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The noted Czech author Karel Čapek is perhaps best known for coining the term “robot” in his 1921 play “Rossum’s Universal Robots”. Now, as Czechs mark seventy years since his death, Karel Čapek’s works are also shifting into the public domain.

On Saturday, Israel launched one of the most violent attacks against Palestinians in the history of the Middle East conflict. The Israeli blitz, unleashed in retaliation for ongoing rocket and mortar fire from Gaza, is said to have killed over 300 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400 others. In view of its upcoming EU presidency, helping to find a solution to the drawn out Middle East conflict has become one of the Czech Republic’s priorities.

The use of mobile phones in classrooms schools has become a serious issue in the Czech Republic, with ever more children recording their classmates and even teachers, and posting the footage on the web. The Education Ministry has now, for the first time, recognized the issue of cyber-bullying, and has come up with guidelines to help schools control the use of mobile phones and other technology.

It may be the season of peace and goodwill but there is very little of it to be seen in Czech politics. Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s centre-right government is deep in trouble and the opposition Social Democrats, currently riding high in the polls, are issuing ultimatums and tightening the noose.

Lenka Bennerová, the head of the women’s advocacy group Forum 50% raised eyebrows last week when the media reported her comments that women in politics faced rudeness and a general negative attitude from their male colleagues. The comments underline a generally dire situation for women in Czech politics – the country has one of the lowest representations of women in politics in the developed world. Just 15.5 percent of MPs and 17.3 percent of senators are women, according to a recent study. So what is keeping women back in this largely progressive

Czechs have a reputation for being one of the most atheistic nations in Europe, but when it comes to Christmas, churches are packed. According to a survey conducted by the Median agency, about one quarter of the Czech population will be attending midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Ruth Fraňková spoke to Tomáš Roule of the Prague Archbishopric and asked him what brings so many Czechs to church at Christmas time.

It was a humiliating defeat for the Czech governing coalition: at Friday’s session of Parliament the opposition decided to show its strength by rejecting a bill on the Czech Army’s foreign missions. The move has put at stake the future of close to a thousand Czech troops stationed abroad, and has clearly shown the fragility of the Czech government ahead of the country’s EU presidency.

It took a while for the trend to catch on but today Czechs are increasingly using payment or debit cards on a daily basis. According to data released by the Bank Card Association, nearly every Czech owns a payment card. Their number increased by nearly 950,000 in the third quarter of this year to 9.8 million, a figure that comes close to the country’s population. I asked Ivo Měšťánek, of the CSOB bank, about the trend:

Czech PM Mirek Topolánek met with the head of the British government Gordon Brown in London on Thursday in the final stop of his tour of European capitals ahead of the Czech presidency of the European Union. After the meeting, Mr Brown said Britain endorsed the Czech EU presidency priorities, and said it was going to be in good hands.

This year, some historians contend, marks exactly 1,100 years since the birth of St. Wenceslas, the Czech king and chief patron of the Czech lands. To celebrate this important anniversary, the National Gallery together with the Prague Archbishopric, organised a special exhibition at St Agnes’ Convent in Prague entitled Svatý Václav – ochránce české země or King Wenceslas – the Patron of the Czech lands.