadly attack at a similar event in Berlin last month.

Parade plan: Participants will gather from 10 a.m., with a minute of silence planned at 11:55 a.m. before the parade starts at noon. Hundreds of police officers and an anti-conflict team will oversee the event, which will end with music and other programming on Štvanice.

A newly discovered one-act play by former Czech president and playwright Václav Havel will receive its world premiere in New York on Sept. 26, ahead of what would have been his 90th birthday. Warning centers on dissident character Ferdinand Vaněk and a secret police officer.

Havel rediscovered: The play was found among the papers of writer and Charter 77 signatory Zdeněk Urbánek. A completed version will be presented as a staged reading in New York, with a Czech production at Prague's Dejvické Theatre scheduled for Oct. 23.

A Czech court has sentenced a man to a six-month suspended sentence and a CZK 10,000 fine for publicly threatening to kill journalist Zuzana Černá in a Facebook comment. The threats appeared under a post by MP Jindřich Rajchl, who had criticized Černá in the post.

What we know: The Decín District Court found the man guilty of publicly inciting a criminal offense. Černá welcomed the ruling, saying online threats of violence cross the line from criticism into criminal conduct.

The Prague Stock Exchange fell 0.71 percent on Friday to 2,785.07 points, retreating below the record high 2,800 mark reached on Thursday. The decline ended a seven-session winning streak, with financial stocks and CSG among the biggest losers. Trading activity was well above average, with around CZK 830 million worth of shares changing hands.

Crown also down: The Czech crown also weakened slightly against the euro and the dollar following Thursday's decision by the Czech National Bank to keep interest rates at 3.75 percent.