Czech news in brief for June 14: Sunday's top morning headlines

Good morning. Austria has extended temporary border controls with Czechia and several other countries for another three months, citing efforts to combat human trafficking and cross-border crime.

On a more practical note for commuters, a new railway timetable came into force on Sunday, bringing seasonal adjustments, updated regional connections, and extra services for summer events. These are Sunday's top headlines.

Austria will extend temporary border controls with Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia for another three months starting Monday. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the measures are intended to combat human trafficking and cross-border crime while protecting Austria’s border regions.

Planned changes: Austria plans to shift from fixed checkpoints to more flexible checks throughout border areas to reduce disruption for commuters. The European Commission has urged Schengen countries to phase out internal border controls, but Austria has maintained them since the 2015 migration crisis.

Czech Television has fined former political host Václav Moravec for allegedly violating a non-compete clause by launching his own online media platform after leaving the public broadcaster in March. The broadcaster has also suspended payments it had agreed to make during the six-month restriction period.

Moving on: Moravec's new subscription service includes a weekly political discussion program similar to the one he hosted on Czech Television for more than two decades. He disputes the validity of the non-compete clause and says he has returned all payments received.

Czech labor inspectors uncovered 2,484 cases of illegal employment in 2025, with about two-thirds involving workers from outside the European Union. The construction, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors accounted for the highest number of violations, according to the State Labour Inspection Office.

Key details: Authorities imposed fines totaling CZK 134 million. Ukrainians, Moldovans, Uzbeks, and Vietnamese made up most non-EU workers found illegally employed, while Czech citizens accounted for about 30 percent of cases.

Two truck drivers died on Saturday after a collision and fire on the D2 highway near Brno. The crash occurred in a construction-related lane narrowing before 4:30 a.m., when one truck reportedly struck concrete barriers and came to a stop across the roadway. The highway was closed in both directions for multiple hours.

Fatal accident: Police said a second truck then crashed into the stranded vehicle, causing both trucks to catch fire. Firefighters confirmed neither vehicle was carrying hazardous materials.

A revised railway timetable takes effect across Czechia on Sunday and will remain in place through Dec. 12. The changes mainly affect regional Czech Railways services, with updated departure times and connections designed to improve transfers and reflect requests from regional authorities.

Summer schedule: The changes include seasonal weekend trains, additional services on some routes, and timetable changes linked to rail modernization projects. Some school-related services will also be adjusted at the end of June, while extra trains will operate for major festivals and sporting events.