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A Cuban refugee couple living in the Czech Republic were reunited with their two children in Prague over the weekend, over a year after being separated. The couple came to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2003 and were granted political asylum in December. Their children were forced to stay in Cuba.

A diplomatic row has broken out between the Czech Republic and Belarus. On Wednesday, the Belarusian authorities expelled a Czech diplomat after arresting and detaining him despite his diplomatic immunity. In return, a Belarusian diplomat was expelled from Prague on Friday in an incident reminiscent of the Cold War.

The Scottish poet Robert Burns borrowed his first book from the local baker, and from there the only way was up. His poems, which were originally published to raise money so that he could emigrate, ironically turned Burns into a Scottish icon. The man behind 'Auld Lang Syne' and the title of J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye' turns 246 tomorrow. His birthday is being marked both at home and abroad, including the Czech Republic. In-house Scot, Rosie Johnston reports...

A new poll to find out who Czechs feel was the greatest person this country has ever produced has been causing quite a stir here in recent weeks. The ballot is being organized by Czech Television following the same model as that used for similar polls in Germany and Britain last year. The British and German polls generated much excitement in their respective countries, and Czechs are also enthusiastically discussing whom they think was the best ever Czech.

The Czech government is increasingly taking a more pro-active role in the external affairs of the European Union. One of the focal points of Czech interest seems to be the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, especially in relation to consolidating peace in the Balkans. The Special Coordinator of the EU Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, Erhard Busek, visited Prague this week in order to discuss future engagement of the Czech Republic in the Balkans.

A Czech mobile children's hospital has just started working in the city of Galle in Sri Lanka. The experienced 21-member medical and technical team arrived in the tsunami-hit region on Tuesday. By Friday morning all the tents had been put up and furnished with medical equipment to welcome the first patients.

Prior to the split of Czechoslovakia, Czechs and Slovaks understand one another's languages without any difficulties whatsoever. But now, 12 years later, young Czechs find it increasingly difficult to understand Slovak, and Czech Television has - for the first time - dubbed a Slovak-produced serial for adults into Czech. But the dubbing of Zachranari (Mountain Rescuers) has met with a mixed reaction from Czechs, with some people saying it is completely unnecessary

And now to a special programme that we will be broadcasting this weekend, in cooperation with BBC Radio 3 and Open Productions. Romany - or Gypsy - culture is traditionally oral, with a focus on song and storytelling, but there is a growing body of Romany literature. In the programme we meet Romany writers from the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, who share a desire to see Romany culture recognized and respected. I'm joined by David Vaughan who, along with the British broadcaster, Simon Evans, is co-author of the programme.

The exact nature — and, indeed, legality — of an elite police fraud squad codenamed the "Mill" has been the subject of heated partisan debate in recent days. The squad allegedly operated in secret and answered directly to the current Prime Minister, Stanislav Gross, during his tenure as Interior Minister. A parliamentary committee began special hearings this week aimed at uncovering the activities of the police squad, but as Brian Kenety reports, the story has become no less clear.

For many years Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operatic work Zaide was regarded as a fragment. More than an hour of music was preserved but that was only the arias. Originally they were linked by spoken text, none of which survived. The German musicologist and conductor Andreas Kroeper, who now lives in the Czech Republic, says he has found the missing text and has proved it belonged to Zaide.