Czech news in brief for June 19: Friday's top morning headlines

It’s Friday morning, and a blazing weekend is on the horizon. Hold onto your (sun) hats and your wallets: not all swimming spots are exactly budget-friendly, and not all are equally clean.

Safety is exactly what's on the minds of city officials, as Prague’s new fireworks ordinance bans celebratory explosions across much of the city.

Meanwhile, significant figures from Czech literature and history were celebrated yesterday not with fanfare but with reverent crowds and a "levitating" tombstone. Here's today's headline mix.

Prague representatives approved a new fireworks ordinance during a night meeting, giving city districts the power to ban amateur pyrotechnics entirely on their territory. Twenty of the capital's 57 districts have already enacted a full ban, including Prague 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 15, along with several outer boroughs. The ordinance also shortens the New Year's Eve exemption, restricting amateur fireworks to a window from 5 p.m. Dec. 1 to 2 a.m. on Jan. 1. The new rules take effect 15 days after publication.

Worth noting: Opposition MP Jan Čižinský pushed for a single citywide ban rather than a patchwork of rules, asking why fireworks should be legal on one street and not the next. Councilor Adam Zábranský expects more districts to join gradually rather than all at once.

President Petr Pavel called the presence of American forces in Europe essential for regional security, speaking at a reception marking 250 years of US independence. The remarks came hours after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of America's military footprint in Europe, criticising several NATO members over defence spending and their stance on the war with Iran.

Some context: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed this week that Czechia missed its 2 percent of GDP defence spending target last year, a shortfall Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has blamed on the previous government.

Hundreds gathered at Prague's Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius to mark 84 years since seven Czechoslovak paratroopers died there following the assassination of acting Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich. The paratroopers hid in the church crypt for three weeks before the Gestapo found them, betrayed by fellow paratrooper Karel Čurda. Some fell fighting Nazi forces; others chose suicide rather than capture.

The bigger picture: The assassination of Heydrich, one of the architects of the Holocaust, is considered the greatest act of European domestic resistance in World War II, and helped shape Czechoslovakia's postwar reconstruction.

The Czech team drew with South Africa in the football World Cup match in Atlanta on Thursdsay. Michal Sadilek put Czechia ahead in the sixth minute, finishing off a move from Alexandr Sojka and Adam Hlozek. South Africa equalized through Teboho Mokoena's penalty seven minutes from time, awarded after Pavel Sulc's handball. Czechia next face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, while South Africa take on South Korea.

The number: Mokoena's penalty was South Africa's first World Cup goal in 16 years. Coach Hugo Broos said his side must beat South Korea next to reach the knockout stage.

A new price map of 214 Czech swimming pools shows how wide the gap runs this summer. Aquapalace Praha charges CZK 3,799 for a family of four on weekends, while the natural pool at Vyžlovka, east of Prague near Říčany, charges just CZK 70 for an adult and CZK 40 for a child.

Good to know: With a tropical weekend forecast, Tyršák in Rakovník offers a family day for CZK 210, and Beroun's Tipsport Laguna outdoor pool runs CZK 150 for an adult, CZK 80 for a child.

Kundera laid to rest The urns of writer Milan Kundera and his wife Věra were placed in Brno's Central Cemetery on Thursday, fulfilling his wish to rest in his native city. The couple lie beneath a "levitating" tombstone designed by Austrian architect Johannes Paar.

Finding fireflies Scientists are asking Prague residents to help map the declining greater firefly population through mid-July. Sightings can be logged via the Czech Republic is Looking for Fireflies map or on iNaturalist.

Ah-nold arrives in Prague Arnold Schwarzenegger headlined a private event at Žofín Palace on Thursday, greeting around 800 guests before returning to the airport. Photos with the actor cost an extra CZK 20,000 on top of tickets priced up to CZK 34,990.