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The Czech prison service faced fresh embarrassment on Sunday, when one of the country's most notorious and dangerous prisoners escaped from a maximum security prison in northern Moravia. The hunt is now on for hired assassin Jiri Kajinek, who may well, police say, try to arm himself as soon as possible. has this report:

There have been frequent complaints from the twelve candidate countries applying for EU membership, including the Czech Republic, that the Union has consistently failed to set a date for accession. Some EU representatives say this will happen in 2003, whilst others claim that 2005 is the earliest possible date; but all member states share concerns over the candidate states readiness to join the EU. But on Sunday, European Commission President Romano Prodi noted that he believed six countries--without naming them--would be ready to join the European

Prime Minister Milos Zeman is firmly resolved to step down as the chairman of the ruling Social Democrat Party. Zeman told the daily Pravo on Friday that he has been contemplating this move for quite a long time, and that once his mind is made up, there is no going back. reports:

Martin Jahn, the director of CzechInvest, the company in charge of encouraging direct foreign investment in the Czech Republic, announced on Thursday that this year his company would bring foreign investments of 1.5 billion USD to the Czech Republic, which is more than double the planned amount. While CzechInvest and the government will be delighted with figures, what do they mean for the man on the street? Radio Prague's spoke to economic analyst Petr Zahradnik of Conseq Finance, and asked him first what impact these investments will have on

The independent Czechoslovak state was founded 82 years ago on Saturday. Although Czechoslovakia ceased to be eight years ago, the Czechs, unlike the Slovaks, still celebrate this date as one of the most important in their history. reports:

More than 320 complaints have been received by Czech police officials regarding alleged police brutality during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank sessions in late September. Both the actions of the police during the protests, and reports about unusual cruelty towards protestors arrested, are being questioned. has this report:

The Czech word 'lustrace', 'lustration' in English, comes from the Latin 'lustrare', and means 'to shed light on' or 'to illuminate.' 'Lustration' in the Czech Republic means only one thing: the screening of public servants to exclude former high-ranking Communists: senior Party officials, members of the People's Militia, and agents of the hated secret police. The 'screening law' was due to expire at the end of this year, but on Wednesday the right-wing opposition managed to extend it, in spite of opposition from the ruling Social Democrats and

Earlier this week, the Academy of Music in Prague played host to the 1st international melodrama contest, which brought together young musicians and actors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Japan, Sweden and the United States. reports:

As you may have heard earlier this week, Radio Prague has relaunched its Russian service. Earlier today, I spoke to Radio Prague's editor-in-chief who has just attended the opening reception in Moscow:

Believe it not, several British teachers claimed recently that children who own mobile phones are less likely to start smoking. Having a mobile, they say, is considered a symbol of adulthood, the same as smoking a cigarette. So what about Czech kids? reports on the situation in the Czech Republic: