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The Constitutional Court has thrown out treason charges against former President Václav Klaus, saying there were no grounds to consider the case chiefly because he is no longer president. The decision to ask the Court to impeach Mr Klaus for treason in his final days in office cast a shadow on his presidency, and highlighted the deep divisions in Czech society.

The Prague City Council has approved a revitalization plan for the capital’s Old Town Square that includes the installation of a replica of a Marian column that stood on the square for over 250 years until it was torn down in 1918. Many consider the column a symbol of oppression, but its supporters, who have campaigned for its return for over 20 years, have found a strong ally in the current mayor.

When a smart card system was introduced in Prague in the mid 2000s to serve for public transport and other amenities, it may have seemed like one more step in the city’s transformation into a modern metropolis. However, more or less from the off the Opencard has been dogged by controversy and allegations of corruption. Now, in the latest, murky twist, almost the entire city council are facing criminal charges in connection with the system.

The Václav Havel award for human rights has been established in Prague in memory of the late Czech president, dissident playwright and human rights advocate. The prize, which will reward activities in defence of human rights around the world, will be first handed out this autumn by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe along with the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation.

A three-day emergency drill has begun at the Dukovany nuclear power plant in southern Moravia – testing the readiness of employees and making sure emergency procedures in place are properly followed. The drill is one of the biggest in recent memory.

While their 22 percent showing in the last parliamentary elections was enough to put the Civic Democrats at the head of a coalition government, it was still their worst result ever. Today things look even grimmer for the long-term dominant force on the Czech right, with one recent poll suggesting their support stands at a meagre 9 percent. With parliamentary, Senate, European and local elections all due next year, Petr Nečas’s party are now trying to fight back, on Monday launching a policy document targeting small business people. But can the Civic

Police have reported the discovery of one of the biggest hoards of silver coins unearthed on the territory of the Czech Republic. Two years ago a treasure hunter in Moravia came upon the find of his life: a jug containing thousands of silver coins minted between the 15th and 17th centuries. He failed to report the find, selling most of it to a collector and only part of it has now been retrieved.

Recent scandals involving food products sold in Czech supermarkets are making some consumers in this country quite nervous. The growing food-related controversies may not be enough to change their mind about choosing price over quality.

President Miloš Zeman made his first appearance at a meeting of the centre-right cabinet on Wednesday. The debate, which was seen as a litmus test of future cooperation between the left-oriented president and the right-oriented government, went off surprisingly well.

There are now many guidebooks on how to achieve career success in your chosen profession, most of them crammed with tips on how to dress, how to behave, and how to get promoted. A new book out by Linda Štucbartová called Ambassadors Without Diplomatic Passports is different. The author lets successful Czechs give their own advice on what to do, what to expect and what to avoid in their given field, be they career diplomats or people from other walks of life.