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Some fifty communities across the western part of the Czech Republic are holding celebrations in the coming days to mark the 60th anniversary of their World War II liberation by U.S., Czech and Belgian soldiers under the command of the American General George S. Patton. The Allies' role in the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi tyranny was, to put it mildly, played down by the Soviet Union for propaganda purposes. Ahead of the celebrations marking 'V-E' day, the U.S. Embassy in Prague has commissioned a compilation of raw, historical footage,

The Czech science-fiction community was hit by sad news on Monday. The greatest Czech sci-fi author, Josef Nesvadba, died unexpectedly. Although he was 78, he was still full of plans, and many had looked forward to reading his memoirs. Sadly that was not to be.

Last year in the West Bohemian city of Plzen, the foundation stone was laid for a large bronze statue of General George Patton, whose 3rd US Army liberated the city in the spring of 1945. It seemed an apt gesture to remember one of the war's great generals, and the unveiling was to be one of the highpoints of this year's 60th anniversary celebrations taking place next week in Plzen. At the time no-one could have guessed that just a few months later the stone would be dug up again, and that the city would not have its statue after all, after city

The Czech Republic has a new prime minister and a new government. At the inauguration ceremony at Prague Castle on Monday, President Vaclav Klaus appointed Jiri Paroubek's 18-member "old-new" cabinet. "Old-new" because, with the exception of four ministers, this government is made up of the same members and parties as that of Mr Paroubek's predecessor Stanislav Gross.

The Czech-born author Jan Novak has won the coveted Magnesia Litera "book of the year" award for his biographical novel about two brothers who fled communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s. Ctirad and Josef Masin - sons of a Czech anti-Nazi resistance hero - were part of an anti-communist group of men who shot several policemen dead and killed two StB secret police officers during earlier robberies of arms stores, before escaping to the West. The Masin brothers - who still live in self-imposed exile in the United States - are viewed as killers

The opera cycle "The Ring of the Niebelung" by German composer Richard Wagner based on stories from German mythology takes us into a world of gods, dwarfs, and giants. It was originally intended to be performed as a whole but the cycle is so long and so demanding on the performers, opera houses usually put on only one section a season. But Prague's National Theatre has now decided to present the whole cycle for the first time ever in the Czech Lands.

It was a little bit as if time had stood still. With its 1970s fittings and overall atmosphere, Prague's high-rise Hotel Olympik still has a flavour of the old regime, and it seemed rather an apt venue for a gathering of communist and hard-left parties from around the world. Under a banner pointing to a socialist future in large red letters, several dozen delegates from 32 different countries - mostly in Europe, but also including China, Vietnam and North Korea - came together to discuss the future of socialism in Europe.

After two months of turmoil, Prime Minister Stanislav Gross finally handed in his resignation on Monday morning. Mr Gross had come under extreme pressure, after allegations of irregularities in his personal finances. The three-party government resigned with him, but is due to re-form immediately under a new leader, Jiri Paroubek, up to now the local development minister. But is the crisis that has paralysed Czech politics recently over? And who exactly is Mr Gross's replacement? Pavla Horakova joins me.

Two new anthologies of Czech short stories were released on Wednesday in Prague's, 'Palace Luxor' bookshop. Fittingly for somewhere calling itself the capital's 'Palace of Books', the 'Palace Luxor' played host to the Kings, Queens and Princesses of Czech literature, who had all collaborated on the project. Rosie Johnston was at the event:

The Czech President Vaclav Klaus has found himself embroiled in a huge row with leading members of the European Parliament. Earlier this week two Euro-MPs, including the parliament's deputy president, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, accused Mr Klaus of using unfair means and lies to deceive the Czech public into rejecting the planned European constitution. They warned that he was leading the country into isolation, and they argue that he is the only anti-constitution head of state in the whole union. The Czech President himself has reacted with fury. David