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It's six days now since the Columbia disaster, a tragedy which has affected many people around the world. Among the mourners are the people of Israel, who had sent their first astronaut - Ilan Ramon - into space. Among the few possessions Ramon chose to take with him was a drawing entitled "Moon Landscape" - a view of the Earth as seen from the Moon. The picture was drawn by a 14-year-old Jewish boy from Prague called Petr Ginz, most probably during his imprisonment in the Terezin ghetto. One of Ginz's closest friends at Terezin was a boy called

The presidential elections in the Czech Republic have taken a new twist: a group of musicians has begun an initiative to promote the internationally famous Czech pop singer Karel Gott for president. Their main intention is to highlight the farcical inability of Czech politicians to elect a new head of state.

The trial of a key figure from the Czechoslovak communist regime, Karel Hoffmann, has been taking place in Prague since January 15. Mr Hoffmann is accused of treason for ordering the interruption of Czechoslovak Radio broadcasts in August 1968, when Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia. But the trial was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday after Mr Hoffmann's defence lawyer accused the judge of bias.

In the last decade or so, the Czech Republic's largest car manufacturer, Skoda Auto, has managed to make quite a name for itself on the international scene. As part of the Volkswagen group since 1991, it's sales have boomed both at home and abroad - until last year, that is. Estimates have shown that the company's overall international sales dropped in 2002 by a little under four percent. However, the loss was at ten percent in the Czech Republic.

The concept of a helpful police officer who is there to protect and inform rather than harass is fairly new to the Czech Republic. After the overthrow of communism 13 years ago there was a concerted effort to erase the memory of the dreaded communist police and create a police force that would be trusted and respected. The country's national police underwent a thorough overhaul and with the process of decentralization of power, cities, towns and villages across the country started financing their own local police departments. Now sadly, that process

Two sets of presidential elections - two inconclusive results this past January to find a successor to Vaclav Havel who stepped down on Sunday. The country is currently without a president and it may take weeks before it becomes clear just when - and how - the Czech legislature will try to elect a new one.

The UN Committee for Protection of children's rights has urged the Czech authorities to make a concerted effort to ensure that the international Covenant of Children's Rights be fully adhered to. In a report released several days ago the committee outlines several problem areas which the country needs to deal with before it joins the EU in 2004.

Members of the Castle Guard marched across the courtyard of Prague Castle at midnight on Sunday, carrying with them the flag of the Czech President. Among those watching the flag being lowered was the president himself - Vaclav Havel left the Castle for the last time on Sunday after 13 years in the post. The flag won't be raised again for weeks - maybe even months - as efforts continue to choose a successor. And with the Czech Republic left without a head of state, the president's powers have been divided between the country's senior officials.

The Czech Association for Consumer Protection has just marked its tenth anniversary; ten years of helping Czechs to enforce their rights in a market economy with which they had no prior experience whatsoever. Today the Association has a network of consumer counseling offices, an SOS hotline and is involved in consumer education in schools. Daniela Lazarova has the story:

Prague tram drivers called a one-day strike today to fight for wage equality with their bus driving counterparts. However, the strike has not gone as smoothly as planned and has even been marked by violence.