Czech news in brief for June 25: Thursday's top afternoon headlines

The political crisis around the upcoming NATO summit took a turn for the worse today and could deepen even further. The office of President Petr Pavel stated today that it was simple "protocol" for the head of the state to lead the Czech delegation if he's a part of it. But Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, who's facing calls to resign after saying the latest constitutional ruling siding with Pavel was "an attempted coup", said the government would decide on Pavel's "exact role" at the summit.

What's the custom? According to NATO protocol, it is indeed the highest-ranking official of any given state who leads his or her country's delegation. In the Czech constitutional order, this is the president.

What next? The Czech Republic could be on the verge of a serious political crisis, if it's not already there. The NATO summit is less than two weeks away. What can happen during that time is now anyone's guess.

Forests in the Czech Republic are suffering from unprecedented water shortages as record droughts take hold across the country, warned experts from the Institute of Global Change Research at the Czech Academy of Sciences. They noted that forests in southwestern Bohemia and southern Moravia were under particular stress, and that trees in some areas were not even able to grow due to the current weather conditions.

Did you know? Forests occupy a little over one third of the entire territory of the Czech Republic - representing an area of 2.68 million hectares.

The FIFA World Cup adventure of the Czech national team - their first in 20 years - came to an early end after losing to Mexico 0:3 yesterday. With two defeats and one draw, Miroslav Koubek's squad finishes last of Group A and thus has zero chance of advancing to the next round despite the new rules allowing the best third-placed teams to qualify.

Disappointing World Cup. "I have a contract. I never give up anything, I don't run away from a fight," said head coach Miroslav Koubek after the match, admitting that the team's performances were not good but adamant that the potential was there to improve.

Over 20 researchers at Brno's Masaryk University and Olomouc's Palacký University issued a joint statement warning against a blanket ban on children's access to social media. They argue the measure is not an effective solution to the problem and "creates a false sense of security", instead calling for greater responsibility of social media platforms and better media and digital literacy.

The wider context. Like many other countries across Europe, Czechia is debating a possible ban on social media for people under-15. The government also plans to tighten the use of phones in schools from September 2027.

Service on Prague's metro line B was shut down for about two hours this morning between the Smíchovský nádraží and Florence stations and was restored shortly before 7 a.m. Although it was initially reported that this was due to a collision with a commuter, the Prague Transport Company (DPP) later clarified the disruption was caused by a loose cable.