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The Czech minister of foreign affairs, Lubomír Zaorálek, has called on UK prosecutors to reconsider a court ruling that cleared a British man of killing a Czech national living in the country. Mr. Zaorálek says he has major doubts over the verdict and has raised the matter with British officials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the heads of government of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Berlin on Monday to mark a quarter of a century since the signing of a milestone treaty on goodneighbourly relations. However the successes of past years were overshadowed by the challenges of the present: the migrant crisis, Brexit and the controversial German road toll.

Prague airport this week celebrates 80 years of its existence. The Václav Havel Airport in Prague, formerly called Ruzyně, started operation this week in 1937. While in the first year, the airport carried around 13,000 passengers, today the figure is one thousand times higher.

In the first quarter of 2017, the Czech consulate in Lvov, Ukraine received almost 4,000 applications from Ukrainians looking to work in the Czech Republic, a number three times higher than the entire number of applications one year earlier. Domestic firms have made no secret of their interest in hiring Ukrainian labour, an initiative backed by the government and also the president. But organization has been a different matter: processing applications has been altogether too slow.

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša has made a dream come true after being been appointed one of the two principal guest conductors at the London Philharmonia Orchestra. Hrůša, along with Santtu-Matias Rouvali from Finland, will take up their shared roles at the start of the upcoming season. They will be the first conductors to hold the post since the death of Sir Charles Mackerras in 2010.

The Czech National Bank has reaffirmed that its currency intervention policy, launched in 2013 to keep a strong crown in check against the euro and to prevent deflation, is to continue for now – but will likely be phased out by the middle of this year. However, widespread uncertainly now exists over precisely when the interventions will end, with some speculating this could happen as soon as next week. Jan Bureš is chief economist at Patria Finance. I asked for his take on the central bank’s decision:

When the Christian Democratic Party and Mayors and Independents confirmed their intention to enter into a coalition for the autumn general elections it was hailed by many as an ambitious project reflecting a trait that is sadly lacking in Czech politics: willingness to cooperate. However a poll indicating that the coalition may not get enough votes to get seats in the lower house of Parliament has dashed the initial optimism, with some Christian Democrats now wanting out. I asked political scientist Vladimíra Dvořáková how much of a risk the two

Czech politicians have been reacting to the formal move made by the United Kingdom on Wednesday to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon and thus leave the European Union within two years. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has pledged to take an active role in the Brexit talks so as to safeguard Czech jobs and the rights of Czech expats in Britain.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia will unite next year to celebrate two major anniversaries: 100 years since the foundation of Czechoslovakia and the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Prague Spring and its subsequent crushing by Soviet-led forces. The celebrations are set to be bigger than ever, with nearly 200 events scheduled to take place over the course of the year.

Jiří Drahoš‏, a former head of the Academy of Sciences, has become the latest candidate to throw his hat into the ring for the post of Czech president. But what are the chances of the scientist beating the incumbent Miloš Zeman and the other contenders in next year’s presidential elections?