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The Visegrad Four grouping has come under increasing criticism of late for allegedly undermining EU cohesion at a time when the European Union is fighting for its future. In a recent article the Financial Times labelled Visegrad (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) the alliance’s “awkward squad“, describing them as countries that have benefited from EU membership but are seeking to overturn its institutions. I asked political commentator Jiří Pehe about the “black sheep” label and whether it is not legitimate for these states to jointly

Failure to bridge the still massive economic gaps between “Western” and “Eastern” states are one of the factors in often increasing and bitter rifts between EU countries, according to the Czech foreign minister. And Minister Lubomír Zaorálek has called for new and targeted EU investment to try and close the gaps.

Palác Akropolis, one of Prague’s most important arts venues, will celebrate a double anniversary this upcoming season: It is 90 years since its establishment and 20 years since it was reopened. A special series of events in different genres, including concerts and theatre performances, are scheduled to take place between September and June to mark the special occasion.

The Czech government on Thursday unveiled moves to spark the rapid take-off of e-government in the country. From a promising start a decade or so ago, the Czech efforts have stumbled with the country slipping badly down the European and world performance rankings.

Breathless is the title of a presentation of Czech glass that runs from this Saturday as part of the prestigious London Design Festival. Located in a former garage in the Brompton Design District near the Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition is a joint project of the award-winning Dechem studio, the OKOLO design collective and London’s Czech Centre. As last minute preparations were made, OKOLO’s Adam Štěch filled me in on what the show has to offer.

The renowned Czech writer Ivan Klíma, author of novels such as Love and Garbage and the autobiography My Crazy Century, turned 85 on Wednesday. Klíma became a dissident in communist Czechoslovakia after the Soviet invasion and was one of a number of Czech writers who were forced to publish in samizdat at home while simultaneously enjoying international success. I discussed aspects of Ivan Klíma’s work and life with Gerald Turner, who has translated a number of the author’s works, including Judge on Trial.

In a move clearly targeted at billionaire businessman and ANO finance minister Andrej Babiš, MPs in the Czech lower house voted on Wednesday to bar media ownership on the part of members of the government. Another proposal to prevent ministers from running companies was rejected. But how will the vote actually affect Mr. Babiš’s media empire?

The informal European Union summit of government leaders in Bratislava on Friday is meant to send a signal that the political elite can get the European project back on track after the shock of the Brexit vote and apparent inability of Brussels to get to grips with the many problems facing the continent. The looming summit meeting appears to have sparked a discussion in the Czech Republic as well.

The first ever Caesarean section in Europe, in which both mother and child survived, might have taken place in Prague at the court of Jan of Luxembourg already in the 14th century. Czech historians and doctors have come to the conclusion after examining various written accounts from the era. The results of their research have been published in the magazine Czech gynaecology.

Final farewells were paid to the great gymnast Věra Čáslavská at Prague’s National Theatre on Monday. Athletes from across the generations, ministers and other notable figures from Czech public life expressed their respect for the nation’s most successful Olympian, who passed away two weeks ago at the age of 74.