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Despite the latest UN report on climate change, which warns that global warming will be far greater than expected, surveys suggest Czechs don’t feel personally responsible for the problem. But, as Czech Radio reported on Tuesday, the Czech Republic is in fact the fifth biggest polluter in Europe and the 20th in the world in terms of CO2 emissions.

Monday is the 30th anniversary of the first demonstration ever permitted by Czechoslovakia’s Communists. But why did the regime allow their enemies like Václav Havel to speak publicly on December 10, 1988? And what did it mean for dissidents themselves?

The famous automobile manufacturer Škoda Auto presented its newest model at a special unveiling in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The hatchback, which is called Scala, is expected to cost around USD 15,000 and will enter the market in April next year. Škoda hopes to sell 10,000 models in the Czech Republic alone.

Even before the police have concluded an investigation into the Stork’s Nest Affair, in which the prime minister is suspected of EU subsidy fraud, another member of his cabinet has been hit by scandal. The minister for regional development, Klára Dostálová, from the prime minister’s ANO party, appears to be a key suspect in a police investigation into the state agency CzechTourism.

NATO foreign ministers concluded two days of talks in Brussels on Wednesday focussing on issues such as the INF Treaty, the crisis in the Sea of Azov, stability in the Western Balkans and Afghanistan. The Czech Republic was represented by Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček.

It is generally still easier in the Czech Republic than elsewhere in the EU to hide crucial parts of corporate structures – including the ultimate beneficial owners of a business – from public scrutiny. While registering a business in a non-transparent tax haven is one way for owners to hide their identities, a growing number are taking a more brazen route: paying so-called “white horses” – often homeless people – to act as frontmen.

This Wednesday, December 5th, Czech children eagerly await the visit of the bearded St. Nicholas and his two companions – an angel and a devil. The much treasured tradition has been going strong for centuries and is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

The National Centre for Combatting Organized Crime issued its annual report on Wednesday highlighting potential security risks to the country. It reported a growing number of sham marriages, particularly with citizens of Turkey, and warned of “uncontrolled numbers of people practicing Islam entering the country”.

The latest annual report of Czech counter-intelligence service BIS has outlined a series of threats to national security in what analysts say is unusually direct, rather undiplomatic language. In particular, BIS points to efforts by Russian and Chinese spies and other actors in terms of spreading disinformation in a bid to sway public opinion, and engaging in economic espionage.

Locals in a protected villa district in Prague’s Vinohrady were shocked as one of the houses, an art deco building from 1921, started being torn down on Friday. The local mayor immediately halted the demolition and is pursuing legal measures to protect the villa.