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Immense moral satisfaction. That’s the reaction from human rights activists after the Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court ordered the police to reopen their investigation into the exploitation of hundreds of foreign workers. Police not once but twice swept the case under the carpet in spite of the weighty dossier of proof against the agencies accused of involvement in modern day slavery.

Communist Party MP Marta Semelová, who shocked many with her comments on the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and the judicial murder of Milada Horáková in the 1950s, will not have to apologize for her words. A Prague district court dismissed the case against her on Wednesday, saying that the complaint was legally unsubstantiated.

While the number of female university graduates has been increasing in recent years, the number of women involved in scientific research has been going down. In fact, in 2014, it reached its lowest level since 2001, a little over 27 percent, according to the annual report of the National Contact Centre for Gender and Science.

Hackers reportedly targeted Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka’s private e-mails, hacking his address and publishing correspondence online. Police are investigating the incident.

The Czech Philharmonic commemorated its 120 anniversary on Monday by recreating its famous first concert of January 4, 1896, featuring the music of the great Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Then, Dvořák himself conducted; 120 years later it was the acclaimed Jiří Bělohlávek.

With the onset of winter conditions for migrants have severely worsened. Greece was the fifth country to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism asking EU member states for humanitarian aid to help deal with the influx of refugees to its shores. Among the countries to respond to the request is the Czech Republic which is sending relief aid to the tune of 4.2 million crowns.

The Czech economy was one of the fastest growing in Europe last year and, while it might catch a breath in 2016, wealth creation should still be strong. One of the major questions for both exporters and those targeting the domestic market is whether the central bank’s low crown policy will be cut short or prolonged.

The tributes have flowed in from across the European footballing world after the shock news that former Czech and Newcastle goalkeeper Pavel Srníček died on Tuesday at the age of 47. Srníček was capped for his country 49 times from the mid 1990s to 2002 but was best known for his role between the posts for his beloved Newcastle United.

On January 1st, the Brdy military training area, a vast more than 35,000 hectare stretch of land between Prague and Plzeň, is to formally become a nature reserve after spending decades as an off-limits military training area. I spoke with Vojtěch Kotecký of the Glopolis think tank, and began by asking him to explain the story behind this transformation:

A new law due to come in force next year will enable car owners to order personalized license plates for the price of 10,000 crowns. Custom license plate numbers will be issued on a first come, first served basis and there will be a number of restrictions.