For months these Cabinet changes were first discussed in the press, then there was some incomplete information from Premier Zeman, and then, one by one the changes actually started happening. The lengthy process and the atmosphere around it prompted the new interior minister to say he was sorry over the stuffy atmosphere accompanying his appointment. As for his plans, he intends to continue in the work launched by his predecessor, Vaclav Grulich, but is also preparing some changes.

The changes the new interior minister intends to initiate will concentrate on reforms in public administration and in criminal proceedings. He also intends to achieve a more efficient system of work in the police operational squads and would like to improve cooperation and mutual exchange of information between various organizations within the security system. Of the four new cabinet members, Stanislav Gross is the best known by the general public. One of the reasons is his criticism of some of the activities and attitudes of premier and Social Democratic Party chairman Milos Zeman. He was also very active in his parliamentary functions, as deputy chairman of the lower house and leader of the Social Democratic members of parliament, prestigious posts he has given up in connection with his ministerial appointment. Many expect Stanislav Gross to bring a bit of fresh air into the Cabinet, if for no other reason, than for the fact that he will considerably lower the cabinet's average age. At 30, he is the youngest interior minister in this country's history. But he is not the youngest member of the contemporary Cabinet. The recently appointed deputy premier, Karel Brezina, is only 27.

After a few weeks of pontificating, the Czech parliament finally agreed to a law blocking the export of air cooling equipment to the Iranian plant. It was a move that was guaranteed to appease US officials, and smooth out the slight hitch in international relations that the incident provoked. The United States had warned the Czech Republic that the plant had the potential to be used as part of a nuclear arms programme, and that it was their duty as a new member of NATO to prevent the sale going ahead. The Czech Republic, therefore, hastily cooperated as it is still a relatively new player in the realm of international diplomacy, and is anxious to keep in everybody's good books. Czech officials claimed that if the United States had carried out their threat and imposed sanctions, they would have cost the government and Czech companies several billion crowns in lost contracts and trade.

The bill took longer than was expected to go through, as the Communist Party were against the proposals, and rejected the original version of the bill which included specific provisions for compensation to the company who produced the equipment. It was decided, however, that satisfactory compensation would be given to ZVVZ Milevsko, who are demanding 500 million crowns in damages. The government has warned that other Czech companies cannot expect the same treatment, as the compensation allotted to ZVVZ Milevsko is an exceptional case, and they are not setting a precedent by awarding damages to the company.

All that is needed now before the bill becomes law is the signature of President Vaclav Havel, but it is widely expected that he will agree with the parliament's decision.

Between April 9 and 15 the Czech capital will be the venue of the 10th Prague Writers' Festival, held under the auspices of the Prague Mayor, Jan Kasl. This year the festival will bring together more than 20 writers from the United States, Canada, Greece, Britain and other countries, as well as Czech authors who live in exile. Prague will see William Styron, Susan Sontag, Robert Stone, Margaret Atwood, Josef Skvorecky, John Calder and Chinese dissident writer Bei Dao, to name just a few. So what chance will people in Prague have to meet the writers? Here's the festival's president, Michael March:

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Michael March, the president of the 10th Prague Writers' Festival.

The Maticni Street Wall in the North Bohemian city of Usti nad Labem, originaly designed to separate Czech residents from who they and their city fathers not long ago described as unruly Roma dwellers, has finally found a good use. I should explain that last year, this wall, or rather a ceramic fence with open gates, was erected and then quickly dismantled after this controversial project touched off an avalanche of international protests pointing to the plight of the Roma ethnic community not only in Usti but in fact throughout the Czech Republic, and post-communist Europe at large.

Now, the fence, or rather its individual construction blocks, seem to have found a better use than separating members of the human race. The Usti nad Labem Zoo has won a city tender and will pay about 210,000 crowns, or about 6,500 U.S. dollars, to the Town Hall in exchange for the first decent decorative element it has ever had. One construction block will be sent to the town museum, forever to remind visitors of one silly, if not outright racist decision Usti has made in a very recent past.

The Usti nad Labem Zoo plans to install the fence that once divided people outside its main gate to provide added protection for pedestrians.

The Usti Zoo director, Zdena Jerabkova, is happy they have won the tender: "I think the fence will grace our zoo and this is the first step towards obtaining the decent fence that we haven't had thus far..."

Ironically, the 65-metre-long wall will now be erected less than one kilometre from the site where it was meant to separate people from people.

Well, they say that the British are a nation of dog lovers, but one look around the streets and parks the Prague will tell you that the Czechs also love their pooches. Prince Charles found that out to his cost on a visit to the Czech Republic in the early 90s, the heir to the British throne placing the royal shoe right into one of the many steaming by-products of Czech canine devotion.

Well, in Prague on Tuesday the latest weapon in the battle against dog excrement was launched by the manufacturer Hanes. Two of their special little buggies fitted with vacuum suction devices are already trundling through the log-laden streets of Prague 2, and the manufacturers believe that the capital as a whole could benefit from the cleaning service that their buggy provides. Hanes's assistant manager is Philip Huchle:

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And according to Hanes' Commercial Director Petr Nemecek, even Prague's dog owners are getting fed up with the filthy state of their streets and parks.

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Did you know that April is the mating season for frogs, newts and salamanders? In the Moravian Karst region east of Prague, environmentalists are working overtime to save those leaping and crawling creatures from being killed by reckless drivers. In the past few days, ecological volunteers have blocked two very busy roads in order to carry, in water-filled buckets, an estimated six thousand specimens safely across the roads they would normally try to cross.

The local civic groups Ulita and Corax said on Wednesday that hundreds of hapless amphibians had met their early Armageddon under the wheels of two-legged predators driving their four-wheel instruments of torture and annihilation. Some drivers actually took smashing the amphibians for a good sport.

The environmentalists worked day and night, but they say only frog tunnels will solve the problem. To build these lizard safeways, the Ministry of the Environment in Prague should release funds. Until this happens, the activists said they would carry on with their bucket programme.

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