News in brief for Sept. 7: Top headlines for Czechia on Thursday

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman he lived with after police found her remains in the Slapy Reservoir, according to a press release. The suspect is facing up to 20 years in prison. The police believe the motive for the murder was money, as a sum of CZK 1.5 million disappeared from the victim's account after her death.

The case was initially investigated by the first police district and later taken over by the homicide department. The police used dogs to help locate the woman's body, which had been cut up and thrown into the reservoir. Four service dogs in the Czech Republic are trained to search for human remains underwater, according to Police spokesman Jan Daněk.

The weekend will see temperatures reaching and exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in some places, with no rain expected. The tropical weather is expected to continue into next week, with a slight cooling and possible showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday, when temperatures will drop to 22 to 26 degrees Celsius.

High temperatures and summer weather are expected to continue in the coming days, with tropic-like conditions arriving this weekend, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute announced. On Friday, the sky will be clear throughout Czechia with temperatures ranging from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping to 13 to 9 degrees Celsius at night.

Renata Kellnerová topped the list of the 99 richest Czechs and Slovaks in 2023, released by financial publication E15, with a fortune of CZK 361 billion. She became the administrator of her husband Petr Kellner's estate after his death in a plane crash in the U.S. on March 27, 2021.

Daniel Křetínský, the owner of Energy and Industrial Holding, came in second with CZK 330 billion, followed by Karel Komárek, the owner of the KKCG financial group, with CZK 210 billion, and real-estate tycoon Radovan Vítek, with a worth of CZK 151 billion.

The National Budget Council announced that without intervention in the expenditure side of the state budget, it will not be possible to meet the planned deficit of CZK 295 billion this year. The council also highlighted that the draft state budget for next year and the following years is unsustainable in the medium term, calling for the continuation of the consolidation of public finances.

The total balance of the budget will depend on income from extraordinary energy measures and compensation to people and companies, which are expected to be negative.

Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer supports the temporary restoration of border controls with the Czech Republic and Poland to address illegal migration. Kretschmer suggests German police should be able to stop migrants at the border and deport them to Poland. He also wants Germany to help secure the border with Belarus, from where refugees are entering Europe.

Kretschmer's party colleague Friedrich Merz also calls for restoring border controls similar to those in Austria. Meanwhile, the German federal government was in favor of closer cooperation with Czech and Polish police and easier deportations as a solution.

Czech tennis player Markéta Vondroušová was eliminated in the US Open quarterfinals after losing to Madison Keys in straight sets. During the match, play was halted when a spectator in the stands collapsed from an earlier medical issue. Vondroušová said seeing the fan foaming at the mouth was "really very strange and scary" and it shook her up, which may have impacted her start to the match.

While she acknowledged her opponent played well, Vondroušová still viewed her quarterfinal appearance positively. Her coach also praised her successful summer season in America, highlighting the improvements she's made both on and off the tennis court.

Prague Airport can now proceed with signing the contract with Uber for the taxi service, as administrative proceedings at the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition have been halted. The company Tick Tack had challenged the terms of the tender but withdrew from the concession proceedings, losing the right to contest.

The decision is final, and Prague Airport is preparing to start the new taxi service as quickly as possible. The tender's conditions include setting the final price before each trip, maintaining a fleet of cars no older than three years, and ensuring driver behavior and safety.

Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO opposition movement, said in an interview on Wednesday with Impuls Radio that he would not run for president again, but that the results of the presidential election represented a positive outcome for the ANO movement.

Babiš said that his political future was in the hands of the voters. He criticized President Petr Pavel for not vetoing a pension law that according to Babiš resulted in pensioners receiving less money instead of helping them.

Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek has filed a competence lawsuit against Interior Minister Vít Rakušan to clarify a law concerning powers, according to Justice Ministry spokesman Vladimir Řepka. The dispute stems from a case involving a police officer seeking additional pay for standby time. The lawsuit will be assessed by the special competence panel of the Supreme Administrative Court.

Blažek argues that the law does not clearly define who has the power to decide on service matters in cases of transfers between security forces. Both ministers want an independent body to resolve the dispute.

Construction production in the Czech Republic declined in July due to a low number of orders caused by investor uncertainty about the profitability of new projects, a report from the Czech Statistical Office shows. High mortgages, inflation, labor shortages, and rising construction costs are also making construction more expensive, leading to reduced demand.

The decline in production was 2.1 percent year on year and 3.8 percent month on month. The main obstacle to further construction is long-term high mortgage loans. Analysts predict that the situation may not improve until 2024 when a new construction law is expected to be implemented.

Police are investigating a case of F1 and F3 race cars being driven on the Prague Circuit after a video of the incident was shared on social media, prompting the search for witnesses. These types of vehicles are not permitted on the road without special permission. The video shows a race that took place through the Komořanský tunnel and around the village of Jesenice.

The police are working to identify the driver and the location of the video. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police as race cars, including F1 and F3 vehicles, do not comply with road regulations.