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After much debate and discussion, the new Czech coalition government of the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union finalised its policy statement over the weekend and approved it on Monday morning. The principles of the final version stay true to the Social Democrats' manifesto, focusing on the importance of the family, health care, and the increasing of state benefits. More from Dita Asiedu:

An international cycling relay called Bike+10 which is meant to promote cycling as an alternative to car traffic started in the Moravian city of Brno ten days ago. The relay passed through the towns of Olomouc, Hradec Kralove and Pardubice and on Saturday, a group of cyclists arrived in Prague. The organisers held meetings in the city explaining to the public that cycling can be a healthier and environmentally friendly alternative to cars. Pavla Horakova went to one of the meetings on Sunday and spoke there to Petr Kurfurst of the civic association

On Friday evening an officer working for the transport police at Prague's metro, paid with his life, after trying to protect passengers against a man who was throwing fire crackers to the rails and threatening people with knife. This unprecedented incident has sent shock-waves through the Czech Republic. Alena Skodova reports:

The number of Czech Roma leaving the country to seek political asylum in Western Europe has again increased in recent weeks. Those who leave say they're discriminated against and don't feel they're protected from attacks by skinheads. But the government's Human Rights Commissioner, Jan Jarab, says excessive debt is another reason why Czech Roma are leaving the country.

Earlier this week, two Czech long-distance swimmers, Petr Mihola and Richard Haan, attempted for the second time to swim the English Channel. Unfortunately, the attempt failed due to bad weather. But they're not the first Czechs to try - in fact five Czech swimmers - including two women - have already succeeded in making it from the coast of France to the white cliffs of Dover.

Thursday saw the opening of an exhibition in Ostrava called "the Roma in our City". Visitors to Ostrava Town Hall are given a introduction to the history and lifestyle of the Roma community in the city. Dita Asiedu spoke to the head of the mayor's office, Dr Zdenek Sladovnik, to find out more:

With less than a month in office, the newly appointed Czech Health Minister, Marie Souckova, is forced to tackle a problem that is driving doctors and nurses out of the country - low salaries. According to the Czech Chamber of Doctors, more and more hospitals are facing problems, and in order to cope with their staff leaving they're employing doctors and nurses from abroad.

The Czech currency has reached record levels over the past few weeks, which not only poses problems to Czech exporters, but it also means that everything is more expensive for foreign tourists arriving in the Czech Republic on holiday. So is the strong crown putting off foreign tourists?

A huge illegal techno music festival known as Czechtek has now entered its 6th day near the village of Andelka in North Bohemia. Organisers kept the venue of this year's Czechtek festival secret until the very last moment, and thousands of young people from the Czech Republic and abroad started arriving at the site last Friday.

The new Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, has held his first meeting with the Task Force set up to plan the November NATO summit in Prague. Memories of the violent clashes at the World Bank gathering in the city two years ago are still fresh, and the events of September 11th have added to the nervousness. The Czech government and Prague's City Hall are trying to make sure they will be prepared for all eventualities, including terrorist attack.