Current Affairs | All stories

It's over two months until the start of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, during which the pretty west Bohemian town is transformed for a week and a half, becoming the most exciting and glamorous place in the Czech Republic. But the countdown to this year's 42nd Karlovy Vary has already begun, with organisers presenting key elements of the programme to the media on Tuesday morning. At the launch, artistic director Eva Zaoralova told me a little about this year's special sections.

"Chalupareni" which loosely translates as "a country-cottage lifestyle" is a Czech term coined in the second half of the 20th century when Czechs could not travel and when all their time and money was invested in their country cottages. As a result Czechs now top the European statistics in the number of country-homes owned per head. "Chalupareni" is still going strong but as Czechs get richer many are looking around for a different kind of holiday home.

On Monday a delegation of nine Czech regional governors started a one-week trip to China. The aim is to foster bilateral relations in the areas of tourism and business and to lure Chinese investors - mainly in the fields of IT and electronics - to the Czech Republic. The delegation was invited by Beijing and is scheduled to visit the ministries of foreign affairs, trade, and tourism as well as Shanghai and the province of Yunnan.

With its long tradition of beer brewing, the Czech Republic has for years been one of the world's major destinations for beer tourism. Beer lovers come from far and wide to sample the country's many famous brews. Now they have one more reason to visit the country. The producer of the world renowned Pilsner Urquell, the Plzensky Prazdroj brewery, has just launched two new beers aimed at pleasing even the most sophisticated palates.

On Tuesday, employees at Skoda Auto - the biggest car manufacturer in the country - will go on strike, following a disagreement with company management over a pay rise. Workers' representatives at the plant have rejected a proposed salary increase of 13 percent, saying that any rise in wages should also be pegged to inflation and company profits.

Just three months after taking office Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek is struggling to keep his centre-right coalition government afloat. A fragile majority in the lower house, a rebel in his own party who is threatening to vote against the government's proposed tax reforms and worst of all a deputy prime minister accused of corruption who has been rocking the boat for weeks. On top of all this, around two hundred angry Roma demonstrators gathered outside government headquarters on Wednesday to demand the dismissal of the said deputy prime minister

The Czech town of Terezin was the infamous site of a Nazi "show camp" for Jewish detainees during the Second World War. In order to convince the International Red Cross that they were treating Jewish captives well, the Third Reich allowed the people kept there were to enjoy something of a cultural life. As many artists and musicians were sent to Terezin, they managed to produce some stunning art and music such as Hans Krasa's Brundibar opera during their captivity before being eventually transported to Nazi death camps. Now a new international

This week, caretakers at Prague Zoo were expecting to celebrate. Thirty-five year old Kamba, the oldest gorilla in the pavilion, was due to give birth to her first baby. But what was to be a day of joy ended in tragedy. The baby was still born and doctors spent over an hour saving Kamba's life.

The environment was high on the agenda during a short visit to Prague by British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. He launched a youth forum on climate change, and also discussed the subject with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra. Other issues discussed included the Czech Republic's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2009. Mr Prescott spoke briefly to the media on Wednesday, and was first asked whether he was aware of Czech President Vaclav Klaus's skepticism as to whether mankind is

After more than a decade of ownership disputes in the Czech courts, east Bohemia's renaissance Opocno Chateau is now back in state hands. On Tuesday, Countess Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld - a descendant of the original owners of the popular tourist attraction - handed over the chateau to the national heritage institute. She was forced to give back the property to the state because her father is accused of having collaborated with the Nazis.