Czech news in brief for September 3: Thursday's top morning headlines

President Pavel told CNN Wednesday that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine achieved the opposite of its goal, uniting NATO rather than fracturing it. Meanwhile, the EU is weighing tighter limits on Ukrainian refugee protections, a policy shift Czechia says it hasn't ruled out, and VW plant closures could hit Czech suppliers. Good morning, here's your headline mix.

In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, President Pavel argued that Russia's war in Ukraine has left NATO more unified, more committed to territorial defense, and more willing to raise defense spending than before the invasion. Pavel also addressed Russia's presence at this week's G20 finance ministers' meeting, saying normalization is premature absent a ceasefire.

Context: Germany's Tuesday accusation that Moscow was behind last month's hybrid attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport lends weight to Pavel's characterization of Russia's shift toward indirect, deniable operations against NATO states.

The EU stopped granting protection to Ukrainian men of fighting age in August. Denmark, exempt from EU asylum rules, has gone further, designating 14 Ukrainian regions as safe and cutting protection for residents from those areas. Czech Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar says a similar measure "cannot be ruled out" domestically.

Stakes: Czechia hosts 36 Ukrainian refugees per 1,000 residents, the highest ratio in the EU. Any EU-wide safe-zone policy would require unanimous member-state agreement, so this remains a signal rather than a settled outcome.

Volkswagen's supervisory board meets Friday to consider closing four German plants between 2031 and 2034. Škoda itself isn't directly exposed, but analysts say Czech suppliers feeding VW's German lines are already reporting reduced orders.

Analysis: Czech plants are currently VW's most profitable operations, which analysts cite as the strongest protection against near-term cuts landing here.

Prague opened registration Wednesday for its latest municipal e-auction round, including a 110-square-meter unit on Malostranské náměstí with a terrace overlooking the Vrtbovská Garden. Comparable units have historically rented well below market rate through this system.

Eligibility: Bidders must not own residential property. The auction runs Sept. 24 with a 300-crown minimum bid.

Food inspectors pulled Nature's Promise BIO baby rice porridge (strawberry-raspberry, batch LOT 50426) from Albert shelves after finding aflatoxin B1 at seven times the legal limit in a Brno store sample. The porridge, intended for children over 12 months, was supplied by Prague-based King Food Bohemia.

Have it at home? Households with this batch number should discard it; aflatoxin B1 is a recognized carcinogen, and the recall is limited to this lot.

Phone zombies beware. Prague's rebuilt Muzeum tram line reopens Saturday with light strips that flash when a tram approaches, aimed at pedestrians glued to their phones. Officials say the pilot won't expand to Wenceslas Square.

Low water reveals hidden Hell's Gate. Drought has dropped the Orlík reservoir to a historic low, exposing the long-submerged rapids of Moravec's Hell and a cave that sheltered WWII resistance fighter Miloš Blažek for nine months. Post-war explorers also found centuries-old pottery shards there, now held at a museum in Písek.

Travel alert. Thailand is cutting visa-free stays for Czechs and 59 other countries from 60 days to 30, effective Sept. 15. Travelers can request one extension at an immigration officer's discretion.