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The Czech Republic and the United States signed an agreement Tuesday on the positioning of a US radar base on Czech territory as part of an American anti-missile defence shield in Europe. Embraced by the country’s government, the treaty has been criticised by the opposition, Czech anti-radar activists as well as leaders in Moscow.

The president of this year’s jury at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival is legendary Czech new wave director Ivan Passer. The man who made his name working with Miloš Forman, and then solo with films like ‘Intimate Lighting’ and ‘A Boring Afternoon’, has accepted the prestigious post and returned to the Czech Republic some 40 years after emigrating to the United States.

This Wednesday marks exactly 35 years since the opening of one of the country’s most notable works of architecture, hotel Ještěd. The conical spaceship-like building with an integrated TV tower is built on top of a hill above the town of Liberec and dominates the surrounding skyline. The design of the building, which was completed in 1973, remains unique to this day.

This Monday saw a new bylaw come into effect, banning the consumption of alcohol in many public places in Prague. But, concerns remain as to just what the ban is supposed to achieve.

Shortly before 3 pm this Tuesday the Czech Republic and the United States signed a treaty in Prague on the stationing of a US radar base on Czech soil: part of US plans for a broader missile defence shield in Europe. The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice together with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg signed the agreement at Černín Palace – the Foreign Ministry in the Czech capital. Our reporter Jan Richter was at the scene and joined us in the minutes following the signing.

Monday at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival saw the world premiere of ‘Night Owls’ – one of the two Czech films in this year’s competition. The movie was directed by Oscar-nominated animator, Michaela Pavlátová, and stars the young Czech talents Martha Issová and Jiří Mádl. In the run up to the big screening, Rosie Johnston caught up with Michaela Pavlátová on the terrace at the spa town’s Hotel Thermal.

One of the most anticipated stars to appear at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was Robert De Niro. Thousands turned out on Friday to catch a glimpse of the actor as he walked up the red carpet at a downtown hotel. De Niro’s star turn marked the opening of the film festival and, as Rosie Johnston reports, there’s more on its way.

Prague and Washington are due to sign a treaty on the deployment of a missile defence radar on Czech soil on Tuesday, despite continued opposition from Russia. The Russian ambassador to Prague Alexei Fedotov told Czech TV on Sunday that his country would only be satisfied by a permanent presence of Russian inspectors at the base, an idea that the Czech government has repeatedly rejected.

The first batch of Czech police officers arrived in the Croat sea-side resorts of Split and Omis last week to provide assistance to the thousands of Czechs who annually visit Croatia’s Adriatic coast for a few days of sun-and-sea. They will spend the next two months patrolling the roads with their Croat counterparts, serving as interpreters and helping holiday makers who get into trouble.

The Czech government on Friday received a preliminary report by an expert commission on the country’s future energy strategy. The commission, led by the head of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Václav Pačes, recommends that the Czech Republic should become more liberal, more efficient and should not reject any sources of energy, including nuclear power.