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A Brno court on Tuesday sentenced a former police officer to three and a half years in prison for a brutal assault on a Vietnamese national which took place in January 2009. The man later died of serious internal injuries. The court also handed a two-and-a- half year sentence to the victim’s flatmate for participating in the attack. Two other policemen, who were standing by but did not interfere, landed conditional sentences.

This Thursday will see the launch of the 13th annual Collectors’ Fair in Prague’s Letňany, the largest such event in Central and Eastern Europe. Over three days an estimated 12,000 visitors will be able to view exhibits and items from traditional coins and stamps to objects more curious, such as the largest collection of air sickness bags or a new comic book stamp to be issued by Czech Post.

It’s the end of an era for the Czech fashion manufacturer and retailer OP Prostějov. As of September 1st the company that ruled the roost of the Czech fashion business has had to close the door on its readymade wear production, and is hoping to survive as a select producer of tailor-made clothing.

In the wild there are reportedly only around 5,000 Komodo dragons left, found in eastern Indonesia. But Prague Zoo has enjoyed continued success in breeding the endangered lizard in captivity. Over the last few days, the zoo saw the successful hatching of 20 new specimens, the offspring of a female known as Aranka. What’s more, viewers were able to watch the entire hatching process online. Radio Prague’s Jan Velinger spoke to the zoo’s spokeswoman Jana Ptačinská-Jirátová, who told me more about the successful hatchings:

The Slovak capital Bratislava on Monday experienced one of the worst cases of violence in years when a lone gunman went on a rampage killing 8 people and injuring 15 others before turning the weapon on himself. One of the injured is a 30-year-old Czech national who is reported to be in serious condition.

A court in Brno did not find enough evidence on Tuesday to convict a man dubbed “the King of Poachers”. The man, who had more than 1,300 hunting trophies in his home, claimed he inherited them. The verdict has upset Czech hunters who say that under the current Czech law, it’s extremely difficult to convict poachers even if they are caught red-handed.

The country’s transport minister, Vít Bárta, has set off new debate over how to clamp down on dangerous drivers: the idea – floated at the weekend – is that speeding fines in the Czech Republic could be pegged to motorists’ personal wealth, similar to systems in currently in place in Finland or Switzerland. The threat of high fines would theoretically lead owners of powerful luxury cars - who currently ignore speed limits - to think twice.

A very undiplomatic spat has blown up between Prague and Paris. The fuse was lit by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg who said that France’s ongoing expulsion of Roma, or gypsies, from camps across the country smacked of racism.

In just a few months, the Czech Environment Ministry has gotten rid of a number of officials who had in the past worked for environmental NGOs. The new minister, Civic Democrat Pavel Drobil, who was initially honed for the post of industry and trade minister, said he wanted to steer the ministry away from ideology. But environmental activists are concerned about the consequences of the swipe.

Abuse of MPs expenses is an ongoing problem on the Czech political scene –and occasionally politicians pay a high price for the malpractice. On Thursday, former environment minister Libor Ambrozek admitted he had for years abused the expenses he received as an MP, using them to help finance his new family home. Mr. Ambrozek, who was running for the post vice-governor of the South Moravian region, fully admitted his guilt and withdrew his candidacy. Last year, the acting head of the Social Democrats Bohuslav Sobotka was embroiled in a similar scandal.