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The death has been announced of the veteran anarchist Jakub Polák, regarded as the leading light of the Czechoslovak and later Czech anarchist movement. The founder of numerous anarchist initiatives and long-time editor of the anarchist paper A-kontra, Polák was perhaps best known for his public – and at times unpopular – defence of the Roma community.

Czech authorities believe they have the methanol crisis under control, and they have eased the ban on spirits sales. As of Thursday afternoon, hard liquor produced before 2012 can be sold without restrictions. But the government has also warned that the risk of poisoning is still very high as another two patients with methanol intoxication have been admitted to hospital over the last 24 hours.

President Václav Klaus ‘ speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday placed a strong focus on Syria. But instead of calling for effective action, as some other world leaders had, the Czech president took a more cautious stance, questioning the wisdom of external military interventions.

Famous cartoon characters from Czech Television’s bedtime stories for children called Večerníček have ventured into the cyber world. Thanks to a husband-and-wife IT team Josef Vosyka and his wife Šárka the cartoon characters have expanded far beyond Czech borders not just to entertain, but also to educate.

President Václav Klaus on Monday vetoed a third government bill in September alone, this time the government’s pension reform. The bill introduced a so-called “second pillar” to the pension system which would enable Czechs to send part of their compulsory pension insurance contributions to private accounts as of next year. Above all, Mr Klaus cited concerns over a lack of consensus with the opposition.

The police have made a breakthrough in the investigation of methanol poisonings that have claimed 25 lives in the Czech Republic over the past few weeks. Detectives have arrested two men who they suspect of having produced a deadly mix consisting of methanol and other ingredients which they released into an illegal distribution network. The police said the men did not want to kill anyone but rather made a fatal mistake in producing the mix.

September 28th is St. Wenceslas’ Day or the Day of Czech Statehood and this year it is dedicated to Czechs living abroad. To mark the occasion Czech Radio, Czech Television and the Czech Foreign Ministry are co-hosting a project called “Czechs abroad” which aims to bring more insight into the life of Czechs who have settled abroad and made their mark there while maintaining strong links to their native country. The head of Radio Prague Miroslav Krupička explains the idea behind the project.

The Czech government bowed to pressure from the European Union on Thursday evening, imposing an immediate ban on exports of hard alcohol. The ban came amidst warnings the European Union was planning to impose its own ban on imports of Czech spirits in the wake of a spate of methanol poisoning that’s so far claimed the lives of 23 people.

The Czech authorities continue efforts to restart sales of hard alcohol, with plans to ease the controversial ban on spirits introduced in the wake of the methanol scandal. Lifting the ban won't come soon enough for the nation's bar and restaurant businesses, among them the Black Angel's Cocktail Bar, hidden away in the basement of Prague's U Prince Hotel. When it opened two years ago it was styled as a Prohibition-style bar, offering the decor, atmosphere and authentic cocktails of 1920s America. Ironically, the bar is now struggling with very

Less than a week after sales of hard liquor in the Czech Republic were banned in response to the ongoing methanol crisis, the government has announced plans to ease the partial prohibition. Newly produced liquor, tested for the presence of methanol, should be made available within some two weeks’ time. The Czech authorities are also facing criticism from the European Commission which says they should ban exports of Czech spirits to protect consumers in other EU countries.