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A bid by opposition MPs to remove President Zeman from office failed on Thursday, as the lower house rejected a proposal to file a constitutional complain against the Czech head of state. The complaint, approved by the Senate, accused the president of repeatedly overstepping his powers in breach of the constitutional order and trying to create a semi-presidential system.

Ages ago, Czech winemakers embraced St. Martin’s Day as befitting festival to uncork the season’s first wine. The nation’s brewers only recently followed suit, seizing on St. Wenceslas Day to celebrate and showcase their tipples. That red letter day is now the peak of a week-long national celebration – the Days of Czech Beer.

Andrej Babiš highlighted environmental issues in an address to the UN General Assembly, saying the fact many states don’t fulfill their climate change commitments makes it harder for those that do to provide livelihoods for their citizens. The prime minister also referred to the Czech Republic’s recent past and plans for the future.

An in-depth survey commissioned by Czech Radio suggests that Czech society is divided into six social classes that differ in terms of resources and status. The study defines two types of upper middle class, the wealthy and emerging cosmopolitan, three types of lower middle class and an impoverished class. Czech Radio found a typical representative of each social class. Gardener Filip Šimandl is a member of the endangered class.

Teachers unions in the Czech Republic have declared a state of strike alert. The move follows a breakdown in salary talks with the minister of education, who says Czech teachers are finally getting the pay they deserve and accuses the unions of taking a “destructive” position.

Influential scientists gathered in Prague this week to discuss the possibility of constructing a very powerful laser that would be used to propel probes to distant solar systems at extremely high speeds. Hopes are that the advanced technology developed in the HiLase laboratory in the Central Bohemian village of Dolní Břežany could be used in constructing the laser.

An in-depth survey commissioned by Czech Radio suggests that Czech society is divided into six social classes that differ in terms of resources and status. The study defines two types of upper middle class, the wealthy and emerging cosmopolitan, three types of lower middle class and an impoverished class. Czech Radio found a typical representative of each social class. Aleš Jeník is a member of the emerging cosmopolitan class.

Pavel Podruh, founder of the Czech start-up Self-Sufficient Houses, has become the first Czech ever to receive the prestigious Outstanding Young Person Award presented by the Japanese branch of the organisation Junior Chamber International. The Czech innovator was awarded for promoting the idea of ecologically friendly housing and for innovations in the field. I asked him to present his winning project in more detail:

The title of the city with the country’s tallest building could soon pass from Brno back to the capital, if plans for constructing a new skyscraper in Nové Butovice are given the green light. Top Tower, a project designed by the studio that features renowned sculptor David Černý, would be 135 metres tall and feature a massive, rusted out ship embedded in its structure.

The smallest of six major social groups identified by a Czech Radio survey is the so-called class of local ties. These are people on low incomes but boasting other kinds of wealth, including property and strong connections in the localities where they live. Psychiatrist Jana Anna Uhrová is among their ranks.