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On Tuesday the Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek promised that the Czech standard of living would reach the average of the EU 25 in just seven years. He attributes this to his government's policies, with attractive investment incentives, an improving transport infrastructure, and efficient use of the EU's structural and cohesion funds. Statistics show growth rates that most of the old EU members could only dream of, but is Mr Paroubek's prognosis realistic?

We often hear about who's going to be the next big thing in pop music, but for the world of classical music, the young artists who represent the future often don't receive the same kind of publicity. However, as the international Concertino Praga contest for young musicians reaches its 40th anniversary year, recognition of these rising performers is undoubtedly increasing. The winners of the competition were announced on Tuesday, and Chris Jarrett went along to find out more about the up-and-coming stars of the Czech classical music scene.

Last week saw the opening of a major exhibition devoted to the 14th century king and emperor, Charles IV, at Prague Castle. It brings together priceless works from dozens of museums in fifteen countries, and covers not only the reign of Charles IV himself, but the whole period when the Luxembourg dynasty ruled the Czech lands in the 14th and 15th centuries. But some objects from that time were simply too large to be transported to Prague Castle. They are on show at a separate exhibition at the National Museum's Lapidarium in Prague 7.

Rudolf Smid captured the imagination of the Czech photography world in 2005 when his photographic collections entitled "The Scarecrows" and "Close to life, closer to death", which focussed on the personalities of scarecrows around the Czech Republic, were exhibited in Prague's Louvre Gallery. Now, for the first time in 2006, Smid returns to the capital with a new collection, but his subject matter is no less peculiar. Chris Jarrett explains why.

Last June the first "baby box" was opened in the Czech Republic - a place where mothers can give up their unwanted babies anonymously for adoption. Last Friday, the baby box was used for the first time. But along with the child, the mother also left the baby's birth certificate - unwittingly making the adoption process more complicated.

We are about two-thirds of the way through the Winter Olympics in Turin, and so far they haven't gone as well for the Czech Republic as many Czech fans would have hoped. The country has two medals, silver for both Katerina Neumannova and Lukas Bauer in cross-country skiing. But ski jumper Jakub Janda had a disastrous Olympics, an injured Ales Valenta didn't even make the final in freestyle aerial skiing, and the ice hockey team have yet to find any real rhythm. Czech Radio's Petr Soucek is in Turin - I asked him if there was some feeling of disappointment

Supporters and opponents of the registered partnership bill are gathering themselves for the next round in what is becoming something of an epic struggle. The bill was vetoed last week by President Vaclav Klaus, after being approved by both houses of parliament. Now the bill - which legalises gay marriage - is due to go back to the lower house, where MPs must decide whether to override Mr Klaus's veto. But the outcome of that vote is far from certain. Rob Cameron has more.

Already it is being called the cultural event of 2006 as well as one of the most important exhibitions in Prague ever: Charles IV: Emperor by the Grace of God, now open at Prague Castle. The exhibition, which had a first leg run at New York's Metropolitan Museum in the autumn, brings together rare works from more than 90 galleries, museums, and private collections in 15 countries, capturing the period between 1347 and 1437 - the time of the Luxemburg dynasty.

Over the past 15 years the number of divorces in the Czech Republic has increased by a third. The Statistics Office predicts that this year the Czech Republic's divorce rate should climb to a staggering 50 percent. The vast majority of marriages that break up, do so between their third and sixth year - usually at a time when small children are involved. Socially, the stigma of divorce is long gone but for the children caught up in it, the pain and confusion is as strong as ever.

The Czech Republic has taken its second medal at the Winter Olympics in Turin, silver for cross country skier Lukas Bauer in the 15 km classical. Meanwhile, the Czech ice hockey team were left with egg on their faces after losing to Switzerland in their second group game.