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In 1917, around 200,000 Russians from various walks of life took up arms against the new Bolshevik regime, to fight for a democratic government. That struggle ended in defeat three years later. Most of the 'White Russians', as they were known, fled the country; many found a new life in Czechoslovakia. On Wednesday Prague witnessed a ceremony to commemorate the Russian volunteers who took up arms to fight the communist takeover. was there.

News of an alleged regional coalition deal between the Social Democrats and the Communists exploded like a time bomb on the Czech political scene on Wednesday morning. The Social Democrats, who lost many sympathizers when they clinched a power-sharing pact with the right-of-centre Civic Democrats two years ago, will lose even more if they embrace the Communist Party in order to save their skins. has the story:

Toys made of softened PVC, which contain the harmful chemical phtalate and can be dangerous to children, are no longer sold in Western Europe. You can find them, however, on the counters of Czech toy shops. reports:

Last night the leader of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Miroslav Grebenicek, had dinner with the head of the ruling Social Democrats, Milos Zeman. The dinner, at the Prime Minister's residence in Prague, went on late into the night. And as reports, the menu wasn't to everyone's tastes:

Cultural links between the Czech Republic and Israel are receiving a boost this week thanks to two performances being staged by the Israeli National Theatre here in Prague. went out to find out more:

So just how will the new regional parliaments and governors make life easier for people in their constituencies? Well, one of the 14 new regions is Ceske Budejovice, an area which covers most of southern Bohemia. And to answer that question, Radio Prague's spoke to one of that region's successful candidates, local headmaster Jan Zahradnik:

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra leaves for a concert tour in Japan on November 15th. Just hours before their departure found the orchestra's spokesperson Jitka Malkova in her office amidst packages and boxes full of material to be taken to Japan, but Ms Malkova did find time to answer a few of Olga's questions:

Sunday's historic elections to new regional parliaments produced two major surprises: disastrous results for the ruling Social Democrats and a major success for the largely unreformed Communist Party. The Communists pushed the Social Democrats into fourth place in almost all of the 13 regions contested on Sunday, and in one of them, Usti nad Labem, they came out on top. The results have created a rather tricky problem in the new regions; nobody wants to work with the Communist Party but the only alternative is for the other parties, left and right,

Moving on to international affairs now, and the Czech Republic has just become a member of the West European Armaments Group, the European Union's armaments body. The step opens the way for the Czech defence industry to compete in European markets, and also gives the country access to the latest military technology. reports:

Turning now to the Senate, and Sunday's election failed to inspire much interest there either. Nothing very surprising in that; the Senate has little real power--it can delay, amend, but not veto legislation submitted by the lower house. But the upper house does act as guardian to the Czech Constitution; parties need a three-fifths majority to make any changes, and so the outcome of these elections is being watched closely. reports: