Czech news in brief for July 4: Saturday's top morning headlines

Good morning; for those of you reading from the US (and those of you Americans reading in Prague), happy Fourth of July. Make sure to weigh in on the Czech government's illumination of landmark buildings in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States in our poll below.

Czechia observes a bit older tradition this weekend with its Cyril and Methodius celebrations. Pilgrims have been visiting Velehrad for over 800 years, honoring a tradition that dates back to 863 AD, when the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius arrived in Great Moravia to spread Christianity and develop the first Slavic alphabet.

This one of the oldest continuously observed traditions in Czech history, predating the modern state by over a millennium.

A dispute over how Czechia's delegation travels to next week's NATO summit continues to escalate. President Petr Pavel's office says the cabinet bears responsibility for the added cost of sending two planes to the summit in Ankara, after Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said the split flights, driven by long-standing security practice barring the president and prime minister from flying together, will run several million crowns extra. The move follows a protracted dispute, resolved only after Constitutional Court intervention, over whether Pavel would be included in the delegation at all.

No compromise: Pavel had proposed splitting the summit's two main events between himself and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to avoid the need for separate flights, but Macinka says Babiš intends to attend both the Tuesday dinner and Wednesday's North Atlantic Council speech.

The two-day Days of People of Good Will begins today in Velehrad, drawing tens of thousands of pilgrims to the Cyril and Methodius celebrations, among the most significant church holidays in Czechia. This year's festivities are dedicated to doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers, with Saturday's program including musical performances, an international meeting of wheelchair users, and an evening benefit concert, followed by a pilgrimage mass on Sunday led by Prague Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl.

The relic's Prague connection: The skull of St. Luke, patron saint of doctors, will be exhibited in Velehrad's Royal Chapel for the occasion, but the relic normally resides much closer to home for Prague expats, kept year-round in the Cathedral of St. Vitus at Prague Castle.

Czech and Turkish police have dismantled a fraudulent call center in Istanbul linked to 1,173 cases of fraud against Czech citizens, with operators posing as police officers or bank advisors to pressure victims into transferring money. Among those detained was a Ukrainian national who had assumed a new identity and allegedly ran recruitment and training for Czech-speaking operators.

Scam sophistication: Police seized equipment capable of producing real-time deepfake videos alongside roughly 200 forged service cards, underscoring how far these operations have moved beyond simple phone scripts.

A jury in Alaska has ruled that a delayed rescue response contributed to the 2021 helicopter crash death of Czech billionaire Petr Kellner, ordering nearly USD 7.5 million in damages against Tordrillo Mountain Lodge for failing to deploy backup helicopters or activate its emergency plan in time.

Five-year wait for accountability: Kellner, who died at 56, had been ranked among the world's billionaires by Forbes since 2006, making him by far the wealthiest Czech, a status that kept the crash's unresolved legal questions in the public eye long after the 2021 accident.

Prague's public transport is in for a rough stretch. Tram service on Vršovická is suspended between Otakarova and Koh-i-noor from today, July 4, through Monday, July 6, with replacement buses X7 (day) and X95 (night) covering the gap. Metro C will also be out between Pražského povstání and Nádraží Holešovice starting today until Friday, July 10; replacement bus XC covers the route, and Lime is adding e-bikes near the affected stations to help absorb demand.

One bit of good news: the tram closure around Prague Castle, shut since March, will reopen Friday, July 10; a week ahead of schedule.

Another heatwave is brewing. After a brief cooldown, forecasters expect temperatures to climb back toward 30°C by the weekend of July 11, with a new hot air mass forming over Spain that could push toward Central Europe by midweek.

Sáblíková says "I do." Czech speed skating legend Martina Sáblíková, the country's most decorated Winter Olympian, tied the knot with longtime partner Nikola Zdráhalová in a private ceremony at Villa Fresco near Holice, sharing the news on Instagram after thirteen years together as a couple.

Karlovy Vary rolls out the red carpet. The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened with Dustin Hoffman receiving the Crystal Globe for lifetime achievement, while Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Eisenberg, and Harvey Keitel are all set to appear before the festival wraps July 11.