Czech news in brief for September 2: Wednesday's top morning headlines

The Justice Ministry wants to close a loophole that's let drunk and drugged offenders dodge murder charges, the fallout from a toddler's death in a Prague park this spring. Coalition partner SPD, meanwhile, is pushing to cut aid to foreigners and NGOs from next year's budget. And Czech gaming studios continue to level up profits. Good morning, here's your daily headline mix.

Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc is finalizing a Criminal Code amendment that would make people fully criminally liable for violent crimes committed while voluntarily drunk or high, closing a gap where "drunkenness" charges (max 10 years) currently substitute for murder charges (up to life) when insanity is self-induced. The change follows the case of three-year-old Viktorka, killed in a Braník park in March; her father, high on methamphetamine at the time, is charged with drunkenness rather than murder. The ministry plans to introduce the amendment this fall.

The bigger push: This is one piece of a broader crackdown the ministry is pursuing alongside stricter rules on drunk driving, alimony non-payment, and animal cruelty, though opposition lawmakers argue Czech prisons are already overcrowded.

SPD leader Tomio Okamura wants next year's state budget deficit trimmed by ending all benefits to foreigners, including Ukrainian refugees, and cutting nonprofit funding. The junior coalition party says it was blindsided by Finance Minister Alena Schillerová's proposed CZK 389 billion deficit and will press its demands at Monday's coalition talks.

Coalition friction: Schillerová insists only a few billion crowns in savings are realistic, not the tens SPD wants, and has warned against cutting investment projects to hit a lower headline number.

The Supreme Court rejected Prague's appeal after the city company Trade Centre Praha terminated a riverside lease with the Dvojka sobě association over an unauthorized café sublet; lower courts found the city had effectively consented to the arrangement. TCP says it still believes it acted correctly, and eviction proceedings continue.

Worth noting: This isn't over, TCP hasn't formally received the ruling yet and says it's still weighing its next move.

This summer came in as the second-warmest on record in Czechia, just a tenth of a degree behind 2019, but broke records anyway: a new national high of 41.9°C on June 28, five days above 40°C (versus just three such days in the previous 64 years combined), and a record 35 tropical nights. July brought only 57 percent of normal rainfall.

Why it matters: Central Europe is warming faster than the global average, and this summer's numbers bear that out: five days above 40°C, where the region saw just three in the prior six decades combined. Water shortages and heat advisories are likely to become more routine, not less.

The European Commission designated all three as "very large online platforms" under the Digital Services Act, meaning they exceed 45 million monthly EU users and now face stricter risk-assessment and content-moderation obligations by the end of November. ChatGPT alone reported over 159 million EU users.

Worth watching: The DSA list has grown to nearly three dozen platforms since 2024; expect more additions as the Commission keeps monitoring usage thresholds.

Czech game studios keep leveling up. The industry posted over CZK 9 billion in turnover for a second straight year, led by Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developer Warhorse Studios. The sector now employs over 3,000 people across 178 studios, more than half based in Prague.

Mask off in Prague: German DJ Boris Brejcha brings his "Reflections" tour, and his signature carnival mask, to the O2 Arena on Oct. 2. Tickets are live on Ticketmaster and Ticketportal.

A 46-year wait ends: A tram ran along the National Museum toward Wenceslas Square for the first time since the line was closed decades ago, as crews tested the reconstructed track. Regular service returns Saturday.