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The new criminal code passed by the lower house this week has come under fire from many of the country’s sex therapists for one simple reason: lowering criminal responsibility from the age of 15 to 14, the code also lowers the age of consent. Critics contend that is a serious mistake, which will put young teens at far greater risk.

Shoplifting is a serious problem in the Czech Republic. Last year, almost ten billion crowns worth of goods was stolen from shops across the country. Despite a slight drop from the previous year, shoplifting together with thefts by shop employees accounted for nearly 1.4 percent of total retail sales, making Czechs Europe’s biggest shoplifters.

On Wednesday the Czech government unveiled the new logo representing the country during its EU presidency, which its takes up for a six-month period on January 1. The logo – which features colourful block letters – was unveiled in a special ceremony by the prime minister. Radio Prague has more on the new design.

The Czech president Václav Klaus has caused a diplomatic upset this week on his state visit to Ireland. His Irish hosts didn’t take kindly to comments at a press conference following a private dinner with British-born businessman Declan Ganley, who spearheaded the “No” campaign against the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. Reacting to the criticism, Mr Klaus accused the Irish foreign minister of “hypocrisy”.

After a whitewash for the Civic Democrats in regional and Senate elections, Mirek Topolánek’s days as party leader appeared to be numbered. Now, however, as a leadership vote draws ever nearer, it seems that every other day another local Civic Democrats organisation pledges to back the prime minister. So can Mr Topolánek win the toughest battle of his political career and retain the post of party chairman?

The Christian Democrat Culture Minister Václav Jehlička has stoked controversy by suggesting an amendment to the countries marriage code that would allow for what appear to be binding religious marriages with no option of divorce.

An historic moment: that is how Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil described a vote in the lower house on Tuesday approving the country’s new criminal code, which will fully overhaul existing legislation from 1961. Over the last 47 years the existing code was only partially amended but its replacement will see major changes in how crimes are assessed.

Substitution treatment for hard drug users in the Czech Republic may become more widely available in the future. For instance, methadone, a substitute drug used to break heroin addiction, is so far available only in 13 specialised centres in the Czech Republic. The National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Use now wants to make the substance accessible to addicts around the country. If it gains approval from the State Institute for Drug Control, methadone could in future be prescribed by GPs and available on prescription from chemists. I asked

The Czech president Václav Klaus is no stranger to controversy. A long-time opponent of EU integration, the president has signalled his opposition to many of the pillars that make up this organization – from the euro to the hotly debated Lisbon Treaty. On Monday, during a visit to Ireland, the rhetoric was upped a notch, with the president openly labelling himself as an “EU dissident.” But the comparison to the 1989 anti-communist dissident movement is likely to strike a chord with many.

The renowned Czech geologist Josef Sekyra – the first Czech to reach the South Pole – has died at the age of 80. In December 1969, Sekyra was part of the American operation Deep Freeze which studied conditions in Antarctica, but that was just one of his many different accomplishments: from extensive travels to hundreds of published scientific papers.