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Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral has gotten a new group of statues depicting the saints Vojtěch, Radim and Radla. The idea for the statues goes all the way back to 1936. In 1947, a plaster version was installed. But the work was removed a year later when the Communists assumed power in Czechoslovakia.

The biggest Czech steelmaker and its home city of Ostrava are concerned they could be hit by a major ownership upheaval in the European steelmaking sector. And the Czech government is keeping close tabs on talks surrounding the fate of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.

The Prague Institute of Planning and Development has unveiled the new Metropolitan Plan for the Czech capital that should come into effect in the year 2023. Among other things, the new strategic plan introduces building height regulation and attempts to prevent the city from sprawling into the surrounding countryside.

Representatives from ANO and the Social Democratic Party met on Monday to discuss the possibility of renewing talks on forming a viable government. The prime minister in resignation Andrej Babiš is pushing for a minority government between ANO and the Social Democrats; the question is whether ANO made the latter an offer they could accept this time.

The air strikes against military targets in Syria carried out by US, UK and France in the wake of a recent chemical attack on civilians in the Syrian city of Douma have divided the Czech political scene. While the government endorsed the attack, the president and some opposition parties denounced it as aggressive and unacceptable.

The leadership of the ANO party have announced that they will try to renew government negotiations with the Social Democrats. The decision is the latest turn in the nearly six-month saga to form a government following October elections which ANO won convincingly but fell short of an overall majority.

Poldi’s famous steelworks on the outskirts of Prague has been auctioned off to a foreign buyer. The move has sparked hopes amid continuing uncertainty what its future could be.

A team of Czech and US scientists have discovered a new method to fight cancer by blocking the access of a key nutrient, in this case an amino acid called glutamine, to cancer cells. This stops the cells from growing and they eventually die. Thanks to the promising results they have received funding of 40 million dollars for further clinical development.

The newly-appointed Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini held talks with Czech top officials in Prague on Wednesday on what was his first foreign trip since taking office. Twenty-five years after splitting up, the two neighbor states are cooperating closely to defend their national interests and boost their position in the EU.

A new directive was announced by the European Commission on Wednesday which spells the end of dual quality in numerous international brand foods and other products across different EU countries. The quality of ingredients in some brand name items was for years inferior in parts of the former communist bloc. Prague and other newer EU members have long pressed for legislation threatening companies continuing the practice with stiff fines.