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Fifty-four-year old financier, politician and adventurer Pavel Sehnal has become the first Czech to reach both the North and South pole in gruelling Last Degree expeditions. He conquered the South Pole with six other adventurers on January 13 of this year, less than two years after reaching the Arctic.

If President Miloš Zeman suggested he would name a judge chief justice of the Constitutional Court in exchange for making certain judicial decisions, he “may have committed a crime” or been planning one. So says Minister of Justice Jan Kněžínek. While the jury is still out, so to speak, a complaint has already been filed against the president’s chancellor.

The Czech Republic’s annual Muriel Award for the best comic book of the year was given to Svatá Barbora or Saint Barbara, a graphic novel about a highly publicised child-abuse case. The novel, a joint endeavour by writer Marek Šindelka, screenwriter Vojtěch Mašek and illustrator Marek Pokorný, also won the prize for best illustrations.

Czech mountaineer Radek Jaroš is yet another step closer to conquering the highest mountains of each of the seven continents, the so-called Crown of the World. After scaling Aconcagua, the highest point of South America, at the start of this year, along with his colleague Jiří Tůma, there are only two items left on his list of peaks to conquer.

Petra Kvitová has fought through to the final of the Australian Open after beating American Danielle Collins in two sets. She is now set to face Naomi Osaka, who beat Karolína Plíšková in three sets and prevented a Czech-only final.

Czechs are marking twenty years since the death of Jaroslav Foglar, youth movement activist and author of the legendary comics Rapid Arrows. Among the events remembering the famous writer is a performance of his novel Mystery of the Puzzle Box at Prague’s Minor theatre, which has been sold out for weeks. Meanwhile, the Scout Foundation of Jaroslav Foglar, which is in charge of his heritage, is releasing a special, limited edition of his autobiography.

A new amendment has been passed through the lower-house of Parliament which would tax church restitutions. Its author, the Communist Party, says it could save the state CZK 380 million annually. However, the Senate is unlikely to support the bill.

A unique, five-year project is currently underway in the Czech Republic, focusing on the long-term impact of air pollution on people living in the heavily-industrial region of north-east Moravia. Over the course of five years, scientists will be comparing the health data of thousands of people from different regions of the country, focusing on those who are most vulnerable to air pollution.

A special role has been created to regulate the excesses of Prague’s nightlife. Councillors of the Czech capital’s City Hall elected Jan Štern as “night mayor” on Monday. A special commission made up of district and police representatives will help him out. The man in charge says that he first wants to analyse the situation in detail and meet with his counterpart in Amsterdam for inspiration.

The Czech Republic could become the first post-communist country to legalise same sex marriage. An amendment to the country’s Civil Code is set to have its first reading in Parliament this week. While polls show that the majority of the country supports the move, there is also an opposing bill on the table.