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The book-fair in the German city of Frankfurt, the largest event of its kind in the world, ended on Monday. Czech publishing houses also presented their wares at the book-fair, under the umbrella of the Svet knihy, or Book-world, company. Alena Skodova has more:

While ten countries, including the Czech Republic, are hoping to join the European Union at the beginning of 2004, a referendum in Ireland, planned for this weekend, could potentially derail or delay the enlargement process. Although few are willing to admit it, the referendum is being watched by the candidate countries with certain uneasiness. Vladimir Tax reports.

On Sunday, the "Poetry Without Borders" festival that has been attracting visitors since 1996 with readings from poetry, discussions, exhibitions and even dance and musical performances, came to a close in the north Moravian town of Olomouc. Among this year's international guests was Pulitzer Prize winner Galway Kinnell. Dita Asiedu reports:

The famous Jewish Museum in Prague re-opened to the public this Tuesday after being closed for two months for repair work following the devastating floods that hit Prague in August. Founded in 1906, it is the third oldest Jewish museum in Central Europe. With its exhibitions spread throughout Prague's historic Jewish quarter, it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. Dita Asiedu spoke to the head of the museum's public relations department, Dr. Jana Smekalova, and started off by asking her in what state the museum was in after the

Have you ever wondered what lies behind the Institute of Parasitology in Prague? The Week of Science and Technology that has just started in the Czech Republic will help you to find out and make some scientific discoveries of your own.

Two weeks ago the second incidence of BSE in a month was confirmed in the Czech Republic, this time in a seven year-old cow on a farm outside of Prague. Twenty-five animals were immediately put down, and beef deliveries from the farm were temporarily stopped as a precautionary measure, with authorities from the State Veterinary Office confirming that while they were taking the situation seriously, there was no cause for consumer alarm. Jan Velinger brought this report.

On Sunday, a group of young artists unveiled a golden bust of the second Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes in a park in the centre of Prague. They did so in an attempt to express their views of the controversial post-war Benes decrees that seem to be never out of the headlines here in the Czech Republic as well as neighbouring Austria and Germany.

A direct presidential election has been the subject of political debate here in the Czech Republic for many years. All of the parties that form the present government coalition promoted the idea of direct presidential election in their manifestos earlier this year, while the opposition Civic Democrats, or ODS, were strongly against it. Now, they have suddenly changed their tune. In order to increase the chances of their own presidential candidate, former prime minister and long-time party leader, Vaclav Klaus, they are suddenly proclaiming loudly

The Jewish legend of the golem - an image or form that is given life through a magical formula, frequently becoming a robot - is being revived in Prague this month in a festival of art, ballet, film, literature, religion and science. Golem Project 2002 has been organised by - perhaps surprisingly - the Argentinean embassy in Prague.

While many Czech towns, cities and buildings are already on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the Cesky raj region in north-east Bohemia - famous for its sandstone formations - aims to be the first natural site in the Czech Republic on the list, and the application was made at UNESCO headquarters in Paris last week. Alena Skodova reports: