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Czechs are racing to file applications for building permits, with official figures showing that the number of applications in the first half of 2019 was the highest in 10 years. The main reason appears to be an EU directive that will make building more expensive from 2020, when stricter environmental rules come in. However, representatives of both business and government say that modern technologies will help save money in the long term.

Most children in the Czech Republic returned to school on Monday following the summer break. Compared to their peers worldwide, however, fewer look forward to being back in the classroom. This stems in part from a lack of positive feedback and individual attention from teachers, but also a lack of support from classmates, various studies show.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš can let out a sigh of relief, albeit a temporary one. On Monday morning, Deník N broke the story that the state attorney had halted the prosecution of Mr. Babiš for his alleged involvement in the so-called Stork’s Nest affair. However, the story is far from over as the decision is yet to be approved by the prosecutor’s superiors and other legal moves are possible.

The renowned Czech baritone Adam Plachetka launched his new CD on Wednesday. Called Winter Journey, the album contains his renditions of 24 poems set to music by Schubert. The opera singer also performed music from Don Giovanni to fully dressed people in bathtubs at the launch’s unusual venue – the rooftop of Prague’s Lucerna Palace. He explained all by phone.

After years of contentious debate, the government on Friday revealed plans to renovate the towering, exposed concrete Hotel Thermal, purpose-built in the 1970s to serve as the main venue of the famous Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Business and government representatives gathered near the western Bohemian town of Žatec on Wednesday to attend the official opening of a new Nexen Tire plant. The factory, which also features a research and development facility, is the third largest foreign investment project in the Czech Republic to be brokered by the country’s business development agency CzechInvest.

Slavia Prague have qualified for the Champions League for only the second time ever and the first time in 12 years. But how have Slavia put themselves in a position to take on some of the biggest clubs in world football?

For the first time in 25 years, a majority Czech feature is in the main completion at Venice, one the world’s most prestigious film festivals. Director Václav Marhoul is vying for a Golden Lion award with his adaptation of The Painted Bird, a controversial novel set during WWII about a boy subject to all manner of abuse by eastern European villagers.

Britain’s departure from the EU was the focus of talks in Prague on Tuesday between the Czech foreign minister, Tomáš Petříček, and his Irish counterpart, Simon Coveney. The latter said measures proposed by the London government do not come close to replacing the Irish border backstop – and that there may be no solution to the divisive issue.

President Miloš Zeman on Tuesday appointed Lubomír Zaorálek to the post of culture minister, ending a drawn-out dispute over who should manage the arts portfolio. The seasoned Social Democrat, who has previously served as the country’s foreign minister, stressed the need to recognize the huge potential of the arts sphere and said he was not afraid to cross swords with the president in fulfilling his goals.