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The government’s narrow passing of proposed pension reforms on Wednesday represents something of a relief for the fractious coalition. Yet the legislation, which creates a mechanism for gradually raising the retirement age to 65 by 2030 and which was supposed to pass with support across the political field, was ultimately opposed by most of the opposition. Dominik Jun spoke with Tomáš Sedláček, chief strategist for ČSOB bank about the implications and what he believes is coming next.

The climate in Prague in the spring of 1968 was one of liberalization and reform. Laws were passed to abolish censorship and cultivate ‘democratic socialism’. As communist Czechoslovakia opened itself up to the West, the USSR looked on with increasing disapproval. On the night of August 20, Soviet-led troops invaded Prague to bring an end to the reforms. Some of the photos of the turmoil that ensued have just gone on display in Prague.

Two Czech researchers in India have been in custody since Sunday after they were caught collecting rare insects in Singalila National Park in the north-east of the country. 51-year-oold Petr Švácha, a biologist at the Czech Academy of Sciences in České Budějovice, and 52-year-old Emil Kučera, a forestry specialist, have said they were unaware they were on the grounds of a national park; nevertheless reports say they may have committed a serious offence.

A corner of Prague Castle's grounds long hidden and possibly forgotten by many has been restored and opened to the public for the first time this month. The Saint Wenceslas' Vineyard and the Villa Richter, a summer house on the same site, were long closed off to the public. But now, after careful reconstruction, visitors will be able to take in a tour of the Villa and Vineyards whilst visiting Prague's world famous castle.

In just a few weeks’ time, Vietnam will see the opening of its very first beer spa, where visitors can relax in a bath of beer – Czech-style lager beer made in a new brewery built by two Czech companies at a Vietnamese beach resort. One of those firms is Pivo Praha, whose Václav Potěšil. I first asked him whether this was the first commission of its kind in Vietnam:

A memorial is being held in New York on Thursday for Jan Hird Pokorny, a renowned Czech-born architect who died last month at the age of 93. He was a member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, while his firm Jan Hird Pokorny Associates won admiration for restoring and adapting historic buildings. Speaking to Radio Prague three years ago, he outlined his view of preservation:

Several Roma parents have taken a drastic decision in the Czech town of Karlovy Vary. Rather than send their children to a school which is being “guarded” by a right-wing paramilitary group, they are instead keeping them at home.

There have been reports that Prague’s oldest functioning railway station, Masarykovo nádraží, could disappear in a few years. City Hall is set to discuss the future of the station in the very near future, but there are already indications that the station building could be converted into a shopping centre and the land around it totally transformed.

Sunday saw one of the biggest successes ever in Czech cycling: 22-year-old Roman Kreuziger won the 10-day Tour de Suisse or Tour de Switzerland after building a commanding lead in the final time trial. It is the first time a Czech cyclist has won a Pro Tour race. The young Czech will now set his sights on the most gruelling race of all, the famous Tour de France.

Hospitals and polyclinics, schools and kindergartens, trains and trams – these are some of the services Czechs had to do without for an hour on Tuesday. Between 1 and 2 pm, the Czech Republic saw a nation-wide strike against the government’s public finance reforms, one of the biggest protests in the country since the fall of communism.