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An amendment to the law on foreigners, in effect as of the beginning of August, has brought a series of changes concerning mainly foreigners from non-EU countries. Among other things, it introduces compulsory integration courses and quotas for economic migration. But, according to migration experts, the law is excessively restrictive.

President Miloš Zeman says he will definitely not appoint the Social Democrats’ nominee for arts minister to the post, reigniting a political crisis that has been going on for months. With the party insisting they get their way, the governing coalition’s days could be numbered.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has reported record interest in obtaining Czech visas. Between the start of January and the end of June, Czech diplomatic missions received 408,000 visa applications, 13 percent more than in the same period last year.

With the economy growing and unemployment at record lows, many companies have no choice but to become more flexible in hiring. That includes setting up training courses and looking for potential employees abroad to fill IT jobs. At the same time, many Czechs are taking re-qualification courses in order to enter a sector that offers a wide variety of well-paid jobs.

A new ranking of the best and worst places to live in the Czech Republic has just been published. The country’s major cities and surrounding municipalities generally performed well, while towns in the poorer regions of the northwest and northeast tend to lie at the bottom of the table. The index primarily aims to provide people with a list of locations that have a high quality of life, while also giving municipalities the means through which to better target their public spending.

The Czech Republic’s first open prison, which went into operation nearly two years ago, is reporting a record-low reoffending rate. So far, some 92 prisoners have served their time in the minimum-security facility and only three of them have returned behind bars. The reoffending rate at the country’s regular prisons reaches 70 percent.

Archaeologists have unveiled a rare Renaissance-Baroque brew house in the depths of Kost Castle, itself an architectural jewel in the “Bohemian Paradise” region. The tiny brewery was founded in 1576 and in use for centuries, but the team of excavators had expected to find little more than rubble.

Last year’s infestation of bark beetles was said to have been the biggest to hit Czech forests in 200 years. This year could prove even worse. Among those hard hit is Krkonoše National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site. Park officials estimate 20 percent more trees will need to be felled in the battle against the relentless bug.

The Czech Environment Ministry is up in arms over a decision by the Central Institute for Supervision and Testing in Agriculture allowing farmers to use a highly toxic rat poison in fields, orchards, meadows and vineyards. They claim it will “harm all living things in the vicinity”, a warning that has made the agriculture minister break off his holiday and come back to Prague for emergency talks.

The annual Letní Letná festival returns to Prague next week with some of the world’s best contemporary circus acts, from puppet shows and cabaret to breath-taking acrobatic performances. The 16th edition of the event kicks off on Wednesday night with a sky walk over the Vltava. I asked to Letní Letná manager Ivana Pěkná to tell me more about the opening night.