Current Affairs | All stories

The daily newspaper Pravo announced on Monday that Justice Minister Otakar Motejl had resigned--stealing Mr Motejl's thunder somewhat as he made the announcement himself at a press conference later in the day. Pravo's announcement was not the way Cabinet ministers usually bow out, but even though the news did not come from official sources, it was not unexpected. reports:

The IMF and World Bank meetings are now over, and most of the delegates have either gone home or are holidaying in the Czech Republic. At the conclusion of the meetings, the IMF and World Bank pledged new openness and reiterated their commitment to combating world poverty. But are all of the delegates happy with the results of the session? Earlier, spoke to one of them, Bode Emanuel, chairman of Nigeria's EKO International Bank:

The police have ended their investigation into the so-called Operation Olovo, a case revolving around a document attempting to discredit the deputy chairperson of Parliament and a prominent figure in the Social Democratic Party, Petra Buzkova. The police are now charging not only Prime Ministerial adviser Vratislav Sima, the alleged author, but also two journalists, who published the document in the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes. reports:

The annual meeting of the World Bank and the IMF concluded in Prague on Wednesday night, a day earlier than planned. What was the outcome of the meeting? And does the Prague session mark the beginning of a new era of openness for the Bretton Woods institutions? attended the final press conference on Thursday morning.

Last week saw the international premiere of the Czech film "Samotari", in English "Loners", which has already enjoyed great success here in the Czech Republic. Today, speaks to Samotari director David Ondricek, but first there's a short taste of the film, in which one of the main characters describes his painful break-up with his girlfriend:

Protests against the IMF and World Bank continued in Prague on Wednesday, but unlike demonstrations on Tuesday, which turned into running battles with the police, the situation remained calm throughout most of the day. Only a few hundred demonstrators were out on the streets, far short of the thousands who protested on Tuesday. caught up with some of the demonstrators in the centre of Prague:

There has been a great deal of international media attention focused on the violent clashes between anarchist protestors and police officers in Prague on Tuesday, providing extensive footage of rioting demonstrators. caught up with some protesters on Namesti Miru in the centre of Prague on Wednesday morning to find out their reactions to the violence:

Talks of the kind that Mr Manuel is calling for have been under way in Prague this week at a two-day forum in one of Prague's Protestant churches. attended the event:

While the streets around Prague's Congress Centre witnessed violent clashes, World Bank and IMF delegates on the other side of the barricades were doing their best to carry on as normal, only catching glimpses of the fighting through windows and from the balconies of the Centre. The official IMF and World Bank meeting began on Tuesday morning, addressed by Czech President Havel, and the chiefs of both organizations. Their talks covered several of the issues that have fired the passions of protestors, and many delegates have given a nod of acknowledgement

Prague's Congress Centre is hosting a meeting of over 15,000 financiers, bankers and policy makers from all over the world. They have arrived in the Czech capital for the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank. Czech President Vaclav Havel opened the whole event on Tuesday morning. attended the opening ceremony and he is now with me in the studio. Delegates had actually been bused in early this morning under the cover of darkness; Vladimir, how difficult was it to get in?