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The National Technical Museum in Prague has a new director - in fact, it has its third new director in the space of a week. Oldřich Rambousek resigned from his post on Thursday, only seven days after he was given the position by the Ministry of Culture. Now the office has been filled by a new temporary director to oversee the running of the multi-billion crown institution and an audit looking into missing money and exhibits.

In just a few months, the Czech Environment Ministry has gotten rid of a number of officials who had in the past worked for environmental NGOs. The new minister, Civic Democrat Pavel Drobil, who was initially honed for the post of industry and trade minister, said he wanted to steer the ministry away from ideology. But environmental activists are concerned about the consequences of the swipe.

With saving the order of the day, individual ministries are busy reviewing expendables in every sphere of activity. In addition to freezing projects and cutting jobs, some of them are considering selling off property that they can spare. In the wake of getting government approval for closing down five Czech embassies, the foreign ministry said it was considering selling the stately Štiřín chateau which it occasionally uses for international gatherings.

In the Czech Republic the sun is no longer shining so brightly for solar power companies. The Czech government has just adopted new rules which threaten to sharply cut off support for the booming solar power sector.

The annual Fresh Film Festival has gotten underway in Prague, showcasing short and longer-length projects by student film directors and budding filmmakers from around the world. Over the next several days, audiences will be able to choose from 40 films in official competition in four categories: Fresh Generation, the Main Competition, Theatre Optique (looking at animated and avant garde film) and Fresh Czech (focusing on Czech productions).

Czech animation has a very long and rich history in the Czech Republic, but in the view of some young filmmakers it’s gotten behind the times. That’s why the studio Bohemian Multimedia has organised the Anomalia workshop, a two-month course in modern animation that has brought some of the best minds in the field – namely artists from the famed American studio Pixar – to the east Bohemian town of Litomyšl to share their knowledge with students from Central Europe and even other professional Czech animators. This afternoon we spoke with organiser

People in North Bohemia are still cleaning up after the recent flash floods, but Czech Television warned of a new peril on its evening news on Tuesday – flood-damaged cars being sold as second hand by unscrupulous traders. Czech Television reported that driving such vehicles can be dangerous, even fatal, and experts are warning potential buyers to check used cars carefully.

Amnesty International has put some of the spotlight on the Czech Republic in a report about the situation in conflict ridden Yemen. The international human rights watchdog organization says that Czech arms are being shipped to a country where opponents of the local government are being tortured or disappear for long periods into detention or are executed.

As government ministries prepare for a year of austerity, the Interior Ministry has announced its plans for cutting its budget by 8.3 billion crowns. The result is what Minister Radek John warned would be a painful year for police and fire departments, which - in addition to facing pay cuts from the Labour Ministry - will also be stripped down to the bone financially. Many are concerned what the cuts will mean for safety and security.

At a time when Czech politicians are about to lose many of their perks, one man stands corrected. The head of the Supreme Audit Office is suspected of having enjoyed more privileges than his position merits.