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Vaclav Havel was back in his original role as playwright on Wednesday, when, at a theatre in Prague, the former Czech president presented the book form of "Odchazeni", or "Leaving". The long awaited and widely discussed play will appear in the bookshops in less than a two week's time. However, Mr Havel's first new play in 18 years will not be premiered until the end of May or the beginning of June.

US Ambassador Richard Graber presented the National Film Archives director on Friday with unique footage shot by American soldiers in western Bohemia right after the end of the war. The footage, which had not been seen in the country before, will be identified, analyzed, and publicly screened in the very places where they were filmed.

Prague's public transport system is frequently described by foreign visitors as one of the best in Europe, even though the natives often seem bemused at all the praise...But certainly no-one can deny that the system is extensive, fairly easy to use and relatively cheap. However the Prague Transport Authority has a number of changes in the pipeline which will change how the people of Prague pay for their transport, and they could be controversial.

Two weeks ago the Czech football club Slavia Prague suffered a humiliating 7:0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal, in one of the heaviest defeats in the history of the Champions League. On Wednesday night Slavia had the chance to make amends when they played host to the famous London club in Prague. And make amends they did, turning in a creditable performance, and winning a valuable point.

There are many reasons to visit Prague, but up until now, maybe gastro-tourism hasn't been one of them. Guidebooks such as the Lonely Planet and Let's Go don't spare too many compliments when it comes to the fare offered by the city's pubs and restaurants. So, not a place you would naturally expect a top chef with three Michelin stars to open up his latest venture. But that's just what British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has gone and done. His restaurant Maze has been up and running since last Thursday, transforming the ground floor of Prague's

There are few comedians in the Czech Republic of such high calibre as Petr Ctvrtnicek (known for his antics in a now legendary satiric show Czech Soda) and Jiri Labus of the Ypsilon Theatre. A few years ago the two teamed up to perform in Ctvrnicek's play Ivanek, Buddy, can You Talk? which the duo recently took on a tour of Czech prisons. Now, they've scheduled two special performances at a Prague courthouse, with the proceeds going to the Confederation of Political Prisoners. The aim is to raise at least 100,000 crowns for those who suffered under

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Jiri Cunek on Wednesday resigned from his posts in the centre-right cabinet saying that he did not want the financial scandal surrounding him to weaken the governing coalition. He left in fighting spirit, having defended his post at the head of the Christian Democrats and blaming the press for his downfall.

The 11th Czech Film Festival begins in London on Thursday with a screening of Grandhotel by David Ondricek and a Q+A session with the director. But this year viewers around the UK will have the chance to enjoy movies from this part of the world, as the showcase Made in Prague: New Czech Cinema visits 13 cities in England and Scotland. As final preparations were being made for the touring festival, I spoke to organiser Renata Clark of the Czech Centre in London.

Czech and American diplomats concluded another round of talks in Prague on Tuesday on the possible positioning of an American-operated radar base in the Czech Republic. While US Defence Secretary Robert Gates caught Czech politicians by surprise last month when he spoke of the possibility of a Russian 'presence' at the base, his deputy Eric Edelman, who headed the US delegation this time, assured the Czechs that no such thing is planned. Veronika Kuchynova Smigolova, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry's department of security policy, was on

Quasi-military organisations called the National Guards were established by the far-right National Party on the 28th October, the anniversary of independent Czechoslovakia. The move did not receive much attention in the Czech Republic at first, although Slovakia's President Ivan Gasparovic was quick to warn the Czech authorities of the danger of indifference. Meanwhile, top Czech politicians have condemned the idea of National Guards.