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Dozens of non-governmental organisations from both the Czech Republic and abroad gathered in Prague on Wednesday for an annual NGO market. The event, which was open to the public, included lectures and debates on everything from the role of civic society in post-communist countries to water shortages in the Middle East.

Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek has become the "enfant terrible" of Czech politics. Accused of corruption and in hot water over offensive remarks made about the Roma minority, the Regional Development Minister refuses to leave his government posts, insisting that he has done nothing wrong. His coalition partners think otherwise - but there's one question they can't agree on - who should be the one to make him leave?

The Czech coalition government on Tuesday unveiled a package of ambitious tax reforms and spending cuts, aiming to reduce the country's fiscal deficit and prepare it for the adoption of the Euro. Among other measures, the plan introduces a flat 15-percent personal income tax and raises the lower VAT rate from 5 to 9 percent. The reform package will be presented to parliament in June. However, the centre-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has no guaranteed majority in the lower house.

Not so long ago, if you wanted to grab a coffee in Prague or any other Czech city you could only really do so at a rather grim old-fashioned café or restaurant but now times have changed. In recent years, both international and local coffee chains have been opening more and more shops. Chains like Coffeeheaven and Tchibo are now offering consumers a wider range of better products and services than before.

One of the country's greatest Second World War heroes, RAF pilot Antonin Spacek has died at the age of eighty-nine. We look at the life of a man who spent his life serving his country and who remained true to his principles in the face of great adversity.

The Czech branch of the independent corruption watchdog Transparency International has found itself the subject of a police investigation. This week the Prague-based journal Euro reported that the Czech branch - formerly a civic association - had misappropriated millions of Czech crowns, an accusation the organisation has denied.

A new handbook commissioned by the Interior Ministry is currently being distributed to police stations around, the country to help the force identify extremist organisations. The manual contains brief descriptions of symbols and introduces police officers to whether their use on clothes and posters etc is legal. The ministry has printed 15,000 copies and, as Dita Asiedu reports, already faces a lawsuit:

The government announced a new financial reform package on Monday evening, which it wants to put before parliament. The proposed measures include the introduction of a flat tax of fifteen percent, which is being hailed by supporters as a brave move aimed at ensuring that people can pay lower taxes while at the same time increasing government revenues. Is this the sort of step needed to reduce the Czech Republic's worrying public deficit or is it - as critics maintain - all just smoke and mirrors?

Sunday, April 8th, is International Roma Day but events are being held around Prague throughout the week to commemorate the occasion. International Roma Day is a young holiday, which was only established in 1990, but it is one of the few festivals shared by the Roma population the world over.

Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek is in hot water once more. After last week persuading the prime minister to let him stay in government despite being investigated for corruption, Mr Cunek again stirred controversy when he made offensive comments about Romanies in a newspaper interview. Now coalition partners the Greens have called for his head. With the pressure ratcheting up, how much longer Jiri Cunek can hang on?