The bloodless overthrow of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia was dubbed the 'Velvet Revolution' by the Czech media, and the phrase was quickly adopted by their foreign counterparts. Less catchy was the 'Velvet Divorce' - the 1993 division of federal Czechoslovakia into two independent countries, engineered by politicians in a series of hush-hush meetings but opposed by many ordinary people on both sides of the border.

The 'Velvet Divorce' was followed by a very un-velvet dispute over the division of former federal property - as the two divorcees battled it out over who got to keep the stereo, as it were. There was of course rather more at stake in this dispute - but former Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and his Slovak counterpart Vladimir Meciar made almost no headway in settling it.

Then came 1998, and a changing of the guard in Prague and Bratislava. The new Czech prime minister, Milos Zeman, and Slovakia's Mr Dzurinda spoke of a new beginning, vowing to resolve all disputes "within a year and a day". They kept their promise, and the two governments agreed on a wide-ranging settlement last November.

The deal went as follows: Bratislava agreed to exchange its stake in the Czech Republic´s Komercni Banka for Prague´s share in Slovakia's VUB bank. Both banks will be privatised this year. In exchange, the Czech central bank agreed to drop a disputed 700 million dollar claim against Slovakia and return four tonnes of gold, valued at just under 20 million dollars.

Mr Dzurinda will be taking a few kilos of it back to Bratislava in the form of a symbolic gold bar - but according to reports in the press the Czech National Bank has already transferred the rest, and Slovakia's gold will be waiting for the Slovak Prime Minister when he gets back.

The Prague International Marathon was a highlight of the sporting calendar this year, attracting a higher calibre of runner than in past years, due to it's opportune timing. Sunday's marathon was the last opportunity for many runners to achieve the required times for entry into this year's Sydney Olympics.

The Kenyans dominated the men's event, taking first, second and third place. The winner, Simon Chemoiywo, had these words for the crowds celebrating his victory:

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Although Prague played host to some of the world's greatest long-distance runners on Sunday, the event was not reserved exclusively for professional athletes. There were nearly 4,000 participants in the race, who had travelled to the Czech Republic from 52 different countries. I also saw an astonishing number of elderly men jogging happily along, running beside sportsmen and women young enough to be their grandchildren.

The biggest surprise of the day was the winner of the women's race, Russian Alina Ivanova, who was certainly not among the favourites. With a finishing time of just under 2 hours and 28 minutes, Ivanova both broke the track record and assured herself a place in the Russian Olympic Team. It will not be the first time that the athlete has taken part in the Olympic games, however. She previously competed in the fast-walking event, but was disqualified in Barcelona while on her way to a sure-fire gold medal. Ivanova was so disheartened by this that she retired from the sport and began entering marathons, announcing that if she was going to be accused of running then she would would show people that she really could run.

Although the winner Chemoiywo praised the fine weather during Sunday's marathon, many runners found the conditions a little too warm to produce an optimum performance. The day's bright sunshine was still enjoyed by the thousands of spectators who lined the route, cheering on the athletes and dancing in the streets to the sounds of the various bands who had been brought in to entertain the gathered crowds.

The Nazis used Terezin as a transit camp during the Second World War and more than a half of those imprisoned there lost their lives. About a fifth of them in the North Bohemian fortress itself, the rest in the concentration camps, where they were taken later. Dignitaries from 20 countries were among those present at the solemn ceremony on Sunday, as well as from the Czech Republic, including President Vaclav Havel, who stressed that Terezin is not only a matter of history, but also a warning for the future.

"I would like to hope that the memory of all those who were executed, deported and tortured will not be just a reminder of the nonsensical loss of human lives, but a memory of victims, who made it possible for those who survived to live. The holocaust has left wounds that will never heal."

President Havel also stressed the need to fight all signs of racist, national and religious hatred. The chairman of the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters, Jakub Cermin, said that mankind has failed to learn a lesson from the negative aspects of its history.

"We, who have been affected by two cruel dictatorships know very well that it is not enough to bring our children up just by teaching them the knowledge and skills they will need for their future professions, but that we have to impart upon them deep moral and ethical principles."

The legacy of Terezin reaches far past the borders of the Czech Republic. The fate of Jewish children dragged off to the ghetto was the topic of a play performed in New York on Thursday. Of the 200,000 Terezin victims, some 15,000 were children, only one hundred of whom survived.

But the story of Terezin is not closed and not all responsible for the fate of those who suffered and died there have been punished. At a press conference held by representatives of the Czech Jewish Community also on Sunday, it was pointed out that one of the Nazi wardens in Terezin, Anton Malloth, is living out his life in comfort in a German old-age pensioners' home, in spite of the fact that he was charged with war crimes some three or four times, but never sentenced. New evidence of his activities at Terezin is being gathered by the Czech state attorney's office and his case is to be opened once more. As President Havel summed up, the memory of Terezin should never be forgotten.

The reason behind this sudden desire to abolish the speed limit on highways is obvious: over the past ten years many Czechs have traded in their Skodas, Trabants and Ladas for powerful Western cars and with their new speedometers showing 300 km per hour they resent being held back - they want to rev up those engines and feel the difference. However there are many who say that, whatever their car, Czechs are not the best drivers in Europe and that the state of their highways, not to mention smaller roads, leaves much to be desired.

The interior minister, the traffic police and the Autoclub Drivers' Association are all strongly opposed to the idea, pointing out that a speed of 200 km per hour is safe only until someone steps out of line, or loses control of the vehicle. It makes a big difference whether the successive impacts will come at a speed of 100km per hour or 200. Interior Minister Stanislav Gross has also raised a warning finger, saying that lives were at stake in this particular decision, and that he would do his best to convince the majority of the Lower House to vote against the proposal.

For their part, Autoclub members have stressed in particular the state and character of Czech highways, noting that they were built for a maximum speed of 130 to 140 km per hour, with turns and hilly stretches in places which could easily prove fatal due to poor visibility.

The proponents of lifting the speed limit have countered that this could easily be resolved by imposing a speed limit only along certain stretches of the road, or simply recommending a lower speed. Another argument is that although many people do own Western cars, few can afford to buy them new, and used car dealers do big business. The average age of cars in the Czech Republic is 14 years.

So would Czech drivers be disciplined enough to consider the state of their car, the state of the road and their own skills if there were no speed limit to respect? I asked several drivers what they though of the proposal.

"I don't think that it's a good idea," says one man, "people already drive likethey're crazy and the state of their cars is often not suited to high speeds." But this man has a different view: "So let them lift the limit - it makes no difference whether they do or not - people suit themselves, certainly the better-off who have money for fines will drive as they like anyway." And finally a piece of advice from two British tourists in Prague:

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