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A new book of stunning photographs from Space by former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao published by the Zdeněk Sklenář Gallery was launched in Prague this week. Chiao’s photos, shot in orbit some 400 kilometres above the Earth, were taken from four separate missions between 1994 and 2005. On the occasion of the book launch, Czech Radio’s Miroslav Krupička asked the astronaut about how the idea for the book, due to also come out in English and Chinese, came together after he and Sklenář met.

The Social Democratic Party, which suffered a humiliating defeat in the regional and Senate elections, is analysing the reasons behind its poor showing and considering ways to boost its chances ahead of next year’s general elections. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has now come under increasing pressure for the party to mend relations with President Miloš Zeman.

A visit by the Tibet’s Dalai Lama to Prague to attend the 20th annual Forum 2000, has revealed fault lines between some members of the government and Prague Castle. The president’s spokesman lashed out at the culture minister for meeting with spiritual leader.

The second round of elections to a third of the Senate over the weekend evoked scant public interest and resulted in a humiliating defeat for the two strongest parties in government – the Social Democrats and ANO. It was their junior partner in government –the Christian Democrats - who won the most seats, becoming the second strongest party in the upper chamber.

Voters in the Czech Republic are going to the polls on Friday and Saturday in the second round of elections to the upper chamber of Parliament. But traditionally turn-out to the Senate has been far lower than in the general election and many voters in the past certainly felt that the Senate elections “didn’t matter”.

The first ever Czech citizen to be charged with attempting to join the so-called Islamic State has been giving testimony to Czech police. The suspect has reportedly confessed to being prepared to carry out executions in the name of the terror group.

The Fifth International Theatre and Music Festival Janáček Brno 2016, on until October 18, has featured more than 25 top productions on 12 stages featuring Leoš Janáček’s work. One of the most anticipated performances this year was a re-staging of Janáček’s romantic tragedy Katya Kabanova at the National Theatre in Brno, directed by Robert Carsen.

The best attended arts event of the year in the Czech Republic gets underway on Thursday. At 22 venues and over four evenings, the Signal Festival of Lights is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of the capital to enjoy works by top international and local light artists. On the eve of the fourth edition of the festival, I asked founder Martin Pošta what was new this year.

Deputy chairman of the Social Democrats, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec, has raised eyebrows by saying he would back President Miloš Zeman for a second term. What is surprising is the timing: the president has not yet even announced whether he will run. The Social Democrats, at least those close to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, would also almost certainly rather leave the question of who to support to next year’s convention, at the earliest.

An abandoned property in northern Prague, adapted by squatters into a cultural and education centre, has been sold off by the state to the Railway Infrastructure Administration. The change of ownership raises the possibility that the current residents could face eviction.