Czech news in brief for June 21: Sunday's top morning headlines

It’s Sunday morning in Czechia, and the country is dealing with the aftermath of intense heat and widespread storms that brought record temperatures, flooding and hundreds of emergency callouts across the country.

Firefighters responded to hundreds of weather-related incidents as strong thunderstorms swept through regions, while today brings a mix of lingering heat and the continued risk of further storms and heavy rain.

These are your Sunday morning headlines.

Severe storms brought flooding, fallen trees and damaged buildings across several regions of Czechia on Saturday, prompting firefighters to respond to 705 incidents by Sunday morning. Central Bohemia recorded the highest number of emergency callouts. Isolated storms are expected again on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency response: Firefighters mainly cleared fallen trees and pumped water from flooded areas. They also rescued people stranded in a flooded garden gazebo, secured a damaged roof in Červený Kostelec and responded to flooded roads and underpasses.

A survey by agency NMS shows Prague residents feel most comfortable in parks, gardens and near reservoirs, while large transport hubs such as Anděl, Florenc and the main train station are among the least pleasant places in the city.

Key findings: Housing affordability and car traffic are the most pressing issues for residents, with satisfaction levels far below importance. While green spaces and riverside areas are highly valued, opinions on the city centre vary depending on crowding and commercialisation.

MotoGP rider Marco Bezzecchi was disqualified from the Brno Grand Prix after pushing and striking a track marshal during Saturday’s sprint race, prompting officials to exclude him from Sunday’s main event. The incident occurred after Bezzecchi’s crash when he reacted as a marshal attempted to lift his bike.

Under fire: The stewards found Bezzecchi’s actions violated Article 3.3.2.2 of the sporting code, describing conduct “prejudicial to the interests of the sport.” Video of the incident quickly spread across social media.

Czechia’s health insurance system is set to increase spending to CZK 607 billion next year, up CZK 36 billion year-on-year, as the Health Ministry prepares a new reimbursement decree aimed at balancing revenues and expenditures, according to officials.

Health plans: The system is expected to remain in a CZK 15-billion deficit this year despite a CZK 24 billion state injection. Negotiations with key care providers remain unresolved, particularly in long-term and hospital care, which account for the majority of spending and are under pressure from an ageing population.

Temperature records were broken at 59 of Czechia's 171 long-term weather stations on Saturday as an intense heatwave pushed temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius in several parts of the country, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. High temperatures will continue throughout the country on Sunday.

How hot: The highest temperature, 36 degrees, was recorded in Šternberk, while several stations exceeded previous daily or even June records. Strážnice reached 35.4 degrees, and absolute June highs were also set at Labská Bouda and Žamberk.