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Police have asked the lower house to waive parliamentary immunity in the case of MPs Andrej Babiš, the leader of the ANO party, and his deputy chairman Jaroslav Faltýnek. The police are pursuing an investigation regarding the Stork’s Nest – a recreation centre and hotel complex which belonged to a firm owned by Mr Babiš’ agro-chemical giant, Agrofert. The company received a 50 million crown EU grant for small and medium sized companies in what may have constituted fraud.

Lukáš Houdek is a Czech artist, a leading figure in the Hate Free initiative, and an openly gay campaigner for LGBTQ rights. During Prague Pride week, I asked him how he thinks the Czech Republic fares as a tolerant country:

A plan put forth by the Italian government for rescue organisations operating in the Mediterranean to adhere to a code of conduct when rescuing migrants from Africa has been rejected by a number of NGOs, including the Swiss-based Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres). I spoke with the head of its Czech division, Pavel Gruber, and began by asking him to explain the reasoning behind the decision:

The Czech Republic has filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice against a new European Union directive restricting possession of firearms. The stated aim of the directive is to prevent terrorists gaining weapons easily, but Prague claims it will only hurt responsible arms holders and hunters.

President Zeman’s nomination of Karel Srp to a board overseeing the country’s Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes hit a hurdle on Tuesday. Srp, a former dissident who headed the so-called Jazz Section in communist Czechoslovakia, was rejected by the Senate’s Commission on Election. It stressed that the nominee had been a member of Czechoslovakia’s communist party, which was disqualifying.

Czech javelin thrower Barbora Špotáková has won a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships, taking place in London. The win comes ten years after the athlete’s first gold medal at the very same tournament.

The idea reportedly originated in Denmark where doctors observed health benefits such as improved breathing, regular heartbeat and strong oxygen levels among prematurely-born babies: knitted toy octopuses. Babies observed in neonatal intensive care play with the octopuses the way they would with the umbilical cord if they were still in the womb.

Brigadier General Jaroslav Klemeš, the last Czechoslovak paratrooper flown into Protectorate during World War II, has died. Defence Minister Martin Stropnický confirmed the news in a tweet on Monday, offering his condolences to the war hero, whom he said died peacefully at the age of 95.

Dozens of people gathered around the remains of a rare 16th century wooden church in Třinec-Guty which was ravaged by fire last week for a Sunday mass out in the open. The destruction of the church, for which three youths have been charged with arson, has shocked the nation and plans are already underway to have it restored.

Letná stadium in Prague was packed on Thursday night with fans, most of who were hoping the home team could turn around their fortunes following their 2:0 first-leg qualifying round loss to Belgrade’s Crvena Zvezda. It didn’t happen: Red Star’s Boakye made it an even taller climb for Sparta when he scored in the 19th minute in what turned out to be the lone goal of the game.