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The eyes of Europe are on Czech President Václav Klaus – a fierce Eurosceptic who now holds the key to the ratification of the Lisbon treaty. After the Irish “yes” to Lisbon on Friday, the Czech Republic and Poland are the only remaining EU countries not to have ratified the EU’s reform document. The Polish head of state is expected to sign it in a matter of days, but Mr Klaus has shown no intention of breathing life into the document he’s so vigorously opposed to. On Saturday, a group of Euro-sceptics marched to his seat at Prague Castle with

Every year, the Czech Foreign Ministry presents Gratias Agit awards to those who have helped promote the good name of the Czech Republic abroad. Recipients include individuals and institutions from all over the world; this year, the list of laureates ranges from Marius Sczygiel, a Polish journalist, who published a best-selling book about the Czech Republic, to Pontifical College Nepomucenum, an educational institution for Czech clergy in the Vatican.

Will he sign or won’t he – and what’s to be done if he doesn’t – that is the question politicians across Europe are asking themselves. President Klaus is keeping everyone in suspense, but political analyst Jiří Pehe thinks the Eurosceptic Czech president will soon have to concede defeat.

Humanitarian workers from around the world are rushing to Western Sumatra where Wednesday’s earthquake has left over a thousand people dead and likely several thousand more trapped beneath the rubble. Among those involved in the relief effort are Czech charity workers based in Aceh, northern Sumatra, where they have been working throughout the numerous disasters that have afflicted the island since 2005.

At the tender age of 14, Iva Fruehlingová moved to France, on her own, to pursue a successful career as a model. In recent years, she has returned to the Czech Republic, where she is now a successful pop singer. On top of that, she has just brought out her first book, a collection of short stories entitled Příběhy modelek [Models’ Stories]. I spoke to Fruehlingová at the launch of the book, and began by asking her what had inspired it.

Concerns regarding a possible swine flu epidemic in the Czech Republic have taken a new turn. Fears that there would not be enough vaccines for people at risk have been replaced by concerns about the possible side effects of the new flu jab. In addition to that, a Canadian study released last week suggests that across the board vaccination against the seasonal flu could only make matters worse.

Deputies of the lower house on Wednesday rejected a bill designed to curb lobbying. While many deputies agree that the issue needs to be addressed, only a few are willing to support legislation that would set down transparent rules for influencing political decisions.

A newly-released study on substance abuse among young people in Europe makes alarming reading for Czech officials. The results of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) carried out in 35 European countries in 2007 have just been released, and they show Czech teenagers topping many of the tables in terms of abuse of controlled substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs.

A group of right-wing Czech senators have filed a new complaint against the Lisbon treaty with the country’s Constitutional Court. The complaint looks set to further delay Lisbon ratification, and may leave the Czechs the last in Europe to approve the document. With eurosceptic President Václav Klaus threatening to hold up Lisbon ratification for as long as possible, there has been speculation that MPs may turn to the courts themselves in a bid to force his hand.

Two decades ago the attention of the world’s media was on the West German Embassy in a normally quiet corner of Prague, where thousands of East Germans were living in a makeshift camp, desperate to escape from communism. On the 30th of September, 1989 the then West German foreign minister made a dramatic announcement: those refugees were free to emigrate to the West.