Czech Republic

Giant illuminated and inflatable models of the Sun, Moon, Earth and Mars are currently visible outside the Brno Observatory and Planetarium on Kraví Hora until 11 August

Slovakia, Poland and Italy have offered to send fire-fighting planes to help the country contain a large forest fire in a national park; currently 410 firefighters from 83 units are fighting the fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park

The historic carousel from 1890 at Prague's Letná has been reopened after a 16-year renovation; operated by the nearby National Technical Museum, it is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe

The limitations of the European defence industry are due to strict regulations, a lack of raw materials and the inability to apply research results in practice, said Jiří Hynek, representative of the Czech arms industry

According to a survey conducted by In IUSTIA, 76% of disabled people have experienced some form of violence in the last five years and only a fraction of those who have been assaulted have reported to the police

According to this year's report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 23% of 15-34 year olds have tried marijuana at least once, ranking first and on par with the United States

The country ranks first in the percentage of people with higher education in the EU, with around 50% of people aged 25-74 having completed higher education, according to latest Eurostat report

The country will tighten passport controls on refugees and only grant aid to those fleeing war and who have crossed the border into Ukraine, the Ministry of the Interior announced following the influx of Roma people with dual Hungarian-Ukrainian citizensh

Czech Prime Minister Fiala wants to convince his Hungarian counterpart Orbán to change his stance on Russia, as Hungary is among the countries willing to pay for natural gas imports in roubles - a move unacceptable to the Czech Republic

With the entry into force of stricter rules set by the Czech National Bank for real estate loans, it will be even more difficult to buy a house; according to analysts, up to 10% of people who apply for a mortgage will not get it given the new conditions

A new exhibition dedicated to Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik has opened at Prague Castle, the symbol of the Czech capital that Plečnik himself played an important role in rebuilding, marking the 150th anniversary of Plečnik's birth