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Prague’s Lord Mayor and two colleagues – all of whom have taken symbolic steps angering the Kremlin in recent months – are currently under 24-hour police protection due to credible threats against their lives. Czech officials have confirmed that a Russian secret service agent arrived in Prague this March travelling on a diplomatic passport. They have not said whether, as reported, the agent had the deadly toxin ricin in his briefcase, or if the mayors were targets.

Two clouds hang over commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the Prague Uprising against Nazi rule at the end of the Second World War. The first is an “invisible enemy” – the novel coronavirus – which has scuppered grand plans to honour those who fought to liberate the Czech capital. The second is the allegation of a plot to assassinate two Prague district mayors: one who tore down a statue to a Soviet marshal who Russia considers a hero; and one who erecting a statute to a Red Army general who Russia considers a traitor.

The Czech Republic has joined the worldwide race to develop vaccine against Covid-19, the Czech Ministry of Health announced on Monday. The development of the vaccine, which is currently in its first, laboratory phase, is likely to take months and is expected to cost tens of millions of crowns.

The coronavirus epidemic in the Czech Republic is abating, the nation’s top health authorities said on Thursday. The number of new infections is projected to slow to 15 per day in May, and the number overall number of cases to total 8,500 by month’s end.

Thursday evening will see the traditional witch-burning celebration in many parts of the Czech Republic. While the night of April 30 is normally an excuse for large gatherings, this time it is affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The government has called for smaller celebrations in family circles, while the fire service, whose resources are already extended, have asked the public to register their bonfires online.

Czech philosopher Ladislav Hejdánek died on Monday at the age of 92. He is primarily remembered as one of the first spokespeople of the Charter 77 initiative – and for his role as a lecturer at underground seminars during the 1980s.

This part of the world is now facing its worst period of drought in 500 years, according to data from the scientific team InterSucho. Experts from the Czech Academy of Sciences and Mendel University in Brno say the current situation is caused not only by a lack of rainfall, but also by increasing evaporation rates, induced by higher temperatures. I discussed the drought with climatologist Miroslav Trnka, who says it is exceptional both in its length and intensity.

Three weeks ago, a member of the Russian intelligence community traveled to Prague with a suitcase containing the highly potent toxin called ricin, possibly to be used against Czech politicians who have angered the Kremlin, the weekly Respekt reported last week. Moscow has since denied the news, but the Czech Foreign Office has warned Russia that there would be consequences if anything were to happen to the concerned individuals.

This year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will not take place, the organisers have just announced. But while the next edition of the country’s biggest cinema event won’t go ahead until July 2021, some of programme planned for this year should still – on a far smaller scale – reach domestic audiences in the summer. I discussed the decision to cancel with KVIFF’s artistic director, Karel Och.

A new survey suggests that close to a half of Czechs fear economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Official unemployment numbers remain relatively low, but may in fact be considerably higher, if surveys are to be believed. And while the government has implemented relief programmes, their practical effect has come under criticism from opposition MPs and the private sector.