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The Czech president's powers are largely constitutional, but one area where he can exercise real influence is in granting pardons. The question of who should be given a pardon and under what circumstances has long been a subject of controversy, and this week, the issue has once again hit the headlines. President Vaclav Klaus has granted pardons to eight people, including a man who in 1978 hijacked a passenger plane in order to escape across the Iron Curtain to West Germany.

We've heard a lot in the last few days about Stanislav Gross, the man most commentators expect to sooner or later replace Vladimir Spidla as head of the Social Democrats, and possibly as prime minister. Mr Gross is of course the interior minister, but what else do we know about him?

The Czech football team's excellent run at Euro 2004 has been good for the pub trade here as many Czechs go to bars to watch the matches and cheer their team on. One Czech brewery has been in the news recently with an interesting marketing ploy to take advantage of this upsurge in business and keep beer on people's minds.

In the weeks following the Czech government's poor showing in recent European Parliament elections there has been increasing pressure on Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla to step down as the chairman of his own party, the Social Democrats. But he's not going willingly, leading to a clash strong enough to bring down the government.

It looks like the end game is in sight. The embattled Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has decided to go for broke, and has delivered an ultimatum to his Social Democratic Party: keep me on as party leader or I bring down the whole government.

When we reported in May on Cesko hleda superstar - the Czech version of the hit show Pop Idol - it was clear, even then, that one of the front-runners to take the prize would be 17-year-old Aneta Langerova, a student from the town of Ricany near Prague. Aneta's easy-going manner, love for rock music, and especially emotional and vocal intensity made her a clear favourite from the outset. Well, she's done it, she's won the crown, and as Jan Velinger reports, Czech music fans will now anxiously await the release of her new album.

Since 1997, the Czech Foreign Ministry has been bestowing the Jan Masaryk Gratias Agit award upon people and institutions in gratitude for their exceptional work in promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad.

Just before eight o'clock on Monday morning, passengers on some public transport buses in Prague could hear the drivers talking to the control centre for longer than usual. They drivers were making last minute confirmations with the control centre whether or not they were going to take part in a planned 20-minute strike during the morning rush-hour.

So far the Euro 2004 football tournament couldn't be going better for the Czechs. On Saturday the Czech national squad faced the Netherlands, dangerous but traditional rivals by now: the Czechs fought Holland not only in qualification where they won the edge, but also faced them at the European Championships four years ago, where Holland contributed to the Czech Republic's early exit. Not so on Saturday. Despite taking control early in the game with two goals by the 19th minute, the Dutch would lose the match in spectacular fashion, though not for

The Czech government delegation to the EU summit in Brussels returned home to an ongoing domestic crisis. While other EU heads of government faced criticism over the adoption of the first European Constitution, the Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla is literally fighting a battle for survival. Following a stormy debate over the weekend, he has decided to put not only his own future but that of the entire Cabinet on the line - by calling a vote of confidence in the three party governing coalition.