Czech news in brief for August 9: Sunday's top afternoon headlines

A rare partial solar eclipse and the annual Perseid meteor shower will light up Czech skies this week, with the two events reaching their peaks on the same night. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Moon will cover up to 86 percent of the Sun as seen from Czechia, while the Perseids will peak overnight into Thursday.

Best viewing: The eclipse will be visible shortly before sunset, with the best views generally in western parts of the country. Later that night, dark locations away from city lights could offer views of 50–80 meteors per hour.

Two groups of Czech tourists had to be rescued by helicopter in the Austrian Alps over the weekend after running into trouble on mountain trails. Four hikers near Traunstein became exhausted and lost their way after abandoning a planned via ferrata route, while a Czech family called for help after their 10-year-old daughter became increasingly exhausted on Grosser Donnerkogel.

Mountain rescue: Austrian police airlifted all seven tourists safely to the valleys. In the first case, the hikers reportedly relied heavily on a navigation app and attempted an unmarked trail after deciding a ferrata was too difficult.

The Czech initiative Gift for Putin plans to file a criminal complaint after an anonymous social media account questioned whether a Black Hawk helicopter bought through a CZK 72 million public fundraiser ever reached Ukraine. The group says the claims are false and that the helicopter in question is a different aircraft now operated by Ukraine’s military intelligence.

What we know so far: Organizers say the helicopter was bought in the U.S. for about CZK 70 million and transferred to Ukraine through undisclosed channels. The original post was later withdrawn.

Online scammers are using transparent bank accounts belonging to Czech nonprofits as a way to test whether potential victims are ready to send money, according to Seznam Zprávy. Victims are directed to make small initial payments to charity accounts, allowing fraudsters to confirm they have been persuaded without exposing their own bank details.

Second victims: The practice is creating problems for nonprofits, which can face frozen accounts or police questioning after fraudulent payments arrive. One organization reported more than CZK 100,000 in suspicious transfers from about 20 people over three days.

Czechia is heading for another hot spell, with temperatures expected to reach up to 36°C on Monday. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has expanded its heat warning for Monday to include increased heat stress as humidity rises. Areas is the north and northeast will see relatively cooler temperatures.

Fire risk: A warning for the risk of wildfires remains in effect across most of the country. Forecasters expect temperatures to temporarily ease later in the week.