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The popularity of Czech beer is growing both in traditional export markets such as the US and Canada, and in unlikely destinations such as Antarctica. Not only are exports of the golden brew rising, but breweries abroad are increasingly seeking the services of Czech brew masters.

Last year the Czech authorities broke up a Russian spy network operating in the country, the head of the BIS counter-intelligence service, Michal Koudelka, told MPs on Monday. The FSB spy ring – financed directly by Moscow and the Russian Embassy – was uncovered by BIS and the Czech Republic’s national organised crime unit. I discussed the revelation with former Czech Military Intelligence chief Andor Šándor.

Despite the country’s recent fall in the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report, Czech technology start-ups seem to dominate in the Central European region. At least according to the latest ranking published by the accountancy firm Deloitte on Thursday, which placed 19 Czech businesses among its list of the top 50 home-grown technology companies in Central Europe.

Celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution are taking place not only in the Czech Republic but also among Czech and Slovak communities abroad. The Czech consulate in Chicago has prepared several events highlighting the 30 years of freedom, including a showcase of photos by the award-winning photographer Karel Cudlín.

A court has ruled that the last person who died in a communist jail in Czechoslovakia, Pavel Wonka, was being held unlawfully at the time of his death. The verdict brings to an end a case that began when the dissident and his brother tried to run for parliament as independents in the mid-1980s.

The reconstruction of a private home in Terezín has brought to light old documents and precious artefacts from the former Jewish ghetto. The unique find, which includes transport tickets and private correspondence, will be digitized and shown to the public.

A meteorological column erected on the Prague square Vítězné náměstí in 1914 has just been restored. It is one of only two remaining such columns in the Czech capital, though in the past they were a common sight in the city and indeed throughout the country. I discussed the restoration job and more with Eva Heyd of the Czech National Trust, who initiated the project.

The Constitutional Court has invalidated a controversial law on taxing money returned to churches in compensation for property stolen by the communist regime in the 1950s. The verdict by the highest court in the land is legally binding and there is no further means of appeal.

The new pipe organ for St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague resounded for the first time on Monday in a workshop near Barcelona, in Spain, where the instrument is being built. The pipe organ was commissioned by the Catholic Church and part of its cost, estimated at 80 million crowns, was raised in a public collection.

The Czech Republic has joined other EU member states in halting weapons exports to Turkey over its military offensive in northern Syria. The Czech foreign minister on Monday urged Turkey to halt the offensive and open the door to negotiations aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict.