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A Slovak court has cleared the Czech finance minister and leader of the second strongest party in government Andrej Babiš of having knowingly served as an agent in the communist-era secret police. The verdict met with relief from the minister’s coalition partners but has left many of his critics unconvinced.

One of the Czech Republic’s iconic landmarks will be handed back to the Roman Catholic Church following a decision by the country’s custodian of historic buildings and sites, the National Heritage Institute. The decision forms part of the settlement with religious institutions following the confiscation of most of their property by the former Communist regime. Decisions about other significant sites are also pending.

The ice hockey club Lev Praha has shocked fans – and players – by announcing it will most likely withdraw from the Kontinental Hockey League next season. Owners of the Prague club, which reached the finals of the Russian-centred league this year, say they have not been able to secure a budget for next season.

Two Czech parties, the Greens and the Pirates, contesting an artificial five-percent threshold which recently prevented them from winning mandates to the European Parliament, have new wind in their sails. On Tuesday, the country’s Supreme Administrative Court agreed the barrier was unconstitutional and asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the matter. At stake are two possible mandates or at least a change in the rules the next time around.

Tribute has been paid to the great Czech industrialist Emil Kolben, with the unveiling of a plaque at his former Prague home on Wednesday morning. Kolben, who died in the Holocaust, co-founded one of the country’s most important electrical engineering companies – and today a street and metro station in the capital bear his name.

Drivers can be almost guaranteed a bumpy ride and delays on the country’s busiest stretch of motorway between Prague and Brno. Much of motorway is already in a poor state and modernization work on a few selected stretches have caused long queues. Now a debate has reopened over whether the Road and Motorway Agency is going about the reconstruction in the right way.

Preparations are well underway for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which gets underway in the Western Bohemian spa town at the end of next week. On Tuesday the organisers revealed this year’s star guests, including Oscar winning actor-director Mel Gibson – who will receive a Crystal Globe for lifetime achievement – and actresses Laura Dern and Fanny Ardant. Soon after the announcement I discussed this year’s visitors with artistic director Karel Och. But I began by asking him to characterise the main competition at the 49th Karlovy

At the weekend, Czech Social Democrat Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met for talks with other European socialist leaders including French President Francois Hollande and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. Afterwards, Mr Sobotka announced that the Czech Social Democrats would be backing the candidacy of Jean-Claude Juncker as the next head of the European Commission. Europe-wide, socialists finished second in May’s parliamentary election: they will expect something in return for supporting Juncker as the next EC president.

Nearly 19 percent of students at Czech secondary schools have this year failed their final examinations. That’s the worst fail rate since unified tests were reintroduced four years ago. The Education Ministry says too many students are taking the exams – but some experts believe they might just be too difficult.

Police are investigating the shocking death of a pregnant woman shortly after a routine test at a clinic in the eastern town of Orlová on Wednesday. The woman, who was 32, appears to have died after being given disinfectant instead of a glucose drink.