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The popular Czech singer Karel Gott is alleged to have written a letter in 1971to the then general secretary of the Communist Party Gustáv Husák, asking for clemency on his return to Czechoslovakia after he emigrated for a short period. The news website aktualne.cz published a letter in which Mr Gott appears to assure the Communist leader that though he had refused to return after a tour of West Germany, he had wished for the “normalisation” of social and cultural life in Czechoslovakia. Normalisation is usually used to refer to the restoration of conditions prior to the reform movement that culminated in the Soviet invasion of 1968. Karel Gott told aktualne.cz that he may have signed the letter, though in any case it would have made no sense for him to write to Husák.

On Tuesday a letter emerged allegedly sent by pop singer Karel Gott to former Communist chief Gustáv Husák. In the letter, which Gott admits signing, the pop star pleads for more artistic freedom and asks, after staying too long in West Germany, to be able to come home.

Former prime minister Jiří Paroubek’s wife writes an online “Ode to a Husband”; a young Czech designer creates a rocking chair that produces electricity; how many knedlíky do you reckon the King of the Dumplings managed to eat in 20 minutes?; Prague’s Náměstí Míru gets a flea market; and a Czech zoo is hit by monkey thieves.

The legendary Czech singer Karel Gott turns 70, justice ministry employees are shocked by some unexpected cost-cutting measures and belly-dancers take over Bouzov Castle this weekend. Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.

One of the most successful figures in the history of Czech show business Karel Gott is celebrating his 70th birthday. The singer, who is also popular in such states as Germany and Russia, is reported to have sold over 30 million albums in a career spanning five decades. On Monday night the man dubbed the golden voice of Prague held a birthday party at a hotel on Wenceslas Square attended by over 1,000 people, including many well known figures from Czech music and society.

Czech singer Karel Gott on Tuesday launched a new album of evergreens – a collection of the greatest hits of his career spanning half a century. The album –comprising 70 songs - is being released on occasion of the singer’s upcoming 70th birthday. The book launch took place on the site of the former Vltava coffee house where Karel Gott gave his first public performance, singing with an amateur band. In the course of his career he collected 34 Golden Nightingale Awards as the country’s most popular singer, recording 63 albums and 182 singles.

The Karel Gott Museum in Jevany, just outside Prague, is to close, it was announced on Friday. The museum dedicated to the life and career of the father of Czech pop is closing after three years of operation, in which time it has attracted over 30,000 visitors. ‘Gottland’ was housed in the singer’s former home, a lakeside villa in the forest outside Prague. The museum’s closure follows the closure of ‘Gott Gallery Restaurant’ formerly on Prague’s Spalená Street, in January this year.

Singer Karel Gott has won the Český slavík (Czech Nightingale) award for the 34th time in a career spanning five decades. The multi-million selling 69-year-old collected the men’s prize in person at Prague’s State Opera on Saturday night. The women’s award went to Lucie Bílá, while the group prize also went to last year’s winner, Kabát. The Český slavík awards, originally known as Zlatý slavík, have been running since 1962. The winners are voted by members of the public.

Most Czechs agree there is no other pop singer like Karel Gott, the famous Czech crooner known as the Sinatra of the East, who has won the country’s Cesky slavik (Czech Nightingale award) a remarkable 31 times. At 69, the singer is showing no signs of letting up. In fact, to mark his 50th anniversary in show business, he just kicked off a new tour in the Czech Republic this week.

Karel Gott is marking 50 years in the music business with a tour around the Czech Republic. The hugely successful pop singer drew 4,000 people to the opening show in his hometown of Plzeň on Wednesday night. Gott, who is 69, denied rumours that it is a farewell tour, telling the audience he would sing for them until he fell down.