Czech news in brief for June 18: Thursday's top afternoon headlines

Good afternoon, the Czech national football squad is playing against South Africa in their second World Cup game in Atlanta today. Both teams desperately need a win after their respective losses last week, and a second defeat could very well mean the end of the adventure.

[We went to publication before the game starts at 6 pm CET, but the outcome might already have been decided if you're reading this in the evening.]

Now to the main news.

The European Union's anti-fraud office (OLAF) has started to look into Czech Prime Minister's Andrej Babiš's possible conflict of interest in relation to the unblocking of subsidies for his giant Agrofert conglomerate. "We can confirm that we are currently dealing with this matter. We cannot provide any further comment at this stage," a spokesperson for OLAF told Seznam Zpravy.

A bit more context. Babiš transferred his ownership of Agrofert into a trust fund since he came back to power last year, claiming this put the matter to rest. Hundreds of millions of crowns worth of subsidies have since been unblocked for the conglomerate by Czech state authorities, with critics saying this was a flagrant conflict of interest and arguing Babiš still had a clear financial interest in Agrofert despite the apparent transfer of shares.

Not the first time. Headed by former Czech prosecutor Petr Klement since February, the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF was also in charge of the investigation into the notorious Stork's Nest case - from which Babiš has gained immunity since regaining power.

About four-fifths of Czechs feel stress and anxiety when traveling by plane on vacation, according to a new poll by Lagardére Travel Retail. About half are stressed from the trip and time pressure before the departure, a quarter are worried about the flight itself, and 13 percent about both. Just about 18 lucky percent say they feel no stress whatsoever about air travel.

No stress. High prices, possible flight disruptions, scorching temperatures... This holiday season could very well be as stressful as ever for those prone to airport anxiety. Sensing a niche there, Lagardére Travel Retail is sending a team, from June 22 to July 5, to Prague airport's terminal 2 to help passengers unwind and lift their spirits. They also have a dedicated Instagram profile.

Hundreds of people gathered in Prague at the Cathedral Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius to pay homage to the seven Czechoslovak paratroopers who successfully carried out the assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich during World War II and who died exactly 84 years ago today.

To go further. A couple of weeks ago, the BBC's Prague correspondent Rob Cameron mapped out all the key Prague locations involved in Operation Anthropoid, unpacking the role they played in one of WWII's greatest acts of resistance. Read about it here.

An exclusive survey by the NMS Agency for Novinky.cz asked Prague residents to rate the city's current and past mayors on a scale of 1 (best grade) to 5 (worst). They all received an average and mediocre grade of around 3.5, with the current mayor Bohuslav Svoboda getting the worst ranking of all. The top place went to Tomáš Hudeček, who led the capital city between 2013 and 2014.

The bottom line is, "regardless of political affiliation, it seems that the leadership in the capital is failing to meet voters' expectations," summed up the authors of the study. The next municipal election in Prague and across Czechia will be held on October 9-10.

The Czech crown jewels will once more be exhibited at the Prague Castle and accessible to the public, for free, between September 18-28, the presidential office announced. Part of the exhibition Habsburg 500, the display will guide visitors through the journey of the Czech crown jewels from the accession of Ferdinand I in the mid-16th century to the end of the 18th century.

Growing interest. President Petr Pavel started opening up the crown jewels to the public two years ago and continued in 2025, when more than 50,000 visitors came, including schools from all over the country.