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The West’s tough sanctions on Russia have come in for criticism from the Czech president, Miloš Zeman, who argues that such measures do more harm than good. Mr. Zeman also says that he will push for EU compensation for Czech food producers affected by Moscow’s counter-sanctions.

The casemates of Brno’s castle Špilberk, once the most feared prison in the Habsburg Empire, will be open to sleep in for one night this Saturday. The offer is part of weekend celebrations of the 369th anniversary of the defence of Brno against the Swedes during the thirty years war. The project is in its pilot stage but, if successful, organisers plan to make it a permanent part of the castle experience.

The authorities are looking at new means of clamping down on reckless, drunk or aggressive drivers, known in the Czech press as ‘pirates of the road’. On Tuesday, the country’s ministers of the interior and justice announced they had launched a review into how reckless drivers were most often sentenced when found guilty, as well as whether their vehicle was confiscated. The idea is to test whether existing legislation is too lenient and – if so – to introduce tougher measures.

A travelling exhibition “Kdo postavil Libušín” (Who built Libušín) has just opened in the town of Valašské Meziříčí. One of its aims is to support the restoration of historical chalet in the Beskydy Mountains in the east of the country, which was seriously damaged by fire this March. The reconstruction of the national heritage site is expected to cost some 80 million crowns.

Officially, members of the cabinet began a two week summer vacation but behind the scenes no one is kicking back yet. On Monday, Finance Minister Andrej Babiš launched negotiations with the heads of the individual ministries on next year’s state budget, some of which will not be easy. The finance minister has promised 12 billion from the budget so far, which next year should include a deficit no greater than 100 billion crowns.

The Czech government is considering supplying arms to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq to assist their struggle against the jihadist group Islamic State, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek has said. The move is now being discussed by several Czech ministries along with plans to increase the country’s humanitarian aid to the region.

Czech MPs have taken two weeks to finalize a civil service act, following a breakthrough compromise on the legislation reached by the coalition and opposition parties earlier this week. However, the latest deal has already drawn fire from some quarters for not going far enough to de-politicize the state bureaucracy

President Miloš Zeman’s invitation to the recently elected President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, to visit Prague has put the spotlight on the Czech Republic’s position on the Gaza conflict. While Czech foreign policy makers have backed the invitation despite its controversial timing, some critics are calling for a more balanced Czech stance towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Three of the most valued archaeological objects ever found on Czech territory have gone on exhibit in Prague‘s National Museum. Among them is the oldest ceramic object in the world, the roughly 30, 000-year-old Venus of Dolní Věstonice. They are part of a country-wide exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first Czech museum.

Next week’s Prague Pride festival will celebrate LGBT culture through over 100 events culminating in a parade through the city centre that has in the past seen 20,000 participants. The 2014 Pride, the fourth, is the first to take place under the auspices of a government minister. I discussed the significance of that support with festival head Czeslaw Walek. But I began by asking him what the thinking was behind the slogan of this year’s Prague Pride, Rise Up Against Homophobia.