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A tornado, thunderstorms and hailstones as big as tennis balls hit part of southern Moravia on Thursday, claiming at least five lives, seriously injuring scores of people, and razing buildings. Some 550 firefighters, 250 police officers and an army unit have been deployed to villages in the Břeclav and Hodonín disctricts, which bore the brunt of the damage.

A strong smell of wood permeates the workshop of Zdeněk Fryml and Michal Martinek in the small town of Dobré in northeastern Bohemia. The exhibited historical wooden skis, sleds and other items take visitors back to the turn of the twentieth century, but the items are not museum pieces –they are tailor made for clients who want an exclusive, personalized product.

Tomáš Lom, a Czech veteran of World War II who served in Britain’s Royal Air Force, died on Wednesday, just weeks ahead of his 97th birthday. As one of this country’s last RAF airmen, his passing was marked by the government with a moment of silence, and Lom is to be buried with military honours.

The Cassandra Cat or Až přijde kocour, a 1963 film by Vojtěch Jasný, will return to Cannes nearly 60 years after its premiere. The legendary modern fairy tale, which won the Special Jury Prize at the French festival, will be screened in a new version, restored by the Czech National Film Archive.

With a steady decline in coronavirus cases in the past few months, the government has speeded up the easing of measures, with life almost back to normal in the Czech Republic. However, with the looming threat of the Indian mutation in Europe and indications of Delta community transmissions in some parts of the country, experts are urging caution.

Prague’s most prestigious concert hall, the Rudolfinum, celebrates an important anniversary on Wednesday. One hundred and forty-five years ago, on June 23, 1876, the foundation stone of the building, which has become one of the country’s most important cultural landmarks, was laid.

The death of a Romany man in Teplice on Saturday has been making international headlines, after video emerged of officers restraining him shortly before he reportedly died in an ambulance. The police say, however, that a preliminary autopsy has found a drug overdose to be the cause of death. I discussed the case with Roma rights advocate Gwendolyn Albert, who is among those comparing the man’s death to that of George Floyd in the US.

When it comes to Czech cars, most people undoubtedly think of Škoda. However, Czechoslovakia’s car production has long been associated with another automobile brand – Tatra. The company’s futuristic-looking aerodynamic passenger cars first appeared on the roads in the 1930s, and have since become one of the icons of Czechoslovak design.

Czech diplomats, attachés and other state officials charged with promoting the country’s economic and business interests are meeting in Prague this week for an annual conference. This year’s event, which wraps up on Friday, focuses on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the export-driven Czech economy especially hard.

Around 2,000 foreigners living in the Czech Republic today are here after receiving asylum status or time-limited subsidiary protection. Life for the latter is not easy – the changing situation in their home country could see them sent back home, even though they fear to return.