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On Wednesday the Czech capital played host to the European Commission, headed by José Manuel Barroso, to officially mark the start of the Czech EU presidency. Originally, the meeting of EU officials was meant to have mostly cultural and festive overtones but the gas crisis, global economic woes, and the conflict in Gaza not surprisingly, all brought added urgency to the proceedings.

Sour rye soup from the Giant Mountains, the south Bohemian štrachanda or rump steak goulash from Prague, these are just some of the Czech specialties, that will appear on the menus of Czech restaurants as of April. Czech Tourism, in cooperation with the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants and the Association of Cooks and Confectioners, have prepared a special project with the aim of promoting the Czech Republic through regional specialties. These dishes will appear on menus under the label ‘Czech Specials’.

A cabinet reshuffle planned by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has threatened to further undermine the country’s weak government, only days after the Czech Republic took up the EU presidency. At the centre of the dispute: the prime minister’s intention to replace controversial Christian Democrat leader Jiří Čunek as the minister for regional development. Making such a change will be difficult: on Tuesday a majority of Christian Democrats backed their leader and threw Mr Topolánek a loop, recommending he dismiss the country’s finance minister – a

Early on Wednesday, Russian supplies of natural gas to Europe were completely cut off as a pricing and debt row between Russia and Ukraine escalated. Several European countries more dependant on Russian gas than the Czech Republic have found themselves in deep trouble, amongst them Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Hungary and Greece. Worst hit appears to be Serbia, which has declared its situation as critical. Dominik Jun spoke with Oldřich Bureš, an expert on Russian affairs and began by asking him to comment on what he believes

Although the Czech Republic officially assumed the EU presidency on the first day of 2009, official celebrations marking the launch of the presidency have been scheduled for Wednesday, January 7. Who will be attending the celebrations and what exactly is on the programme?

People who need a prescription might soon be spared the nuisance of waiting at the doctors’ for hours. The State Institute for Drug Control has launched a new service, known as e-prescription, that will enable Czech doctors to issue prescriptions via mobile phone text message or email. This method is now being tested, and if everything goes according to plan, it should come into operation by the end of March.

Not for the first time, Russia and Ukraine are in dispute about gas supplies. But amidst clashes over unpaid bills, full market values and political enmities between the two countries, Europe too, particularly south-eastern Europe, is beginning to feel the pinch. The Czech Republic on Tuesday also reported a reported 75 percent drop in supplies from Russia. Russian gas transits through Ukraine on its way to Europe, so will Czechs begin to suffer?

The Czech EU presidency unveiled its priorities for the next six months at a packed press conference on Tuesday, a press conference that was, however, dominated by the current crisis over gas supplies to the European Union. Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and his deputy for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra did, however, get an opportunity to present the EU’s priorities for the next half a year.

In the first major challenge of the Czech Republic’s presidency of the European Union, the country’s foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, is currently heading an EU mission to the Middle East. The high-level delegation is seeking to facilitate a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, and to make sure civilians in the Gaza Strip have access to humanitarian aid.

The year 2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy, as it marks exactly 400 years since Galileo first used an astronomical telescope to study the skies. As the presiding head of the European Union, the Czech Republic has been chosen to launch the Year of Astronomy with an official celebration taking place this coming Wednesday on Prague’s Old Town Square. One of the organizers of the events here in the Czech Republic is the Czech Academy of Sciences. Earlier today, I spoke to its director Václav Pačes: