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The latest opinion polls in the Czech Republic suggest that support for the Communist Party is soaring, and that, after the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, they are the second most popular party, with the support of about a quarter of all voters. Alarmed by this development, the upper house of the Czech parliament, the Senate, held a public hearing this week to discuss whether the Communists could gain enough electoral support to become a decisive force in Czech political life, and whether the former communist elite still has influence.

Now it's not just to enjoy Prague's Renaissance and Baroque glories that millions of tourists flock to the Czech capital every year. Of course, many also come for the beer, but some are more interested in Baroque contours of a rather different kind. You don't have to go far before you encounter offers of erotic services to cater for every taste imaginable. The City Hall has now had enough, and decided to sweep away all these very public invitations to indulge the pleasures of the flesh from the city's streets.

Central European countries, including the Czech Republic, have gone through a computer revolution over the last decade. Whereas ten years ago a lot of offices still used typewriters, computers are nowadays not only in every office, but have become an important part of our lives in general. But to be able to take advantage of this brave new digital world, you need to know how. Are the Czechs able to use computers? What's the level of computer literacy in the Czech Republic?

International Children's Day, June 1st, saw the opening of the first ever baby box in the Czech Republic, where mothers can give up unwanted babies anonymously. It was installed at a private clinic in Prague, an event that was preceded by heated debate about the moral aspect of this practice.

After the French "Non" to the EU Constitution, Europe heard a resounding "Nee" from the Netherlands on Wednesday. With Europe still reeling from the shock, Czech politicians, both champions and opponents of the constitution, are sticking firmly to their views.

Prague in 1910: thousands of residents from the city and its surrounding areas flock to the popular recreation spot Zlute Lazne, or the Yellow Spa. The resort, which gained its name simply because it had a yellow fence, was a haven and hide away from the bustling streets of the thriving city. But forty years of Communist rule and the devastating floods of 2002 left the 3.5 hectares of once green land stretching along the embankment of the River Vltava in very poor condition. On Wednesday, the newly reconstructed Yellow Spa finally re-opened its

Even though there were many Czechs who suffered appallingly during the Second World War - whether it was in concentration camps or as forced labour - most of them have only recently began to receive any kind of compensation. Due to the tense relations between West Germany and the countries of the Eastern Bloc, for decades there was little hope of reaching agreement. It was not until 2001 that the German government begun compensating victims from the Czech Republic. This process is now complete, and the results were presented at a press conference

A few years ago the well-known Czech artist David Cerny made headlines when he produced a t-shirt showing a spiky finger flipping the Communist Party the bird. Now a design studio - alarmed by growing support for the party - has got a similar idea, commissioning designers around the country to take part in a competition protesting against growing public support for the communists. Titled "De-communisation" the project has attracted a lot of attention so far.

The Czech president Vaclav Klaus has just signed a new law making it easier for majority owners of companies to acquire the shares of small shareholders. Ironically Mr Klaus himself is the reason why the Czech Republic has such a large number of small shareholders in the first place. In the early 1990s, when still finance minister, it was Mr Klaus who introduced an unprecedented voucher privatization scheme. Thousands of companies were privatised after four decades of communism, by virtually giving away shares to citizens. At the time the scheme

The internationally acclaimed sitar player Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the legendary Indian sitar player and composer Ravi Shankar, is one of the musicians performing at this year's 60th Prague Spring Music Festival. On Thursday, Anoushka will play her father's Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra No. 1, alongside the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.