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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.

The Czech Republic is going through another heatwave this week and with temperatures in the low 30's many Czechs are reaching for refreshments such as ice-cream, salads, and their famous open sandwiches. What many fail to realise, however, is that all of these foods contain dairy products such as eggs and mayonnaise, which are often full of the Salmonella bacteria.

Last year the head of Czech police, Jiri Kolar secretly set up two new departments at the Police Headquarters, whose main task is to investigate crimes committed by influential people. As the work of the departments gradually comes to light, some legal specialists are now voicing their opposition against what is dubbed the 'political police'.

Over the past few days, some sixty members of the Roma minority have attempted to travel to Great Britain, just to be turned back at the Czech-German border. Whilst they all had return tickets and the necessary insurance, German border officials said that many failed to prove they had enough money for their stay.

A small exhibition opened last week at the National Museum in Prague featuring the work of Jan Kollar, an outstanding figure of the 19th century Slovak national revival. Jan Kollar had rich contacts with nationalists in the Czech lands at a time when both nations were part of the Austrian empire.

Former Foreign Minister Jan Kavan arrived in the Czech Republic this weekend to face the music over the Karel Srba affair. Mr Srba, a former senior Foreign Ministry official hired by Mr Kavan, is in custody over his alleged involvement in an attempt to kill Mlada Fronta Dnes journalist Sabina Slonkova, known for her high-profile exposés of corruption at the ministry.

On Thursday, the Czech National Bank's board made money cheaper by reducing interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point. This measure was welcomed by the Finance Ministry, as the cut is expected to curb the recent rise of the crown and come to the rescue of exporters who have been under enormous pressure to reduce costs. Although a cut in interest rates was expected, most economic analysts predicted they would be cut by half a percentage point at most. Dita Asiedu spoke to economic analyst David Marek from Patria Finance to find out

Prague's Cernin Palace witnessed a historic ceremony on Thursday when for the first time in history a treaty was signed between the Czech Republic and the Vatican, defining their relations. The event was so much the more historic given the long years when communist Czechoslovakia was officially an atheist state. But even today, Czechs have an ambivalent relationship to the Roman Catholic Church, and the talks leading up to the signing were long and difficult. David Vaughan attended the ceremony.

Earlier this week, Prague Town Hall approved new conditions for filming in the capital, particularly in the old centre of the city. While until now, Prague seemed to be a cheap paradise for foreign film crews, in the near future it might become as expensive as Western European cities. Alena Skodova reports:

The annual Summer Film School, which gets underway in the south Moravian town of Uherske Hradiste on Friday, is the most important event of its kind in the Czech Republic. Several thousand mostly young people will have a unique opportunity to not only watch films but also take part in open discussions with directors, writers and actors. Jiri Kralik is the director of the school, and though he is too young to have been involved in the school from the very beginning, he told Radio Prague a little about its history.