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Just over ten years ago their countries split in decisively cool fashion - today political relations seem better than ever between the Czechs and the Slovaks. With Slovak President Rudolf Schuster on his first state visit to the Czech Republic since the election of President Vaclav Klaus, there is once again an emphasis on common goals and co-operation between both governments. To lead their respective countries into the EU; to find common ground within NATO; to deepen social, political, and economic ties. What about Slovakia in its own right?

In this week's edition of our weekly special on the history of Czech Radio - marking the station's 80th anniversary - Martin Hrobsky looks at the role radio played during the Prague Spring. It was 1968 in Czechoslovakia and optimism was in the air: students, workers, and intellectuals alike were calling for change in a political and economic system that was no longer meeting the needs of the people. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia knew this, and once a number of innocent reforms were carried out, the winds of change could not be

Czech theatre buffs and visitors to Prague are in for a treat. The Czech capital is currently hosting a marathon of cutting-edge theatre from around the world -and there's something in it for everyone. The Prague Fringe Festival - which was a huge success last summer - is back with an exciting array of high quality theatre productions - non-verbal shows, plays in Czech, English, and French as well as shows for children. Fringe Festival director Steven Gove explains why he thought Prague was a good venue for an international theatre festival.

The Czech Republic is making yet another contribution to space exploration. The Czech scientific team is helping to operate the satellite Integral which is discovering gamma ray sources. What's going on with the gamma flashes? Where are they coming from? The mystery remains yet unsolved, but Tracy Burns sheds more light on the latest news from the cosmos.

The government is showing it is prepared to keep its word: after the frustration of two deadlocks and a final down-the-wire result in presidential elections this year, the cabinet has confirmed it is prepared to make changes in the constitution to replace the parliamentary system with a direct vote. That is a move supported by most of the electorate, as well as politicians, including President Vaclav Klaus himself.

The popular French Institute in Prague has been running a special series of lectures open to the public titled "Understanding Today's World". Topics that have been covered weekly have included New Threats after 9-11, The City in Crisis, and Islam in Western European cities. Radio Prague was able to attend some of these events last month, including a lecture on the changing face of Islam in Europe.

Trade unions are preparing massive protests against the government proposed budget reform. But while doctors, teachers, and civil servants are clamoring for higher wages, many economists say that wages in the state sector have been growing faster than the state can afford.

Hundreds of thousands of Czechs live in "panelaky" - the concrete panel apartment buildings that were constructed during the communist era. These buildings are often criticised for being depressingly drab and poorly constructed, but life in them has generally improved since the fall of communism - and some people think that life in a panelak is still the way to go.

Should children be given the right to vote in the Czech Republic? The Christian Democrats - a member of the ruling coalition - argue that they should. A family voting rights proposal is now the subject of heated discussion in the Czech Republic. But just why are the Christian Democrats campaigning so fervently for this change in the Czech electoral system?

The government-proposed budget reform is causing the ruling coalition serious problems. One minister has already resigned because of it, and there are indications of widespread social unrest in the coming weeks.