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The former Czech president Václav Havel is in hospital, in what doctors are calling a serious condition, following an operation on his throat on Sunday. He was admitted to hospital after suffering from breathing difficulties. Following on from the surgery, there were further complications, though physicians are saying that Mr Havel’s condition remains stable.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek set forward his government’s vision for the Czech EU presidency today, in front of a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Mr Topolánek used the speech to underline key Czech goals during the six-month long EU presidency, which began this month.

A new right-wing political party was unveiled on Monday by a close ally of Czech president Vaclav Klaus. Petr Mach, who heads Mr Klaus's think-tank the Centre for Economics and Politics, told journalists the Free Citizens Party would fight ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, push for a referendum on the euro and may cooperate with Declan Ganley's Libertas group ahead of this year's elections to the European Parliament. Supporters of the new party include both of Mr Klaus's sons, three MPs, and a senator. And also Benjamin Kuras, a journalist

German scientists have reportedly discovered deposits of the rare metallic element indium in the Krušné Hory mountains on the north-eastern Czech border. In fact, it could turn out to be the world’s biggest deposit. But what does this discovery mean for the Czech Republic and what exactly is indium?

Nearly three months after promising a cabinet reshuffle, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, has finally announced which members of his cabinet are to be removed. Making the announcement on Monday, Mr Topolánek said the replacement of four ministers would give his government a “new dynamic”, and improve communication with the public.

A piece of public art commissioned by the Czech Republic to mark the country’s EU presidency has set tongues wagging in Brussels. ‘Entropa’ sees each of the EU’s 27 member states represented in all of their clichés and stereotypes as part of a larger piece assembled by Czech artist David Černý. Some in Brussels are praising the sculpture as thought-provoking, while others are dismissing it as downright crass.

An agreement brokered by the Czech prime minister on the resumption of Russian natural gas supplies to Europe appears to be back on track, after an unexpected snag on Sunday night brought further delays. The worst-ever gas crisis in Europe’s history, which has left thousands struggling to keep warm, has given fresh urgency to plans aimed at increasing the continent’s energy security.

The head of the Christian Democrats Jiří Čunek announced his resignation from his cabinet posts of regional development minister and deputy prime minister on Monday, a surprise announcement and one that’s being interpreted as a victory for Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. The announcement paves the way for a long-promised cabinet reshuffle, but more importantly removes a controversial figure who has been seen to damage the government’s credibility.

It is 40 years ago this Friday that student Jan Palach set himself alight following the Soviet-led invasion of 1968. Palach’s suicide turned him into a symbol of national resistance, and to this day, Czechs and Slovaks remember what he did for his country. On the eve of this 40th anniversary, historians have just discovered a document which sheds new light upon his actions.

Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant on a Yugoslav plane that broke apart above northern Bohemia in 1972, holds the world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 metres. Now, however, that story is being challenged by a German journalist in Prague. He says the official version of what happened was a communist fabrication: Vesna Vulovic fell from a far shorter distance – and the plane may well have been shot down by Czechoslovakia.