Morning headlines: Czech Republic welcomes July holidays with strong storms

Today is the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the Czech Republic, one of two consecutive summer holidays in the country preceding Jan Hus Day on July 6. Cyril and Methodius were Greek brothers who brought Christianity to areas of what is now the Czech Republic in 863 AD. Read more about the holiday here.

This year's Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius welcomes the full return of an annual pilgrimage to Velehrad, the largest basilica in the Czech Republic, following two years of pandemic restrictions. While July 5 and July 6 are public holidays in the Czech Republic, they are not among the dates that larger stores in the country must be closed.

Following strong storms throughout much of the Czech Republic last night, the Czech Meteorological Institute has extended a warning for more storms throughout much of the country on today's national holiday. The warning is valid for areas in Moravia, Silesia, and eastern portions of Bohemia.

"Very strong thunderstorms are expected, with short-term rain totals of around 50 mm," the Institute writes on social media. Due to previous storms and increased water levels, flooding is also a risk in smaller streams in affected areas. The warning is valid through 8:00 p.m. tonight.

One Czech citizen has been confirmed to have been killed in yesterday's glacier collapse in Italy's Dolemite mountains and another Czech citizen is still missing, Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lenka Do told journalists this morning. According to previous information shared by Italian media, searchers are still looking for thirteen people in the area.

"We can confirm the death of a Czech citizen in connection with the accident on Marmolada. At the same time, we are missing another Czech citizen," Do stated. The Czech Foreign Ministry has confirmed that about two dozen other Czech tourists in the area are safe, according to the spokesperson.

Czech tennis star Marie Bouzková has advanced to the quarterfinals of this year's Wimbledon tennis tournament in London. The unseeded Bouzková will face off against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, the number three seed in the tournament, on Center Court at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.

Bouzková is the final Czech representative remaining in this year's Wimbledon tournament. "I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream," she told reporters after defeating France's Caroline Garcia to make the quarterfinals. "On the court you need to maintain full concentration. Don't take the specialness of the moment too much. I play tennis for joy. I'm glad that I got a little further. I can be proud, but I have another match waiting for me. Let's move on."

The Killing of a Journalist, a new documentary about the 2018 murder of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, will have its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival today. Ján Kuciak's parents will also be present at today's screening.

Kuciak's murder-for-hire has been linked to Slovak businessman Marian Kočner, whose acquittal was overturned last year. The case led to a political crisis in Slovakia that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico. The new documentary is a co-production between the Czech Republic, Denmark, and the United States, under the direction of American Matt Sarnecki.