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Since the Iron Curtain fell, Czech society has been increasingly exposed to the influence of other cultures. There are not only western tourists in Prague. Quite a few students and entrepreneurs, but also refugees, have come from Muslim countries, bringing elements of their culture and way of life with them. So what is the position of Muslims in the Czech Republic, and what attitudes and pre-conceptions do Czechs have about Islam? Martin Mikule has been finding out.

Three former students from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno's Technical University were ordered by a Moravian court on Thursday to apologise for libel against their former teacher some fourteen years ago, during the turbulent days of the Velvet Revolution. The student body leaders labelled communist party representative Jan Snasel an "arrogant demagogue" and an "opportunist".

One of the most tangible benefits of joining the European Union is that it is now much easier for Czechs to study abroad. This is a very attractive prospect not just for young Czechs - keen to gain qualifications, learn languages and see the world - but also for West European universities themselves. In the competitive environment of today's academic world universities are always on the look-out for good students. That was what brought a small team from the University of Salford in the north of England to Prague this week. They held a series of

For many years the Beatles have been hugely popular here in the Czech Republic, and this coming Sunday, Czechs fans are in for a rare treat, when Paul McCartney plays a concert in Prague, becoming the first of the Beatles to appear here. To find out what the concert will mean to Czechs, I spoke to politician, broadcaster and musician Michal Prokop, who himself started a rock band in the 1960s.

At the beginning of 2005 the Czech Army will become fully professional, welcome news for young Czech men, who will no longer have to do compulsory military service. The alternative to military duty - civic service - is also coming to an end. That will mean problems, however, for the organisations which have been relying on such cheap labour for years.

Many of our listeners will already be familiar with the Nuna 2 - the world's fastest solar-powered car. Last year it won the World Solar Challenge in Australia, clocking a record time of 140 kilometres per hour. Designed and built by a team of students from the Delft University of Technology in Holland, the Nuna is now on a special European tour, setting out from Greece in late May to make its way across the continent in the name of sustainable energy. On Wednesday the car and its team arrived in Prague.

Since the fall of communism, much has changed in attitudes to disabled people. Terms such as "easy access" or "wheelchair adapted" have gradually entered the everyday language; pavements, many buildings and buses have been adapted to enable people with impaired mobility to be less dependent on other people's assistance. But there are cases when simple ignorance causes severe difficulties to wheelchair users or the blind. This week a campaign is under way to make people more aware of what it is like to move around the city in a wheelchair or using

Czech veterans of the Second World War who fought alongside the British and who now make their home in the U.K. were flown by special military transport on Tuesday to Prague, ahead of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day. Brian Kenety was on the tarmac to meet them and has this report.

Prague's third annual fringe theatre festival started on Tuesday. This year's festival has attracted 158 performers from all over the world. The event is organised by Scotsman Steven Gove, who is a veteran of the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Czech defence minister, Miroslav Kostelka, surprised many on Monday when, on a brief visit to Iraq, he said he wanted the Czech unit serving in the southern city of Basra to return at the end of the year. Some members of the opposition have questioned the wisdom of such a pull-out, but the minister says it is simply a case of mission accomplished. Ian Willoughby has the story.