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The West Bohemian city of Plzeň is known for many things, but culture is probably not the first that would spring to mind. But the industrial city is seeking to change all that as one of only two European capital cities of culture in 2015. And, as Chris Johnstone reports, preparations for the Czech city’s place in the European cultural spotlight are well underway.

The equipment on the face of it looks very impressive, but Czech defense company Era has achieved a notable success with its start of the art detection system winning a prestigious order from NATO in Brussels against competition from companies from across the alliance. And company bosses say that sort of recognition say will a long way to jumpstart more orders.

This Tuesday saw the opening of the country’s National Security Centre in Brno. The new headquarters, sited in a former army building and operated by the National Security Authority, is tasked with gathering information and preventing possible cybernetic attacks against state institutions and offices, even utilities.

Approximately 1.5 million Czechs are living below the national poverty line. In line with their election promises, the Social Democrats have now unveiled a long-term poverty reduction plan aiming to improve their lot. But with money in short supply, the leading party in government will need to convince its own coalition partners of the need to spend tens of billions of crowns on higher pensions and social housing.

The Czech national hockey team face traditional rivals Slovakia in their opening game at the world championship in Belarus. The Czechs, star veteran Jaromír Jágr on the roster and a new coach, are looking to improve on their disappointing 7th place from last year as well as 6th place they reached at the Sochi Olympics. Former Czech international Martin Hosták is in the Belorussian capital as a commentator for Czech TV. I asked him what he thought of the Czech team ahead of the opening match.

German President Joachim Gauck on Wednesday concludes his official three-day visit to the Czech Republic. Together with his host, Czech President Miloš Zeman, Mr Gauck paid homage to the victims of Nazism at the former concentration camp in Terezín. But he also recalled the fate of millions of ethnic Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after the Second World War.

This coming Friday marks a significant anniversary in the history of Czech transportation as it will be exactly 40 years since Prague’s Metro went into operation. The first underground trains carried passengers between nine stations on one line – and consisted of only three carriages.

With the Ice Hockey World Championships beginning in Minsk on Friday, the Czech NGO People in Need has launched a campaign criticising the Lukashenko regime for its less than stellar record on human rights. The NGO is hoping to impress upon viewers that regimes like the one in Belarus use international sporting events as a façade, creating the impression everything at home is hunky dory.

The recent tragic case of a Czech policewoman killed by a hit-and-run driver high on drugs has led to calls for stricter rules that would keep repeat offenders off the road. The man responsible for the officer’s death had been behind the wheel despite having received an incredible 11 driving bans. The authorities are now considering measures to prevent such cases from happening again – but also warn of a steep increase in the number of Czechs caught driving under the influence of drugs.

A Czech military observer who was held hostage by pro-Russian separatists along with other members of a team from the OSCE was released at the weekend. Forty-one-year-old lieutenant-colonel Josef Přerovský described several moments during the team’s capture as ‘touch-and-go’; thankfully, he and other members of the team, have since safely returned home.