Czech news in brief for October 13: Monday's top afternoon headlines

Czech leaders welcomed the release of 20 Israeli hostages by Hamas, calling it a major step toward peace. President Petr Pavel praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation and efforts by Egypt and Qatar, expressing hope for lasting stability. Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the exchange a “crucial moment” and urged continuation toward lasting peace. The Foreign Ministry hailed the move as a milestone in implementing the peace plan.

Czech President Petr Pavel warned that Russia seeks to “destroy Europe step by step,” calling it a fundamental threat to freedom and democracy during his speech at the Forum 2000 conference in Prague. Pavel said Moscow exploits disinformation and fear to weaken democracies and urged stronger support for independent media and civil society. He also praised the opening of a new Reporters Without Borders office in Prague to combat propaganda.

Violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ people have risen across the EU and Western Balkans since 2019, with intersex and transgender people most affected, according to a 2025 EU Fundamental Rights Agency survey. One-third of intersex respondents reported physical or sexual assault, and 53 percent had considered suicide. Many victims do not report attacks due to mistrust of the police. The report also condemned “conversion practices” as human rights violations.

Former Czech MP Petr Wolf, convicted of subsidy fraud and long in hiding in Paraguay, is returning to Prague, his lawyers said. Wolf, sentenced to six years in prison in 2012, will arrive Monday and be taken to a detention center. His lawyer cited procedural errors and hopes for a retrial. Wolf dropped his asylum bid in Paraguay, where he was arrested last year after years of evading Czech authorities.

British singer and former Police frontman Sting will headline next year’s Metronome Prague festival, organizers announced Monday. He will bring his STING 3.0 World Tour to the Czech capital on June 21, 2026, joining previously announced performer Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Sting, a 17-time Grammy winner, last performed in the country before the pandemic. The festival will move to Prague’s Letňany Airport. Tickets go on sale soon.