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President Miloš Zeman has lashed out at the education minister for having met the director of the counter-intelligence service BIS to discuss the agency’s warning that a “Soviet narrative” still dominates the teaching of modern history in Czech schools.

According to legend, Bohemian hops were so prized King Wenceslas ordered the death penalty for anyone caught exporting cuttings from which plants could be grown. But with beer consumption and pub visits down at home, big Czech brewers rely on exports to make up the difference, while trying to lure locals back with craft-style and limited-run beers.

Amid continuing uncertainty over Brexit, Czech officials are pushing to speed up the approval of a government bill which would protect the rights of British nationals living in the Czech Republic in the event that Great Britain leaves the EU with no deal. The bill would ensure that British nationals would have the same rights as all EU citizens up until the end of 2020.

A great many events have been held in the Czech Republic on Wednesday commemorating the 50th anniversary of the self-immolation of Jan Palach. At the launch of an exhibition about the student martyr at the top of Prague’s Wenceslas Square, one of the organisers discussed Palach’s legacy – and the high level of interest in him today.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has set out for South Asia this week. Together with Industry Minister Marta Nováková and a delegation numbering dozens of Czech business representatives, the PM is visiting important economic hubs in the region. Expanding science, research, education and defence cooperation is also on the agenda.

It is not just Czechs who are currently remembering Jan Palach’s radical protest in January 1969 and the impact his sacrifice helped create. The British ambassador to the Czech Republic, Nick Archer, has had a painting by a UK artist – created right after Palach’s death – installed at his country’s historic embassy building in Prague. He explains the background to the acquisition.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš boasts that his government has achieved an unprecedented level of investment and motorway construction. Meanwhile, a survey by domestic watchdog Hlídač státu has underscored the sluggish pace of that construction over the past 15 years compared to that of comparable EU member states.

A pensioner has been convicted of terrorism after causing rail crashes intended to resemble jihadist attacks. A supporter of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, he said his aim was to spark resistance and ensure the “horror” of Muslim migrants never reached the Czech Republic.

Foreigners now account for nearly 11 percent of the Czech workforce, despite making up just 5 percent of the population. In light of an ongoing labour shortage, business leaders are now urging the government to make it easier for non-nationals to work in the country.

The president has lashed out at Czech security agencies that have identified Chinese-made Huawei products as a threat. Miloš Zeman says this has harmed the Czech Republic’s economic interests – and payback from Beijing will hit some of the country’s biggest companies.