Czech news in brief for June 1: Sunday's top headlines

Severe storms across Czechia will continue this evening and into Monday, bringing gusty winds, hail, and heavy rain, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Flash floods may occur, especially in smaller streams. Storms will be heaviest in Moravia, Silesia, and parts of southern and eastern Bohemia this afternoon, spreading across the country later. Monday’s storms are expected mainly in the southeast.

The opposition ANO and SPD parties will call for the government's resignation in Thursday’s lower house session over the controversial bitcoin donation to the Justice Ministry, their vice chairs Karel Havlíček and Radim Fiala said. If unsuccessful, they will seek a no-confidence vote. Speaker Jan Skopeček dismissed the move as pre-election posturing. Justice Minister Pavel Blažek has already resigned over the affair.

Analysts expect wages in Czechia to have continued rising in both nominal and real terms in the first quarter of 2025. Estimates vary, with Capitalinked’s Radim Dohnal predicting an 8.7 percent nominal increase and 6 percent real growth, driven by real estate, energy, and IT sectors. Others, like Investika’s Vít Hradil, foresee a more modest 5.9 percent nominal and 3.1 percent real increase. The Czech Statistical Office will publish official wage data on Wednesday.

ANO would win a general election with 31.6 percent of the vote, according to the latest STEM poll for CNN Prima News. The Spolu coalition (ODS, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09) follows with 21.8 percent. SPD ranks third with 12.8 percent, ahead of STAN at 11.4 percent. The Pirates and Stačilo! would also enter parliament, surpassing the 5 percent threshold. The survey was conducted from May 9–27 among 1,552 respondents.

A man was fatally shot by German police near the Czech border in Schirnding, Bavaria, on Saturday afternoon. Police stopped the man’s car for a check, but he fled on foot and opened fire. Officers returned fire, hitting the man, who later died despite attempts to revive him. No officers were injured. The man’s identity has not been released. Bavarian authorities in Hof are investigating.

In December 2024, monthly mortgage payments in Czechia were 9,245 CZK higher than rents, the Association of Rental Housing said in an analysis. The gap narrowed slightly from November, but was 459 CZK wider year-on-year. Soaring housing prices outpaced falling mortgage rates, with rents rising more modestly. In early May, the average mortgage rate fell below 5 percent for the first time since spring 2022.

Several hundred Czechs and Germans walked from Pohořelice to Brno on Saturday, retracing the 1945 Brno death march route in reverse to commemorate the German-speaking citizens expelled from Brno after World War II. The annual Reconciliation March, part of the Meeting Brno festival, began at Pohořelice’s memorial to the deported.

The Czech national parahockey team claimed bronze at the World Championships for the third time in a row, defeating China 2-1 in overtime on Saturday in Buffalo, New York. Captain Radek Zelinka scored the winning goal in the 47th minute, just 68 seconds into overtime. Václav Hečko opened the scoring for Czechia before China tied the game in the second period.

Czech police have extradited a man suspected of tax evasion from Thailand. The man, who had been on the run for a year, was brought to Prague under air marshal escort and taken directly to court, where he was remanded in custody. Police say the suspect faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

Ostrava Zoo has successfully bred two critically endangered great bamboo lemurs, officials said Tuesday. The females gave birth in recent months, and the older mother has taken on the care of both cubs. Only about 40 of the species are in human care worldwide, making the breeding a valuable contribution to conservation efforts. The lemurs are native to Madagascar.

Czech and French research agencies announced three joint nuclear projects in Prague, aiming to develop safety solutions and new technologies. The projects include the EUR 1.2 million EVANS study on neutronic computing schemes, CoriumSURF’s work on reactor vessel stabilization, and NETFLUX’s research on neutron flux effects on reactor pool concrete. The collaborations are set to run from 2025 to 2027.