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In a week and a half’s time the red carpet will be rolled out at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. There are no Czech pictures in the main competition this year, though visitors can look forward to a whopping 65 world, international and European premieres. But many will be just as interested in who they can see on that red carpet. So, who are the big stars this year? That’s a question I put to Karel Och of Karlovy Vary’s programming department.

A survey of Czech mothers with young children has found that many of them would like to combine childcare with work but cannot. Most are thwarted by a lack of childcare facilities and lack of interest from their former employers in finding ways how they can keep employed. Many just simply face outright discrimination when seeking work.

There were sighs of relief on Friday after European Union leaders agreed legal guarantees to Ireland, seen as crucial if Irish ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty is to succeed in a second referendum. But they haven’t counted on Czech President Václav Klaus, who’s so far refused to sign the document despite approval in both chambers of parliament and now says the Irish guarantees amount to new legal arrangements that require separate ratification in the Czech parliament.

Part of a large art collection that once belonged to the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is dispersed in several Czech museums – often without their curators being aware of it. That’s what researcher Jiří Kuchař discovered after three years of investigation. Following last week’s TV report on the case, a gallery in south Bohemia even removed three statues from public display, citing security reasons.

The final summit of the Czech Republic’s six-month presidency of the European Union has just come to an end. Among the main issues on the agenda at the two-day meeting of Europe’s leaders in Brussels: the appointment of the next president of the Commission, new rules to oversee the financial sector, and - first and foremost - the future of the Lisbon treaty.

In the early morning of June 21, 1949, General Heliodor Píka, a hero of World Wars I and II, became the first Czechoslovak to be executed by the new communist regime. Today, almost 60 years to the date, the Czech Republic honoured the memory of one of the greatest of heroes and most profound of victims.

The Czech government has taken another step to meet its pledge of clamping down on ever bolder manifestations of extremism in the country. The latest move is a guide for town and city halls how to recognise extremist meetings and either refuse them permission to take place from the outset or ban them once they are underway. The ministry of interior hopes the initiative will help clear Czech streets of extremists.

EU leaders are currently meeting in Brussels for the last summit of the Czech Republic’s EU presidency. Items on the agenda include the Irish government’s efforts to have the Lisbon treaty approved, and the appointment of the next European Commission head. This will be the first, and indeed last, European Council meeting chaired by the interim Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer. Ahead of the meeting, I met European Affairs Minister Stefan Fuele to ask him about the Czech delegation’s preparations for the summit, and what outcomes he would consider

The Czech EU presidency has voiced its concern about alleged irregularities in last week’s Iranian elections, and has said it is ‘alarmed’ by the street violence which has ensued in the country. Back in the Czech capital, members of the Iranian community are nervous about speaking openly, but Radio Prague met Iranian journalist Omid to discuss the current situation.

Czech companies are complaining that they are already being hit by a credit crunch with banks reluctant to lend them money. Meanwhile, the Czech National Bank has warned that the situation could get even worse for firms and households trying to get loans or already heavily in debt.