Czech news in brief for August 25: Sunday's top headlines

The US Open kicks off on Monday with three Czechs playing on the first day: Barbora Krejčíková, the eighth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion, will face Spanish qualifier Marina Bassols on Court 5; Jiří Lehečka, returning from injury, will play Hungary's Márton Fucsovics on Court 6; and Kateřina Siniaková, the 2022 US Open doubles champion, will face Madison Keys on the Louis Armstrong Court. The remaining seven Czech players competing at the tournament have their first matches on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartoš warned that delaying the digitalization of building permits would cause greater economic damage to the Czech Republic than implementing the system in its current form. The funds for the digitalization process come from the National Recovery Plan, financed by the EU, which requires the system to be launched by the third quarter of 2024. Despite issues since the system's introduction on July 1, Bartoš does not plan to resign.

The Zlatá Pecka music festival kicked off in Chrudim on Sunday with a celebratory mass at the Gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The eighth annual festival, organized by soprano Dagmar Pecková and the Zlatá Pecka association, honors the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth and the Year of Czech Music. Running until Sept. 7, the festival features 17 concerts, three theater performances, and a film screening across eastern Bohemia.

Czech actor Karel Heřmánek passed away at the age of 76 on Saturday. Renowned for his roles in both theater and film, Heřmánek's legacy includes his memorable performance as Lucifer in the classic Czech fairy tale Give the Devil His Due (Z čerty nejsou žerty). In addition to his significant contributions to Czech cinema, Heřmánek also co-founded the influential Theater Bez zábradlí in Prague. His death was confirmed by his family, who requested privacy.

A Czech citizen detained in Zimbabwe earlier this month for allegedly spreading misinformation has been released and left the country. Detained in Masvingo for filming a video about Zimbabwe's poor economic situation, he faced accusations of spreading false information, which could have led to a 20-year sentence. However, a court acquitted him on Friday. Despite the acquittal, he spent one more night in prison before being released and deported on Saturday morning.

Czechia experienced another day of extreme heat on Saturday, with temperature records being set at 76 of the country's 168 weather stations with at least 30 years of data. The highest temperature of 35.1 degrees Celsius was recorded in Strážnice. Other notable records include 34.5 degrees in Doksany, 34.2 degrees in Brod nad Dyjí, and 34 degrees in Tuhani. A cold front is expected to bring cooler temperatures, increased cloud cover, and isolated showers or thunderstorms on Sunday.

Nineteen-year-old Czech tennis player Linda Nosková claimed her first WTA title at the Monterrey Open, defeating New Zealand's Lulu Sun 7-6, 6-4. The sixth-seeded Nosková overcame an early setback, recovering after dropping her serve in the second game. In the opening set, she saved two set points in the tie-break, winning four consecutive points to take the lead. A single break in the second set sealed her victory, which will move her up to a career-high 25th in WTA rankings.

At the Vizovice Trnkobraní festival, a new Czech record for eating plum dumplings was set by Radim Dvořáček from Ostrava, who consumed 228 dumplings in one hour. He surpassed his previous best of 205 dumplings from 2022 but fell short of the festival record of 233 dumplings, held by American Patrick Bertoletti since 2008. The competition, a traditional event at the two-day festival, featured ten participants, including a Canadian competitor named Step Daddy.

The detonation of a World War II aerial bomb found in Záluží has been postponed to Thursday or Friday due to the placement of additional protective sandbags, Czech Police bomb disposal service director Karel Čadil has announced. The bomb, discovered during excavation work, has led to significant disruptions, including a plant shutdown and evacuation of 600 people. Safety measures include creating a "sarcophagus" of sandbags to mitigate damage during detonation.

During a large-scale raid in Prague on Saturday, police detained several foreigners without valid residence permits and discovered a methamphetamine brewery. Over 6,000 people were checked, resulting in 160 fines totaling more than CZK 150,000. Among the arrests was a man who used a laser to distract a police helicopter pilot. Drunk drivers and drug offenders were also caught in the operation, involving over 100 officers.

The Moravian Gallery in Brno will hold an event on Wednesday to support cultural independence and artistic freedom in Slovakia. The event will feature a debate with Alexandra Kusa, former director of the Slovak National Gallery, and messages of solidarity will be collected. Organized by the Moravian Gallery and Open Culture platform, the gathering aims to express Czech solidarity during recent threats to Slovak cultural platforms. The event will include a concert and documentary screening.