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Czech Labour and Social Affairs minister Frantisek Koníček on Tuesday unveiled the mainstays of a national strategy for preventing and tackling homelessness in the Czech Republic. The plan involves both effective prevention and assistance such as social housing, better access to medical care and improved social services.

On Tuesday, the Czech national football team faced Italy in Turin –a final chance to try and keep World Cup dreams alive. For part of the match, it appeared the squad was on the right track, taking the lead in the 19th minute. Italy, however, soon struck back.

Most of the country’s political parties have completed their candidate lists for the upcoming election to the lower house. One question on voters’ minds was or is – without a doubt – how many top female candidates would be nominated. The Communists, the Civic Democrats and the Greens have fielded four and three top names respectively, more than the other parties. Even so, observers, including Jana Smiggels-Kavková of Forum 50% which promotes gender equality, say there is still very little to cheer about.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. However, on Tuesday hundreds of people lined up to receive just that in the centre of Prague, as part of an event aimed at highlighting the wasting of food both by supermarket chains and in the home.

Former Czech president Václav Klaus has come out in defence of Europe’s traditional nation states, warning against efforts to transform the EU into a superstate. Reacting to an appeal by proponents of a much tighter Europe, Klaus issued his own manifesto entitled Democrats of Europe, Wake Up. In it, the former Czech head of state says that plans to take European integration to a new level would bring about the end of democracy on the continent. I discussed Mr Klaus’ declaration with Jakub Janda of the Prague-based European Values think tank.

There was a flurry of speculation this summer that the former president, Václav Klaus, was contemplating a return to active politics, even that he would lead a new party of conservative eurosceptics into October's early election. The speculation was fuelled by Jana Bobošíková, a Klaus admirer and leader of the nationalist Sovereignty party. In the end, the idea withered as quickly as it appeared; Mr Klaus announced he would not be standing. The next opportunity, therefore, is next year's Senate, regional or European Parliament elections. But is

According to the 2013 Global Competitiveness report compiled by the World Economic Forum the Czech Republic has suffered the worst slide since monitoring began. In the past year it dropped seven rungs down the ladder to 46th place. Former finance minister, now rector of the College of Banking in Prague, Pavel Mertlík explains what caused the slump.

A plethora of new political parties have formed in recent weeks ahead of early elections at the end of October. They include a new attempt at forming a party to defend the interests of the country’s Roma minority, woefully unrepresented at a political level. The initiative comes at a time when relations between Roma and majority society have perhaps never been worse, so what chance does it have of success?

Last week, former Green Party chairman Martin Bursík announced that he was leaving the Greens to found a new party. A mere three days later he had collected enough signatures to apply for the registration of the Liberal Environmental Party (LES). Although the party has not been formally recognized yet or outlined its priorities, there is a great deal of speculation about its place in the Czech political landscape and its chances in the upcoming general elections. We asked political analyst Jiří Pehe who the party’s potential voters could be.

While many cafés in the Czech Republic offer patrons a complimentary sweet or a glass of water with their cup of coffee, a growing number in the country’s second city Brno are providing something altogether more unusual – the free use of a bicycle. Under the novel scheme, customers can borrow a bike at one café and return it at another.