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Czech voters began going to the polls on Friday in the first round of the presidential election. Standing in the election are nine candidates including the incumbent, Miloš Zeman, who is seeking a second five-year term. It is only the second time in history that Czechs are voting directly on who will be the head of state.

The first part of a major exhibition marking the centenary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia has got underway at Prague Castle. It offers a rare, if brief, opportunity to see extremely valuable artefacts considered the very foundations of Czech statehood.

How would you react if you were on a boat that suddenly began to sink or if someone suddenly jumped in front of your car? Such scenarios and peoples’ reactions are the focus of a specialised lab at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Among other things, it relies on virtual reality as a tool – details were unveiled this week.

Josef Koudelka, one of the greatest living Czech photographers and the only Czech to become a member of the prestigious Magnum Photo agency, turns 80 on Wednesday. Czechs will mark his anniversary with a series of events taking place throughout the year.

Czech attention focused Wednesday on the parliamentary vote of confidence in ANO leader Andrej Babiš’ government. But with the outcome of the vote a largely foregone conclusion, a lot of the attention was also on the appearance of outgoing president Miloš Zeman as he fights for five years more as head of state.

Iranian cinema has been among the most critically acclaimed in the world in recent years. Czech audiences have been able to enjoy the cream of the country’s movies thanks to the Festival of Iranian Film, or ÍRÁN:CI, which is taking place for the seventh time in Prague. Ahead of Tuesday night’s opening ceremony I spoke to festival founder Kaveh Daneshmand, who explained the theme of the latest edition: Don’t be scared.

Andrej Babiš’ government has finetuned its policy programme after meetings with the country’s biggest employers’ group, trade unions, and the body representing local councils. The new policy programme is clearly a bid to win support in a first vote of confidence vote scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

The first stage of the Czech presidential elections is reaching its climax with voting taking place this Friday and Saturday. The nine candidates seeking to become head of state will be trying to get their final messages through in the next days and that’s likely to mean a rush to the campaign coffers where some are, apparently, more equal and open to scrutiny than others.

One of Prague’s most famous sights, the astronomical clock at the city’s Old Town Hall, has been temporarily removed. The medieval clock is set to undergo months of restoration work that will see the return of several, but not all, of its original elements.

The Czech Finance Ministry has released the short conclusion of a 50-page report by the European Anti-Fraud Office into the so-called Stork’s Nest affair. While members of the lower house of the parliament’s immunity committee will be given access to the full report, it still remains unavailable to the public.