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Speculation that the French intended to limit Czech powers during the country’s first EU presidency was dispelled on Friday when French President Nicolas Sarkozy played host to Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. The two statesmen discussed ways of ensuring continued unity and a smooth handover of the presidency in January. Both expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting.

A study published by the World Wildlife Fund ranks the Czech Republic 14th on a list of states whose consumption levels outstrip environmental renewal. Environmentalists claim the Earth's natural resources are being depleted so quickly that within the space of a single generation "two planets" would be required to sustain current lifestyles. I spoke to Andreas Beckmann, Deputy Director of the WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme about the problem and the Czech Republic’s share of responsibility.

Bolstered by a successful meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek came home in fighting spirit, saying he was planning to make personnel changes in the coalition government, push ahead with reforms and run for re-election as Civic Democrat leader at the party’s conference in December. But with party opponents snapping at his heels, is the prime minister strong enough to put his own party - and the governing coalition - back on track? Political analyst Jiří Pehe:

Over the next four weeks, at almost 600 primary and secondary schools throughout the country, pupils will come face to face with some of the victims of the communist regime. Using documentary films and interaction with real people who lived through it, the Stories of Injustice project attempts to shed light on a period that doesn’t even feature on the mainstream Czech curriculum. The programme is run by the NGO People in Need, and this is its fourth year. The organisation’s spokesman Filip Šebek explained more.

After years of discussion, planning and extensive renovation work, New York’s Bohemian National Hall finally reopened on Thursday evening in a lavish gala event. The imposing five-storey building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side first opened in 1896, but closed in 1986, and was left unused for many years. Now it’s ready once again to serve as the centre of Czech cultural and social life in the Big Apple. Radio Prague’s director Miroslav Krupička was at the opening.

Wine lovers from countries such as France, Spain or Italy might often turn up their noses at wine that is made in Moravia and Bohemia. But each year, there comes a time when Czechs enjoy something unknown to those wine-producing powers – the fresh, fruity and fizzy young wine known as burčák. Jan Richter reports from South Moravia, the wine capital of the Czech Republic.

On Wednesday evening, the lower house of the Czech parliament formally ratified a law which means that the country now recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The move comes after years of delays on the matter and means that the Czech Republic now joins other EU states in being subject to the power of the court to preside over matters of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Barely a day goes by without new speculation over Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s political future, threatened by his party’s dismal failure in mid-term elections. This month the right-of-centre Civic Democrats were trounced by the rival Social Democratic party in 13 regions, as well as in Senate elections, leading many to see Mr Topolánek’s days as head of the Civic Democrats as numbered. But who might replace him at the party’s congress in December and will he go without a fight?

This October 28 marked 90 years since the founding of Czechoslovakia as an independent state. According to tradition, on the day the Czech president always addresses the country before bestowing state honours for outstanding individual service. Jan Velinger has more on the president’s speech and Tuesday’s ceremony at Prague Castle’s Vladislav Hall.

Czech designer Jan Čtvrtník has been receiving a great deal of recognition around the continent recently for one of his nifty pieces of glassware, highlighting the issue of climate-change. Čtvrtník’s vase - depicting a shrinking lake - won an international competition in Amsterdam in September, and has now been lauded by British newspaper The Independent for its environmentally-aware design. I spoke to Jan Čtvrtník, who’s currently living and working in Italy, and asked him first about the inspiration behind his award-winning piece: