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Drug experts in the Czech Republic have a reason to celebrate. For the first time in several years, the number of heavy drug addicts has gone down, according to the latest annual report about the state of drug abuse in the Czech Republic. The consumption of alcohol and tobacco among children under the age of 16 has declined as well. I asked the head of the government’s national Anti-Drug Agency, Jindřich Vobořil, to outline the situation:

It took 33 years for Sparta to end the drought against Southampton but at home at Letná stadium on Thursday the Prague club finally did it. A lone goal in the first half, which went unanswered, means that Sparta has extended its Europa League campaign in the spring.

It’s probably widely accepted these days that all countries spy on each other, even states on their so-called allies. And a book presented in Prague this week about the former East German secret police, the STASI, shows how it was true of the fraternal Communist countries of the former Eastern bloc, including former Czechoslovakia, as well.

A bill aimed at preventing cabinet members from owning media outlets is again in the spotlight. According to a freshly published opinion, the amendment – targeted at ANO’s billionaire boss Andrej Babiš – is unconstitutional. However, the other coalition parties dismiss that argument and are pushing ahead with the legislation.

Massive foreign investment has been a feature of the Czech economy over the last two decades. The upside has been fast modernisation of many companies and their integration in the world economy. The downside though is a major annual outflow of cash, mostly in the form of dividends. The government has now taken stock of the situation and is wondering how to address the problem.

Those who hadn’t heard of Czech climber Adam Ondra before most likely will remember his name now: the 23-year-old this week became the second person in the world to complete a free-ascent of the Dawn Wall, an almost kilometre high mountain face on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in the United States. What’s more, Ondra did so in just eight days, an improvement of 11 on the previous record.

The Czech judiciary is planning to put into practice the concept of a minimum-security prison after the Norwegian model that has attracted international attention. Tailored after the prison on Bastoy Island the facility in Jiřice, northeast of Prague, should resemble a small self-sustaining village where convicts would have the time and space to prepare for their return to a normal life.

A photograph of a skirmish between human rights activists and supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Prague this year has won the top prize in this year’s Czech Press Photo. During the visit in March, organized groups of Chinese supporters clashed with Czech activists, some of them evoking the legacy of the late Václav Havel and his friendship with the Dalai Lama. The winning entry was taken by photojournalist Michal Šula.

Just a few years ago Prague had more casinos than Las Vegas. A restrictive law which came into force last year has seen their numbers dwindle, but it failed to address the problem of gambling, sending compulsive gamblers online and creating a new group of young addicts who have never set foot inside a gaming house. The head of the government’s National Anti-Drug Agency Jindřich Vobořil says the young generation has become the primary target of the gaming industry.

A new documentary film just out takes a Polish angle on the life and works of the celebrated Czech songwriter and signer, Karel Kryl. And it could well be an eye-opener for many Czechs.