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With the 50th anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia fast approaching, an exhibition just launched at Prague’s Old Town Hall brings together almost 200 photographs documenting that time. Most belong in private archives and a number are being shown in public for the first time ever.

Three Czech service members were killed in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday by a suicide bomber while conducting a joint foot patrol with U.S. and local soldiers. Hailed as heroes by Czech military brass and politicians, the soldiers were serving in Nato’s “Resolute Support” mission, a non-combat mission training and advising the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.

To promote neo-Nazi ideology is a crime in the Czech Republic. Giving the Seig Heil salute and denying the Holocaust is also forbidden, as is hate speech in general. But to profit from the sale of products featuring the words or images of Adolf Hitler and the like is permitted – if it cannot be proven the seller was looking to propagate hateful ideology.

A priceless Renaissance shield that was looted by the Nazis from Konopiště castle during WW2 is to return to the Czech Republic. Following months of negotiations, its current owner, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has acknowledged Czech ownership of the artefact and agreed to return it to the Czech Republic.

The Czech Telecommunication Office (ČTÚ) is due to begin testing the 5G network in September and plans to auction 700 MHz frequencies in the second half of 2019, in hopes of attacking a fourth mobile operator to increase competition – and reduce rates for individual customers, who pay more on average than other Europeans. In the meantime, a lone campaigner for unlimited data access is waging a daily battle via social media, using humour as a weapon.

The Czech Republic has just seen its hottest day so far this year, with temperatures reaching highs of 37 degrees Celsius in places on Tuesday, and the current heatwave shows no signs of abating. As temperatures soar to mid-30s around the country, the scorching heat continues to affect the lives of individuals as well as business operations.

The saga surrounding the legal case of the bankrupt H-system housing project, which cost over a thousand clients millions of crowns, continues to resonate throughout the country. Many are pointing at the shortcomings of the judicial system and asking the question whether the state should intervene. On Tuesday, the head of the Supreme Court suggested the state should step into the case and compensate the damaged clients.

After the countrywide shock surrounding the gruesome details of a police crackdown on an illegal tiger trade den and the escapes of four feline predators from zoo parks in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a joint effort with the Ministry for the Environment, which aims to propose tougher legislation regarding the ownership and exhibiting of wild animals.

The government in January agreed to double the number of Ukrainians it would allow in as fast-track migrant workers to nearly 20,000 per year, in a bid to help address the chronic labour shortage, which has companies in the export-driven economy struggling to fill orders. According to Czech Chamber of Commerce, the fast-track scheme is a drop in the proverbial bucket – but still paying dividends.

The sixth-annual Czech Ukulele Festival took place this past weekend at Únětice Brewery, bringing musicians and amateurs from across the world to the outskirts of Prague. I dropped in for the second day of the festivities and spoke to some of the performers.