Czech news in brief for July 15: Wednesday's top afternoon headlines

Good afternoon, like many of my French compatriots in Prague and beyond, I am still reeling from Les Bleus' semifinal defeat against Spain. Contrary to Didier Deschamps' team yesterday, I did however show up for work. Bravo to Spain, good luck to our English and Argentinian friends tonight, and let's head directly to the main headlines.

A 51-year-old woman was shot dead earlier today on Herbenova street, in Prague 10, in what police are describing as an attempted murder-suicide by a former relative of hers, who allegedly then tried but failed to take his own life. The 55-year-old man was found injured at the scene when police officers arrived, and is being treated for his wounds while the investigation is ongoing.

Crime figures. The Czech Republic has one of the lowest murder rates among EU countries. Last year, police reported 59 murders and 86 attempted murders nationwide.

The Chamber of Deputies today voted in favor of reintroducing the so-called electronic sales reporting system (EET) from next year. The bill now heads to the opposition-controlled Senate and must also be signed by the president to come into force. The government claims the new modernized system will bring the state over CZK 14 billion annually in additional revenue, and will not require printed paper receipts.

What's the EET? Launched in 2016 before being abandoned in 2023, EET requires businesses to record sales digitally with the goal of increasing transparency, reducing tax evasion and ensuring a more efficient tax collection. It has however been criticized as an extra bureaucratic burden especially by smaller businesses and entrepreneurs.

Czech Minister for Sports Boris Šťastný said he "fundamentally disagrees" with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to once more allow Russian athletes to take part in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The decision to lift the ban "is probably good news for the Kremlin and Russian athletes, but very bad news for the world," Šťastný said.

European pushback. In his statement, the minister said Czechia could join a group of other countries who have already called on the EU to stop funding the IOC. These include Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Romania.

In an interview with iDnes.cz, President Petr Pavel weighed in on the controversy surrounding Monday's car crash between Motorist MP Filip Turek and an ambulance. "From everything I've had the opportunity to see, it looks like he grossly violated the rules," Pavel said. He added that if the ongoing investigation into the crash found him guilty of misconduct, Turek should resign from his government position.

Jury still out. Czech media reported on Wednesday that the ambulance driver was on sick leave since the accident, although hospital officials have refused to give further details about his health condition. Meanwhile, Turek temporarily vacated his position as government plenipotentiary on climate change and the Green Deal while the investigation is ongoing, and promised he would not use his parliamentary immunity if the police requested his extradition.

A record nine million people visited the Prague Castle area in 2025, the presidential office announced at a press conference today, 700,000 more than the previous year and two million more than in 2023. The Prague Castle has long been one of the most visited attractions in the Czech Republic. Today, about three-quarters of tourists coming to the castle's premises are from abroad, and a bit less than one-fourth are Czech tourists.

More than a castle. From long-running art exhibitions to permanent galleries or open-air music and theater festivals, the Prague Castle has massively expanded its cultural programming in recent years in a bid to attract both short-term visitors and long-term residents.