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The annual Festival of Freedom, which organises many of the November 17th celebrations, will offer a wide-ranging programme in dozens of cities across the country. Visitors can look forward to concerts, theatre shows, discussion panels and readings in some of the iconic locations of the Velvet Revolution. The main theme of this year’s festival will be the support of discussion in society.

Former Communist-era secret police lieutenant Ladislav Mácha, ultimately held responsible for the torture and death of Catholic priest Josef Toufar in 1950, died a free man some weeks ago. His passing went largely unnoticed until a makeshift memorial to Mácha’s most famous victim appeared on the pavement outside his Prague home.

The UK’s departure from the EU is less than six months away. While the implications will be profound for all of Europe, Dutch bank ING forecasts that Brexit will resonate in the Czech Republic especially in terms of a drop in EU funds to many regions.

Europeans will in future receive instant alerts on their mobile phones if they are close to a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The system, known as Reverse 112, was pushed through by Czech MEP Dita Charanzová and has just been approved.

People suffering from cancer, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases should have easier access to medical marihuana in the future. The government is set to debate a proposal this week that would make the drug more affordable to patients who need it.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is once again fighting for his political future in the wake of revelations that his son, who allegedly suffers from a mental disorder was held in Crimea against his will by his father’s associate to prevent him testifying in the Stork’s Nest affair in which the prime minister faces charges of EU subsidy fraud. Opposition parties have called on the prime minster to resign and are trying to raise support for a no-confidence vote in his administration. His fate now hangs on the decision of his coalition partner the

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s recent tweet reinvigorated the discussion about creating a special Prague district for government officials, which he believes would create synergy and save the state money on rent. The prime minister’s vision is likely to run into obstacles however, as the future mayor of the capital, Zdeněk Hřib, says he is against creating mono-thematic districts.

The investigation into the Stork’s Nest affair in which Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is suspected of EU subsidy fraud has taken a new twist. The prime minister’s son Babiš Jr., who lives in Switzerland, told investigative reporters he had been forcibly detained in Crimea by his father’s associates during the time of the investigation so that he would not be called as a witness. The news erupted like a bombshell on the Czech political scene with opposition parties threatening to call a vote of no-confidence in the government.

The Ministry of Interior has opened a shop in the Prague city centre – actually, more of a showcase of stolen goods and assets seized in criminal proceedings, up for auction. The aim is to raise funds more quickly to compensate victims of crimes.

In recent years, Prague has seen a surge in the number of people offering their rooms and apartments for rent. In fact, every fifth apartment in the downtown area is now rented out via Airbnb or similar services, according to a new study. But experts say fears of city centre depopulation may be exaggerated.