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There has been a lot in the news in the last couple of years about proposed changes to the Czech criminal code. There were plans to lower the age of consent and criminal responsibility, the propagation of communism was going to become illegal, and even a suggestion that euthanasia might be allowed. But not now - after over a decade of preparation, the new criminal code has been thrown out the window, after meeting resistance from across the political spectrum.

Compared to ten years ago, the number of Czech men willing to pay for sex has rocketed. Night clubs in Prague attract many foreigners—including the numerous British stag party groups passing through the city—but Czech men now make up half of the clients in Prague's sex trade establishments. Since most men tend to believe that women practicing prostitution are willing participants, the Ministry of the Interior and the International Organization for Migration are planning to launch a joint awareness campaign beginning in May.

A traditional folk costume is something that can still be found in many a household, especially in those parts of the Czech Republic where folk traditions are still alive. But what do you do when your old costume is worn out or no longer fits? If you can't sew yourself, you can turn to professionals. A sewing shop in South Moravia which opened recently, says it can make virtually any costume from around the Czech Republic.

A reporter for the Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, who was covering the presidential election in Belarus was attacked and beaten up on Sunday night just minutes after leaving a demonstration held in protest against what is widely viewed as a rigged presidential election.

Back in November Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda first suggested that the Czech Republic would invoke the EU's solidarity pact to pressure states like Canada to drop visa restrictions for the Czech Republic as an EU member. Now, the European Commission is reportedly weighing negotiations with individual states to eventually drop visa restrictions. But, Minister Svoboda has decided not to wait: on the domestic front at the weekend he again turned up the pressure, indicating that if the situation doesn't change, the Czech Republic would take

The Czech media made a grisly discovery last week - the exhumed remains of some four thousand German soldiers are being stored in a factory in North Bohemia. The remains were due to be reburied in a cemetery in Prague, but have been languishing in storage since the project ran out of money.

The war in Iraq has provoked much public reaction around the world since its outset in 2003, and Prague is no exception. In the years following the U.S. invasion, Czechs have demonstrated in the streets of Prague against what many see as a violation of international law. With Czech troops involved in the rebuilding process in Iraq, similar protests once again took place this year against the continued occupation.

An arbitral tribunal in London ruled on Friday that the Czech Republic had "breached its obligation to treat foreign investors fairly and equitably" by failing to protect the investment of the Japanese bank Nomura in the Czech bank IPB. The ruling opens the way for Nomura to seek compensation from the Czech government for the losses it suffered after the bank collapsed in the year 2000. The arbiters have yet to decide how much the Czech state has to pay, but the verdict could be bad news for the ruling Social Democrats ahead of the June general

The special guest for St Patrick's Day celebrations which took place in Prague on Friday and over the weekend was Ireland's minister of agriculture and food, Mary Coughlan. She was labour minister when the European Union took in 10 new members in 2004; at that time Ireland was one of only three "old EU" countries to welcome workers from new EU states. I asked Mary Coughlan how Ireland viewed the experience of the last two years.

The Senate on Thursday approved a bill under which foreigners living and working in the Czech Republic could be granted permanent residence after five years, as opposed to the present ten. This bill concerns some 38,000 foreigners living in the country and is seen as a fundamental breakthrough.