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Within hours of being elected president, Miloš Zeman called for early parliamentary elections, leading to speculation about the chances of Petr Nečas’s right-of-centre coalition serving its full term. Now the embattled prime minister is coming under pressure from within: TOP 09, perhaps buoyed by their chairman’s showing in the presidential vote, on Tuesday issued a demand that opens a fresh fissure in the government.

The well-known Czech graphic designer, painter, and illustrator Oldřich Kulhánek died in Prague at the age of 72 on Monday. He is best known for creating the images on the modern Czech bank notes, but his other works have served as inspiration for a whole generation of graphic artists.

The final days of campaigning before the weekend's presidential election were marked by a bitter row over the postwar Benes decrees that legitimised the expulsion of three and a half million ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia. Certainly 'the German card' appears to have played a role, if not a decisive one, in the election of Milos Zeman over Karel Schwarzenberg - an aristocrat who spent four decades living in Austria and whose Austrian wife doesn't speak Czech. Mr Zeman's campaign rhetoric has upset some in neighbouring Germany and Austria - but

Within hours of becoming the first directly elected head of state of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman made it clear that he has no intention of being a docile occupant of Prague Castle. Indeed, Mr. Zeman immediately questioned the legitimacy of the coalition government – and called for early parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, elements within his former party are also bracing themselves for trouble from the president-elect.

Miloš Zeman was the favourite against Karel Schwarzenberg in the presidential election so his win did not come altogether as a surprise; all the same, observers expected it to be a good deal closer. Radio Prague spoke to political analyst Petr Just about the result.

Miloš Zeman is set to become the first directly elected president in Czech history. Following a divisive campaign, the former Social Democrat prime minister defeated his second-round rival, Karel Schwarzenberg, by 55 percent to 45 percent. The outgoing head of state, Václav Klaus, has welcomed the result.

Earlier this month, construction began on a new four-floor centre in the city of Ostrava that will house the first Czech supercomputer. The site, which will house hundreds of processors and will employ between 150 and 250 staff, will have massive computing power capable of complex simulations in breakthrough fields such as nanotechnology. It is expected to begin full operation in 2015.

Only hours remain before Czechs go to the polls to elect either Miloš Zeman or Karel Schwarzenberg as the next Czech president. Both are no longer touring the country and began preparing instead for a final series of media interviews and debates. Wednesday saw the candidates face off on Czech Radio and commercial broadcaster TV Nova; on Thursday viewers will have a last chance to see the two in a final debate on Czech TV.

In the future visitors to the Czech countryside could come across a species not seen in this part of the world for a great many years: wild horses. A local wildlife organisation is at present preparing to import a small group of Exmoor ponies, with a view to eventually introducing the hardy British breed to former army training areas and unforested land in other remote parts of the country.

The Municipal Court in Prague says the entire amnesty announced by President Václav Klaus on New Year’s Day contravenes the Czech constitution – because it had not been previously discussed by the government. The prime minister says the move could open a whole can of worms: If the Constitutional Court agrees, the validity of previous amnesties could also come into question.